The JumpStart Blog

-From the Desk of Heather Tuttle, Curriculum Writer-

Way to go, Champ!  You did so well! I’m impressed! You are simply amazing!  Wonderful job! I can tell you’ve worked hard!  I’m proud of you!  You’re incredible!  I really admire that kind of effort!

After reading a list like that, your self-esteem can’t help but shoot through the roof.   Now, imagine how your child’s confidence would soar after hearing a few of those remarks.  Although positive communication most often comes up in conversations relating to reinforcing good behavior and eliminating bad behavior, did you know that positive praise can also boost brainpower?

We learn by taking in new information through our senses and storing the useful bits of information for later.  The effectiveness of our storage system directly correlates with the effectiveness of our memory.  Do we remember where we stored the information?  Intelligence is the ability to locate this stored up information and use it in the proper situation.  In order to effectively learn and act intelligently, there cannot be any interference in this process.

One of the major factors that interferes with learning is feelings or emotions.  Emotions are attached to every situation we experience.  These emotions tag along with the information and could enhance or prevent an effective storage process.  Negative emotions get tangled up with new data making the learning process a mess.  They take up space that should be clear for fresh thinking, learning, creativity, and storage.  When there are other things on our minds that make us feel anxious, worried, or upset, it is far more difficult to pay attention and learn something new.

For learning to take place, the learner has to feel good- physically and mentally.  This means in addition to not being tired or hungry, you should also not be feeling depressed, angry, or confused when trying to learn.  We all can look back on an experience of being criticized, humiliated, or embarrassed.  If we were not able to let go and release these emotions, they will also be associated with the experience- and may have gotten tangled up in other experiences in the process.  For example, think back to a particular day in your high school Algebra class.  After staying up most of the night working on homework, your teacher calls on you to walk the class through a problem on the board.  Your brain is already tired, your acne and head gear aren’t the best accessories for being the center of attention, and you have no idea how to attempt the problem.  You give it your best shot, only to be ridiculed by the teacher and laughed at by your classmates for making silly mathematical mistakes.  From then on, this negative experience is intertwined with all learning opportunities involving math.   We all carry around feelings of invalidation and insecurities.  And, this affects the learning process.

Positive praise can help eliminate these negative thoughts and self-conscience preoccupations.  Every child is born with an incredible potential for intelligence, a natural curiosity, and a love of learning.  As parents, we must nourish and nurture these characteristics, not damage them.  We can do this with a little positivity.

Positive Pump-Ups:

1. Listen to your kids with full attention. Set aside a special time to do nothing else but actively listen without interruption.
2. Encourage your kids to fully express their emotions- hurt, anger, embarrassment, fear, boredom, etc.  If they can get their negative emotions out, there will be less interference during the learning and storage process.
3. Play games and have fun together.  Games teach through positive and fun experiences.  Kids will easily be able to recall learning experiences when they’re associated with positive memories.
4. Provide as many different learning experiences as possible- for all different learning types.
5. Reward your kids for improvement and performance, not just for achievement.  Focus on the effort put forth as opposed to the outcome.
6. Drown your kids in praise as much as possible.

With a little positive influence, your child’s brain will flourish.  Stay positive and start pumping up the little brains in your life.  You’re an all-star! What a great try!  Nice work!  That was splendid!  Hot dog!  You’re really on a roll now!

Filed under: Learning Tips Tagged: | advice, learning