Kids will always learn, they are designed by God to learn. We as parents just get to direct them toward useful information. Or we try anyway. Somehow Starwars quotes and sports statistics crop up along with math and reading!

Every minute of a child’s day is learning, from the moment they are made till something ruins it, a child is learning, waking hours are spent noticing the world, cataloging, and filing away tidbits of information, sleeping hours are spent organizing and sorting through those tidbits.

I think the single most important thing parents can do is delight in the learning with our children. So stop and notice the worm, take a moment to see how high you can count in binary, or just read a good book. You don’t even have to read it to them, just enjoy it yourself, nothing makes a kid want to read more than seeing someone else chuckle and yet not be able to explain it. Many times I have said “You have to read the book to get it”.

We read constantly throughout the day. Before nap, before bed, while cooking dinner, and during nap time (which is an hour of enforced silence for the older two) books abound. Mom reads when she wants a break; Dad reads online how to fix a computer, or the latest sports news. While Google is the source of all answers, someone has to read those websites for the info. And even when seeking professionals, we still read. You didn’t think I paid long distance rates to talk with Grandpa, of course not; that’s what gmail’s IM is for!

I did long ago swear my kids would not grow up reading at the dinner table, not because reading is bad, but because I grew up where a family dinner meant 4 books brought to the table. So for those times we talk…generally about what we read during the day! Most topics begin with “I was reading today…”. Or “did you read about…”. Then there are the story reviews by the kids. Not some fancy format, but simply a child sharing what they read or heard that was worth sharing today.

We run most of our adult conversation through a filter to see what lesson the kids are learning. Not that we script anything, just that before we start or at least before we finish we think about the lesson. So yeah we talk about the sports scandals, and then we talk about how they could have avoided the situation, or what politicians should keep their noses out of. We talk about science, or history, or current events, all with an ear to the lesson. I am sure plenty of bad lessons seep through, but when we can, we aim for a good one. Even a conversation on winning the lottery can be educational…politically or mathematically.

Many conversations include math. Most adults use math every day without thinking about it. How many times a day do you check a clock? Whether we are checking to see if we are late, or to see how long before dinner, we use the clock and add or subtract time. Of course cooking uses plenty of math, from counting scoops, to converting fractions. Paying bills, or balancing a checkbook is of course math, why not skip the calculator next time and see if you can write it down like the kids? Go ahead and check your answer with a calculator, I do! So long as we do the math out loud with no complaint, children see that math has many uses. Though we need to not blame the math for our decision, math is not the reason we avoid yet another donut with 300 calories, the empty sugar and fat is. Math is not to blame for our bank account not having enough to buy a new playground set, the daily need to eat is.

We build the house to be educational; every little thing is another tidbit for them to sort through while they sleep.