This is the question I'm asked most often by parents of school aged children. Some parents tell me they feel helpless and have resigned themselves to the fact that they  can't  motivate their children to learn. Others I've spoken to have concluded that a teacher or a coach is best placed to motivate their children because that is their job. The general feeling I get from parents on this issue is one of frustration, but  always,  I see a strong desire in parents to know how to motivate their children to learn. In this article I'll share simple ways you can start to motivate your child to want to learn. After writing the article, I decided to ask my 9yo a question I've never asked him before, 'How does mummy motivate you to want to learn?' I share his answer here too... First let's deal with our thinking... 1. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET To do so you must realise and remind yourself of these two truths:  1. Children are naturally curious and want to learn .  2. Pa

Ladies and Gentlemen, my 6yo beat Bowser. I repeat he beat Bowser from Super Mario Bros.... Now, that's pretty impressive (apparently😀) or so I've been told. He made me run downstairs to celebrate with him! It was big for him so I had to pretend that I understood it.   In case you don't know, the little guy is my son and there on the right, that's Bowser!   I am constantly looking for learning traits in children, trying to understand how they learn and why they are so advanced in some areas and so reluctant in other areas. I study their motivations in areas where they are excelling and pick out qualities we can adapt into areas where they are not doing so well in. I help parents cultivate a love of learning in their children, looking out for patterns that result in success and finding ways to encourage the positive habits and responses in their children. So, when my 6yo ran to me screaming, "I did it, I did it, I defeated Bowser", I had to ask myself - how di

Homeschooling continues for another few weeks and many parents are faced again with juggling work and helping their children learn a range of subjects – from Science to Arts, P.E, French , Music and of course, Maths and English . If we are honest, we can only really manage one or two! So how can we do it all or should we really be trying to do it all?   The truth is, when it comes to learning I focus on developing key skills in children rather than proficiency in any particular subject . In my opinion, the re are two most important skills to nurture and develop in children when it comes to learning.

Stories of tears and tantrums once homework is mentioned aren’t new.   I have had numerous parents ask me how I am able to maintain a calm atmosphere whilst learning with my young children. At Learn Tree , you will quickly recognise that our learning environment is calm and children get on with work peacefully.  Remember, children can feel, sense and hear our frustration, and this creates a tension that can put them off learning. So, here's how you can curb your frustration and making learning a more enjoyable experience for you and your child :-) 

Patience is a virtue! One that I seem to lack in most areas of my life except when I am learning with my kids. I have always wondered how am I able to exercise patience when learning with kids but hardly in any other areas of my life! So, I decided to study this and what I discovered might help you understand why you are impatient with your little one (when it comes to learning) and how you can learn to curb your frustration and make learning a more enjoyable experience for you and them. Remember, children can feel, sense, hear our frustration and this creates a tension that puts them off learning and stops them making the progress that we would like.  Join the conversation here  Help your Child Love Learning  and follow  for tips, advice and videos  SO HOW DO WE LEARN TO BE PATIENT WHEN HELPING OUR CHILDREN LEARN?  1. Change your assumptions and expectations!   When I look at areas in my life where I am most impatient, I can see instantly that it is because I have m

Some of us will admit that helping our children learn to read, write, do their times tables or pretty much anything learning related can feel like watching drops of water continuously fall onto a stone without any impact. Sometimes we get frustrated and want to give up or we try to quicken the flow, but this only leads to more confusion and frustration on the part of child. We soon realise that we have to return to drops of water ... drip...   drip...   drip... "The constant dripping of water wears away a stone" - Lucretius Join the conversation here  Help your Child Love Learning  and follow for more tips, quotes and videos and to get your questions answered directly   Well, this is what children need to help them learn most effectively. The slow, but continuous drops of information allows the child process the information, make sense of it and make it their own. They are better able to retain what it is they are learning and make further connections that help deep