One Size Fits All? Not with Learning!
Learning is Different for Everyone!
It is quite normal for us to compare ourselves to our friends or siblings, and compare our children to other kids. But to what end? One can get caught in the comparison game in a way that can affect our parenting. "Johnny is already reading fluently. Sue is such a great cooperator! Why don't I see this with my child? When are they going to catch up?" We're all very different and growing up isn't a sprint. Each child's needs are different and each child's path is different. I believe our job as parents is to support their path by listening enough to understand what they need. Often this means providing very different activities or types of support to each child.
At Robofun, we train our teachers to approach learning from multiple angles. Some kids love an example, some prefer to be walked through something the first time, and others need a lot of reminders that we are transitioning to a new activity. At home, one child may want to decompress after school. A different child may want to speak a mile a minute and tell you every detail of their day.
A few tips for you:
Become an emotional detective. What am I hearing from this story? Is this just a sharing of a funny moment, or is there a need being expressed?
Provide different activities for each child; the sporty child will most likely not become artistic by forcing them into more art classes. They may grow to really hate drawing!
We learn and grow best through the things we love. Can you find things each child loves?
Keep at it! Keep observing and discussing with your child what you're seeing. Find ways to support your child's passions!