How to create a positive learning environment at home

Do you know that you are your child's first teacher? If so, then your home is your child's first classroom. Is your place engaging enough to cultivate a love for learning? An expert teaches us how to have a conducive learning environment at home.

At the Singapore Parenting Festival 2023, parents were schooled (pun intended) about how to stimulate their child's love for learning through a very insightful and engaging webinar entitled, Cultivate the Joy in Learning, featuring two child experts in childhood education.

A learning space at home

One way for us to cultivate the joy of learning in our children and make sure that it goes beyond the four walls of their classroom is to create a positive learning environment at home.

But how exactly do we do that? Where do we start? What if we only have limited space at home? What if we don't have the budget for those expensive tools? These are the questions most parents have when talking about building a learning space for their children.

In her years of working in different countries as a teacher and observing in different classroom settings, Fynn Sor, an early learning expert, author, founder of Happy Tot Shelf on Instagram and mum of three noticed a common theme in classrooms where children looked eager to learn.

"They will automatically know what to do. They will pick up something to play, they will explore the materials on the table. Everything happens automatically. They just want to learn immediately. And so I was very curious to know, what is the magic?"

After digging deeper and engaging in conversations with teachers, she found out that there was no magic. But it was the intentional design of the learning environment by the teachers that made the difference.

"So the teachers, they put a lot of thought into the design of the environment. They think about how the classroom is set up, they think about what posters what colours they use, what materials were toys in each classroom," shared Fynn.

If the teachers can do it at school, we can also do it at home where our child also spends most of their time.

How to create a conducive learning environment at home

How can we design and create an engaging conducive home learning environment to nurture a love of learning and our children? Fynn shared five things that we can do to achieve that.

Create a conducive learning space

What comes into your mind when you hear that phrase? Is it a room filled with books? A study table? A place where you can put art supplies or toys for play-based learning?

The correct answer is it depends on your child.

"A learning space at home is a dedicated space where children can engage in active learning and how this space looks like will differ based on your children's age," said Fynn.

So for older children, it can be a conducive study room; it needs to be well-lit, has access to their computer for research and a comfortable chair. For younger children, it can be a playing corner with quality toys, access to art materials and a lot of space to move around.

One thing that you should note when you are creating a learning space for your child is that the materials are easily accessible to children.

For younger kids, make sure that these are situated at eye level, so they can actually see the materials and they can reach out for the materials that they need. This can also build independence while they learn.

Fynn also suggested incorporating a reading nook and a discovery corner to display activities and objects of interest.

"You want to create an environment and encourage our children to learn to explore freely," she shared.

We all dream to have a dedicated learning space for our children. But what if there's not enough space at home?

Like most Singaporeans, Fynn experienced living in flats and houses with limited spaces. And what she wants other parents to remember is that it's not about how big or small the space is, but what you do with it.

"It's how you use the space and the materials in the space that matters more," she said. "So work with the space that you have."

"If you really don't have space, we can always make use of a box or luggage, for example. You can leave your materials inside there and your child will know that every time they open the luggage, there's different learning materials inside," shared Angela Yang, director of professional and education development at PAP Community Foundation.

By the way, it's up to you if you want to invest in manipulatives or learning toys for your child. But you don't have to really spend a fortune to create a nice learning environment. You can use recycled materials and old books, just as long as you stimulate your child's senses.

Schedule a regular home learning time

You can do this by blocking off a small amount of time each day for learning at home. You can schedule this form of learning time, every day, every alternate day, or every weekend. It's really up to you and what works for your family.

How long? It depends on your children's age. Because you cannot expect young learners to sit down for an extended amount of time.

What do we do during this home learning time? Fynn suggests that you dedicate time to do homework or school work and also do some hands-on learning activities and explore topics that your child is interested in.

"What we want to achieve here is to really make learning parts of their daily life and to develop this habit of learning in our children," she said.

Make learning fun

Have you noticed how this important point is mentioned more than once throughout the article? It's because we cannot stress it enough.

And this is especially important for younger children. Because multiple studies show that they learn a lot by doing by playing and using their different senses and concrete experiences. They will stick in the brain better and longer for children.

"It's not just about teaching them the concept, but all this connection and all these good memories about learning will help them feel better about learning, they develop this positive attitude towards learning, they think that learning is so fun," said Fynn.

One way to do it is to play up to your child's interests and be as creative as possible. Does your child love dinosaurs? Star Wars? Frozen? There are so many fun, sensorial activities that you can incorporate them into.

Schedule down time

This is probably our favourite tip of all. And we're sure you will love it too. Because basically, you don't have to do anything. And we're asking you to let your child do nothing.

"Downtime is really important, especially for older children who spend a large amount of time in school. They go through a structured lesson after lesson. So this downtime is important for them to unwind to relax.

And also, this is also the time where they can go explore their interests," shared Fynn.

Boredom can boost creativity and encourages self-learning. So if your child looks bored, don't rush in to entertain them. Let them be bored. You will be amazed by how much your children's love of learning can grow when they have the time to explore and discover.

Develop a safe, trusting, connected relationship with your child.

This looks at that at the social environment at home — your child's social interactions and their relationship with the family members.

"What we want is a home environment where kids feel safe and connected. And this is important because feeling safe is one of the most basic needs of human beings.

Children learn better when they feel safe, and they feel that the environment is as supportive," said Fynn.

At the same time, when children feel safe, they are more willing to jump into new experiences. They have the confidence to explore the world freely. And they are also willing to make mistakes, or they're not afraid to make mistakes.

Remember, a stressed-out brain is not a learning brain.

So your goal should be to create a safe space for children to make mistakes. Not scolding them when they make a mistake, not yelling at them or shaming them, and you want to focus on good behaviour and effort.

Simply put, you want them to know that you are there to support them in their learning journey.

So, you see, parents, creating a conducive learning environment for your child does not have to be a massive learning space or the most elaborate activities.

Simply setting a small area where your child can freely explore and taking an hour to sit and read together can do wonders for your child's learning.

You can do it, mums and dads! We're rooting for you!

ALSO READ: Go outside: Why outdoor play matters for your child's development

This article was first published in theAsianparent.