Supporting and Nurturing a Love
of Learning and Growing
Children, we know, are born curious. They are interested in understanding the world around them. Even as infants, they use their inquisitive nature to learn about our shared language, culture and values. As they develop into toddlers, they exhibit a love of learning and growing that is incomparable to any other time in their lives. They fall countless times before they begin to run and they repeat themselves ceaselessly in order to express their desires. As they continue to grow and learn, it is our job to preserve that love of learning. So how do we do that? How can we support, even nurture, this inherent desire? Here a just a few ways that we do so at NPCC:
Model our own love of learning and developing maturity – We tell and show our children that we value learning and development. We explain that we practiced a lot before we could draw a dog or ride a bike, that it took time for our bodies to grow tall, and that we’re still developing character traits like patience and kindness.
Provide them with experiences – We expose them to a variety of activities. We help them discover their, not our own, interests and passions, and create a culture of learning and growing.
Make it fun – We sing songs and play games, and allow them to invent, create and make decisions. Remember that learning and growing is a journey, not a destination.
Have discussions; avoid lectures – We listen and show interest and let them know that we value their thoughts and ideas. We establish safe, stable and nurturing relationships because we know that scolding can stunt their desire to learn and grow.
Be supportive and encouraging – We provide them with opportunities to explore, question and wonder. We allow them to find meaning and make connections in all that they pursue and we value them for the interests that they choose.
Infants are born with a love of learning. It is our job to support and nurture that love as they grow. It is not a difficult task, but it is one that requires us to focus on our children as individuals, not as extensions of ourselves and not as competitors with their peers. At NPCC, we strive to remember that while each child in our care and education is part of a class and community, they each have their own individual story… and both the individual and their journey should be celebrated moment by moment as that story unfolds.