Is your kid a soccer nut? Do they LOVE shooting hoops? You’re not alone. Kids are naturally passionate about exploring their interests. Sometimes, it might feel impossible to pull them away from their hobbies to get them to focus on anything else (like school). But what if you didn’t always have to? Enter interest-based learning: a concept that puts kids’ interests at the heart of what and how they learn.
Interest-based learning nurtures kids’ natural curiosity to drive their learning. Ultimately it encourages them to explore, discover, and learn in ways that are both engaging and meaningful to them.
How does interest-based learning work?
Research shows that kids (and adults!) learn best while exploring their passions. Think about something you love. Take basketball, for example. When you’re watching a great game, practicing your own skills, or reading about one of your favorite players, you’re likely zoned in. Interest turbocharges thinking. It makes us pay closer attention, process more efficiently, and better retain information. In other words, interest fuels learning!
The more kids know about a topic, the more interesting it gets; more learning leads to more questions, which in turn leads to more exploration and learning!
How can you foster interest-based learning in your child?
Using a love of sports as an example, here are a few tips:
- Stay in the know. Identify your kid’s passions and keep an eye out for emerging new interests. Today it might be basketball, tomorrow…tennis.
- Curate activities that spark and drive interest. Play sports, watch games, read about athletes and teams, or even design your own games, equipment, and uniforms!
- Connect school subjects and interests. Make that multiplication problem relate to batting averages. Turn a creative writing assignment into a story about a favorite player.
- Use digital media. Media choices can be a powerful tool for supporting interest-based learning. Choose high-quality, age-appropriate content that aligns with your child's interests to help them explore and learn about sports in a safe and engaging way.
Sensical - the safest streaming app for kids.
At Sensical, interest-based exploration and learning is at the heart of what they do. Sensical's videos span a broad range of topics that are sure to meet kid's current interests and help them discover new ones. Even better, all content is reviewed by Sensical's child development and media experts to ensure it’s safe, developmentally appropriate, and entertaining.
Sensical sports videos range from how-to instruction and inspiring documentaries to engaging stories that bring sports to life in fun and engaging ways. There’s something for kids of all ages—preschoolers will find content that focuses on basic motor skills and movement, while older kids can explore more complex sports concepts and strategies. In addition to providing a safe space for exploration, Sensical also acts as a jumping off point for kids to continue to explore their interests and learn outside of the app.
Interests for the win!
When you support your slugger’s favorite hobby or your dancing queen’s #1 passion, you’re fostering a lifelong love of learning.
