Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia
[permission
to reproduce granted if authorship is acknowledged]
In just a few
weeks of coping with COVID-19 we’ve learned or rediscovered some important
lessons about the part that parents play in the educational process. I do not
mean “parents as teachers” of their own children because I do not think parents
should or can be asked to take on the responsibility for teaching their
children – even when the parent is an experienced teacher. I mean the part that
parent-child interaction plays in developing the child’s curiosity about the
world around them and their interest in learning.
It will surprise
no one that school achievement is related to the home environment. But it is
worth remembering while we attempt to cope with COVID-19. There are many
no-cost things that parents can encourage their children to do and do with
their children if their time permits.
Those who have
examined the relationship between home environments and student achievement
have observed that households with toys and household objects that prompt
children to use fine motor skills help stimulate a child’s creativity. Fine
motor skills are developed by scribbling, drawing, colouring, and writing;
using scissors to cut; tying one’s shoelaces, buttoning up, putting on a belt,
zipping a zipper; using cutlery to eat; opening and closing zip-seal containers;
brushing one’s hair and cleaning one’s teeth are all fine motor skills. They
are also developed by making toothpick sculptures, completing puzzles, making a
collage, playing string games, learning slight of hand tricks, juggling, etc. Making
a sock puppet or a paper-bag mask (not for COVID-19), the possibilities are
many and can be tailored to the age of the child. All are activities that are
fun for both children and their parents that do not require parents to “teach.”
These are activities parents just need to demonstrate or suggest.
Playing conversational
games is fun and educational. Almost everyone know how to play 20 questions.
The alphabet game can be played by two or more. Pick a letter at random (“B”)
and category (“animals”) and take turns trying to name as many animals that
start with the letter b (bears, bats, birds, etc.). Play this or that? (also
called “which would you rather?”) to discover a person’s interests by giving
them two choices from which they must choose “bungy-jumping or sky-diving?” Repeat
the question many times and encourage the kids to keep track of the choices and
compare them with those of friends and relatives. Can you talk on-topic for just
a minute? It’s not easy. Put topics on scraps of paper in a bag, draw one
at a time, and take turns trying to talk about the topic for a minute. The
point here is to have fun using language.
Parents who have
time to watch a movie with their children can ask them about what they liked or
disliked about the movie, a character in the movie, a plot twist, or the
conclusion. One important part of this activity is to ask questions that prompt
kids to think about what they’ve seen and to develop a way of talking about
what they’ve seen. A second important part is parents listening and responding
to what their kids are saying. Parents and their children can do the same
activity with a favorite story or novel.
Reading to one
another develops oral fluency and expression. Cooking together develops many
skills, including recipe reading, measurement, cooperation. Playing board games
develops turn taking and, often, planning a winning strategy. Kids can
interview relatives by telephone or chat app about what they were like and what
they liked when they were their age. It’s likely that the relative will welcome
the opportunity.
There are many
things parents can encourage their children to do and do with their children that
will stimulate mental effort, curiosity, and the use of the skills that the
kids have learned in school. They can be done without the parents having to “teach.”
They can be done at little or no cost. Although there is a bit of competition
in some of the activities, the major emphasis is on having fun.
Let’s encourage parents
to interact with their children in ways that will develop their curiosity about
the world around them and their interest in learning without requiring parents
to “teach” during the COVID-19 Pandemic.