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March/April 2025
Children thrive when they feel connected to their families, peers, and community. But connection goes beyond relationships—it‘s also about making a connection to learning. When children can see how their learning relates to their daily lives- they become more engaged and curious. This connection also strengthens critical thinking, nurtures creativity, and fosters a lifelong love of learning.
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Connection to learning goes beyond academic success. When children feel connected to their learning:
- They develop curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world.
- They build resilience and problem-solving skills by engaging in meaningful challenges.
- They learn to value different perspectives and think critically about information.
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Following are some suggestions to support your child's connection to their learning:
Foster Curiosity Through Questions
Encourage your child to ask questions about the world around them. Whether it‘s exploring nature, reading books, or discussing current events, show them that curiosity is valuable.
Build Critical Thinking Skills
Teach your child to think critically by asking open-ended questions and discussing different points of view. Encourage them to analyze information, look for patterns, and ask, “Why?"
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Create Meaningful Learning Experiences
Help your child see the relevance of what they‘re learning by connecting it to their interests or real-life situations. For example, cooking together can teach math and science, while a family nature walk can inspire lessons in biology and environmental science.
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Encourage Collaborative Learning
Learning with others helps children build social skills and gain new perspectives. Encourage group projects, family discussions, or even play-based learning with peers.
Incorporate Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful way to make learning meaningful and memorable. Share stories from your family‘s history, books, or cultural traditions to teach lessons and spark imagination.
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Understanding your child's unique learning style can significantly enhance their learning experience. Children typically exhibit one or a combination of the following learning preferences:
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Visual learners grasp
information best through images, diagrams, and written instructions. They often enjoy reading, drawing, and observing.
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Auditory learners learn
best through listening. They benefit from discussions, and verbal instructions, and may have an interest in music or storytelling.
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Kinesthetic learners prefer activities that involve movement and touch. They enjoy experiments, building projects, or physical activities.
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To identify your child's learning style:
- pay attention to how they naturally engage with new information and solve problems.
- observe what holds their attention the longest—do they enjoy looking at books and pictures, listening to stories and music, or physically exploring their environment?
- notice how they explain things to you—do they describe things in detail (visual), talk through their thoughts (auditory), or demonstrate through actions (kinesthetic)?
- watch how they approach homework, play, and even daily routines to give you clues.
Recognizing these patterns will help you support their learning in a way that feels natural to them.
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Research shows that when we praise children for being smart, it promotes a fixed mindset. It sends a message that their accomplishments are trait-based, and tied to something genetic. In contrast, praising kids for working hard promotes a growth mindset. It sends a message that the child’s effort is what led them to success.
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Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is the underlying belief that abilities can be developed through effort and practice. Children with a growth mindset believe that ability can change as a result of effort, perseverance, and practice. They see mistakes as ways to learn, embrace challenges, and persist in the face of setbacks. |
Fixed Mindset
A fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence is static, and cannot be changed. When children have a fixed mindset, they typically worry about not looking smart, get upset by mistakes, and give up sooner on tough tasks because they believe that they don’t have what it takes to learn hard things.
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3 Ways to Instill a Growth Mindset |
Fostering Growth Mindset
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By focusing on effort and progress rather than perfection, children learn that they have control over their learning. This helps them develop self-motivation and a positive attitude toward challenges.
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| Social media is a big part of the world our children are growing up in and it has great potential as a learning tool. Whether it‘s discovering new ideas or engaging with educational content, social media offers many opportunities for children to expand their knowledge, enhance creativity and develop critical thinking.
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While social media can be a powerful tool for learning, it also comes with risks. Completely avoiding it isn‘t a long term realistic solution, instead, parents can guide their children to use social media in a safe and balanced way. Following are some strategies to support social media learning.
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Select Age-Appropriate PlatformsChoose social media networks designed specifically for children. These platforms often have enhanced safety features and educational content suitable for young users.
Common Sense Media offers guidance on safe platforms and online behaviours for children.
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Engage in Shared Media ExperiencesParticipate in your child‘s online activities to understand what they are engaging with. Watching videos, or exploring educational content together allows you to monitor their exposure and encourage discussions.
M ediaSmarts provides resources to help parents navigate digital literacy. Establish Clear Guidelines Set household rules around social media use to ensure it supports learning without becoming overwhelming. A
Family Media Plan tool can help families set rules, such as keeping devices in public areas of the house and turning them off during meals and before bedtime.
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Utilize Parental Control Tools Implement parental control apps and settings to monitor your child's online interactions. Many devices come with integrated parental control features:
- Apple Devices: Utilize the "Screen Time" feature to set app limits, content restrictions, and downtime schedules.
- Android Devices: Employ "Google Family Link" to manage app installations, set screen time limits, and monitor activity.
- Microsoft Devices: Use "Microsoft Family Safety" to set screen time limits, content filters, and activity reporting.
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Educate About Online SafetyTeach your child about the importance of privacy and the risks associated with sharing personal information online.
ProtectKidsOnline is designed to assist parents in safeguarding their children on the internet and reducing the risk of victimization. Foster Open CommunicationEncourage open dialogue so your child feels comfortable sharing their online experiences and concerns with you.
MediaSmarts provide conversation starters to help parents talk to their children about social media in a supportive way.
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For more content on social media use see previous Snapshots below.
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By encouraging kids to stay curious, embrace challenges, and use technology wisely—while supporting their unique learning styles—you are helping them build a love for learning that will stick with them for life.
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Visit the archived Snapshots that cover a variety of topics such as social media, mental health, friendships, bullying, substance use, vaping, consent, conflict resolution and more!
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*The term "parent" as used in the Snapshot is inclusive of anyone who is actively involved in raising a child, whether it be biological parents, grandparents, adoptive parents, guardians, or any other caretakers.
The content provided through the Snapshots is for informational purposes only. It includes general information and does not specifically address the diverse child rearing challenges parents may encounter. Readers are encouraged to verify information and consider their individual circumstances when making decisions. The content is not a substitute for professional advice.
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