Learning Can Be Addictive

Have you ever found something that interests you, and you can’t seem to learn enough about it? For me, recently, I have loved learning how to organize my home. I know it’s weird, but it’s so fun and rewarding to me. I have watched shows, read books, and tested out different ways of organizing. My husband and kids are pretty annoyed with me, but eventually they will appreciate the organization when they are able to locate their “missing” shoes.

Have you ever noticed your child go through the same journey of finding something they are interested in and soak up every bit of knowledge they can about it?

Ever since my oldest learned to read, he can’t get enough reading time.

My second went through a period of always wanting to lend a hand with cooking. He tried everything he could—cutting, stirring, measuring, tasting, etc.

My youngest loves learning about letters. She likes to write them, wants to know their sound, and can’t get enough activities about each letter.

What are some things that your child loves learning about?

What I described above is my children and me being “addicted” to learning. Learning isn’t necessarily memorizing math facts or learning how to write letters. Learning is about exploring the world and discovering what questions you want more answers to.

We all are hardwired with the desire to learn and explore our world. And kids, in particular, want to find the answers to the things they don’t know yet—learning the meaning to a new word, seeing something new for the first time, and even meeting new people. We become curious when there is a “gap” in our knowledge. We then become motivated to close that “gap” by finding the missing information.

There is a link between seeking out new things and our reward system. We can become bored with the same experiences we have every day, so we often seek out new or different challenges or learning opportunities. Seeking these new experiences makes us have a rush of dopamine. The dopamine rush makes the brain pay attention to the new experience or information.

Do you want to help your child become addicted to learning?

If you want to help your child be “addicted” to learning, it can all start by introducing them to something new—new learning time, new information, new experience, new place, new people, new book, etc. When you see them begin to take an interest in a specific experience, topic, or book, take an interest in it too! This will show that you value their interests and encourage them to seek out new learning opportunities. Talk to your child about the new experience. Ask them questions. Let them ask you questions. Read books about what they are learning.

When the goal, experience, or information is achieved, we feel satisfaction and fulfillment. We have closed the “gap” of missing information. Those feelings of satisfaction help us learn and remember. The process of gathering the information and the learning experience becomes stored in our brains. The proud feelings of closing that “gap” push us to want to close more “gaps;” therefore, creating a lifelong learner.

I have a new book releasing in February that will allow you to introduce your preschooler to so many new and exciting topics that will be sure to ignite their love of learning and push them to become “addicted” to learning. Here is a list of themes in The Ultimate Preschool Activity Guide:

-All About Me

-Apples

-Around the World

-Bees

-Bears

-Birds

-Body Systems

-Butterflies

-Construction

-Cooking

-Dinosaurs

-Engineer

-Family

-Friendship

-Gardening

-Healthy Habits

-Money

-Opposites

-Simple Machines

-Scissor Skills

-Sports

-Spy Training

-Water

Which theme do you think your preschooler would enjoy learning about most? Comment below to share.