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Thinking about Quality Time with Kids: Ideas for Mentors (Teachers and Parents Too)
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | May 20, 2008
Quality time: Time spent with family or friends, time that is important, special, productive or profitable. Spending quality time means paying full and undivided attention to the person/matter at hand. Though the chance to enjoy quality time is often limited, what is most is important is the value attached to the events or interactions which occur.
There is no question that teachers, mentors and parents have busy schedules. Some of us who do have time to spend with kids are limited in the amount of time we can spend together. No matter what your relationship with your “significant kid” one thing is for sure; those of us who spend time with kids want to make the most of it. But, this can be a challenge.
For many people, quality time equals educational experiences that result in higher school achievement, so, therefore, quality time often means reading books, writing stories, doing math puzzles, etc. Of course, these are all great ways to use time, but, learning can happen by doing things that do not seem connected to developing academic skills.
Learning is thinking – and one aspect of thinking is discovering how knowledge learned in the classroom fits in the “real world” – into the everyday things we do in the kitchen, the garden, the grocery, the park, the bank and the car.
Research tells us that it’s not necessarily what you do with a kid that stimulates learning and thinking, but how you do it. With this in mind, here is one of my favorite strategies for encouraging kids to think.
Use your kids’ questions as opportunities to encourage thinking. For example, if a kid asks “why is the sky blue,” you have some options. You can give a scientific answer, or shrug and say “I don’t know.” Or you can respond with a question of your own: “Why do you think the sky is blue?” Responding to an open ended question in this way (respectfully) can lead to conversation and real thinking – perhaps about the many colors we actually see in the sky, about clouds, about light and reflections, the sea, the trees and more. Engaging in conversation about all of these ideas allows your kid to form and express ideas. Since this is an open ended question, there are really no wrong answers, and, with no pressure to find the “right’ response, you may be surprised to discover just how much your kid knows, as well as how he thinks.
Responding to a question with “what do you think, how would you do that, how can we find out, or why do you think that happened?” is like opening a door to possibilities, imagination, thoughts, and sometimes silliness and laughter. It’s a great way to make connections – between the two of you, and between thinking and “real life.”
Topics: Quality Time, Relationship Strategy, Things to do |