As teachers and parents, it is our job to help students discover their passion and love of learning. Whether through reading, experiments, art, or music, it’s important to encourage our students to explore the world around them and become lifelong learners. But how do you teach something that isn’t a subject in the curriculum? Here are some tips on how to help your students develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime.
What is Love of Learning?
Love of learning is the desire to learn new things and to explore the world around us. It’s the curiosity and enthusiasm that drives us to seek out knowledge and grow. The passion for learning can lead to a lifetime of discovery and growth. It’s the ability to be creative and to think outside the box.
Picture Books To Use When Teaching Love of Learning
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When a young girl learns that a bright light in the sky is coming from a dying star, she promises to keep it company until the light goes out. Every night the girl reassures her friend that she is still there. As the years pass, the girl learns everything she can about planets, space, and the universe, inspired by her dimming friend–until she realizes she needs to do something more.
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Tu Youyou had been interested in science and medicine since she was a child, so when malaria started infecting people all over the world in 1969, she went to work finding a treatment. Trained as a medical researcher in college and healed by traditional medicine techniques when she was young, Tu Youyou started experimenting with natural Chinese remedies. The treatment she discovered through years of research and experimentation is still used all over the world today.
Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking through problems and continuing to stay curious.
Read-Aloud Activity
Have students discuss the book by offering generic questions about how the character’s strength is displayed in the story.
- How did (main character) show (character strength)?
- Did any other characters have this strength? What evidence from the story supports this?
- Do you have this character strength?
- How can you grow this character strength?
As you read throughout the year, ask students if the characters displayed Love of Learning. Before you know it, they will point it out without prompting.
Here is a printable you can use for this activity.
Teaching children to love learning is essential for teachers and parents. Picture books can be a great way to introduce children to the concept of learning and to help them develop a love of learning. By asking questions and encouraging children to think about what they’re reading, teachers can help their students develop a lifelong love of learning….and isn’t that what teaching should be all about?