Making The Most of Children's Interests

Interrupting.

        In testing for good learning climatic conditions, let's return to that eagerness of children to find out things, to explore, to peek, to ask endless questions, in short, to keep a continuous "alert." This is the right spirit for learning, but often, even before a child is old enough for school, a damper may have been put on this insatiable appetite. A lively child gets into things, interrupts often, and annoys fussy adults. Parents, attempting to rear a good child, may have curbed so many adventures, quelled so many interests, ignored so many questions, and put an end to so many activities, that almost all signs of eagerness, curiosity, and interest have completely disappeared, and a diffident, docile child of five timidly approaches school. 

       Here he enters a group of from thirty to fifty other five year olds. There may be only one teacher to see that they are counted in, spend a lively morning in the kindergarten, are counted out promptly at noontime, each wearing his own hat and coat. Then the teacher may snatch a bite to eat, and rush across town to another school and another group of five year olds in the afternoon kindergarten. Obviously, the vigorous, lively youngster creates more hurdles for a teacher in such a program than does the amiable "I'll-wait-until-you-tell-me-what-to-do" type. 

       It is regrettable but true that we, as parents or teachers, check the very drive that stimulates learning because it is too much for us to cope with. Then we exhort, urge, and even try to compel learning after we have robbed a child of the very way in which he can learn. The problem of rekindling an enjoyment of learning after it has been dulled by unwise efforts is often a difficult one.

• Teaching Kids to Stop Interrupting by Preschool Therapy
• How to get kids to listen by PragerU