Learning resources
One of the most delightful parts of independent learning is personalizing your child’s education, mixing and matching different approaches to create the ideal experience for your child. There’s no need to pick just one or set anything in stone as your child’s learning style and interests will certainly evolve as they grow and the world changes around them! Learn about different philosophies on learning, as well as practical resources available such as books, online classes, local organizations and more.
Identify your child's learning style
Howard Gardner identified 8 primary learning styles in his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Some argue there are many more. Explore the way different children learn, find out how your child learns best and identify ways to support their growth. Discover tools and experts who can evaluate your child’s approach to learning and tools to help them thrive.
Enriched childcare
Do you have a full-time job? Are you working on a passion project? There are so many ways to support your child’s learning while you’re at work besides sending them to school. Find out about full-day programs, teachers and caregivers who specialize in independent learning - and how you can share education with other parents in the community.
Experiential learning
Some (if not all) of. the best learning happens outside the classroom, so much so that many families choose to do all their learning outside the classroom. When children learn through experience, they have a powerful emotional and physical connection to what they learned and are able to reflect on what they learned, helping them shape critical thinking skills and retain information. Outdoor instruction, where children learn in nature is so important for developing science, math and artistic skills, physical and emotional development and so much more. The resources our city has to offer for learning are endless. A visit to the park, museum, cultural organizations, a trip to the symphony are all fantastic ways to encourage your child’s sponge-like mind to absorb all the learning opportunities around them!
STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Math)
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Education, Arts and Mathematics. Learn where you can find resources to support your child’s STEAM skills through local classes, museums, online resources, and more! Unlike “STEM,” STEAM, includes the arts as many educators view creativity as a critical skill for 21st century thinkers and doers!
Project-based Instruction
Project-based instruction is an approach to learning - through doing. It is a multi-disciplinary approach to learning that brings meaning and inspiration to the learning process. When children are focused on a project or goal, they are able to acquire multiple skills at the same time. It is an approach that emulates real life in that children must push through frustrations, learn skills necessary to achieve their skills, cope with failure and follow their mission in pursuit of a goal that’s significant to them.
Social-Emotional Development
Healthy social interaction is critical to a child’s healthy intellectual, social and emotional development. Play teaches social cognition, spatial awareness, creativity, communication skills and so much more! A longitudinal study at Harvard Institute for Play demonstrated that children who engaged in play in preschool were actually more likely to succeed academically than children who were taught academics. Discover resources to meet families who share your values, help your child cultivate healthy social relationships and nurture their natural love of play!
Self-Directed Education
Children come into this world with a mind like a sponge and an insatiable desire to learn about the world, so how can we support their curiosity and allow it to flourish? Research shows that giving children a significant amount of space and time to pursue subjects that are of interest to them at their own rate and in their own way can be hugely beneficial, if not indispensable to their intellectual development. Any parent who has ever witnessed their child learning something they are excited about- whether it’s memorizing the name of every dinosaur or asking you to re-read the same book 50 times - knows the power of self-directed learning! Giving children space for self-directed learning also prepares children to be independent thinkers, preserve their natural love of learning and help them grow into autonomous adults, the movers and shapers of tomorrow!
Parent engagement in learning
Perhaps no other tool has shown to improve student learning outcomes then a parent’s involvement in their child’s education. Your child’s best teacher…drumroll…is you! Children learn by emulating you and by having conversations with you about what they are learning and the world around them. You understand your child’s learning style better than anyone else and are ideally suited to be the most passionate advocate for them to develop as a learner. Parent engagement in education doesn’t mean you have to study with your children 24 hours a day. There are so many ways you can play an active role in your child’s education, from asking them questions about their day to studying topics that are of interest to both of you. You don’t have to be a trained teacher to teach your child. You are naturally suited to this important role of mentor, guide and teacher.