5 Emotional States that Foster Learning
In the case of children, emotions play an important role in the learning process. Therefore, if we teach them to control their emotions, we’ll be helping them to improve their school performance. This is why we’ll talk about five emotional states that foster learning.
On certain occasions, depending on your own emotional state, you were probably more or less willing to work on your pending tasks. This is exactly what happens to children.
So, are emotional states really important regarding the learning process? Yes, they are. And, if you continue reading this article, you’ll know which ones you should foster in your children.
Why do emotional states foster learning?
Even though certain children may find it easier than others, every child has the ability to learn. In fact, this difference is due to two main reasons:
- Their emotional state when they’re learning something.
- Their need to learn.
But, what does this mean? This means that children must feel the need to learn. And, in order to promote this, parents have to encourage them by boosting these positive emotional states.
Emotional states that foster learning
Happiness
Both children and adults acquire more information if they have positive thoughts in mind. And, these thoughts are possible when a person is happy and cheerful.
Happiness makes children be more attentive and receptive to everything that happens around them. Therefore, they’ll be more willing to learn to new things. On the contrary, fear and sadness freeze them and lead them to mental blocks, which make the learning process more difficult.
Emotional states that foster learning: satisfaction of teamwork
When children work in teams with other children, they feel happy, which improves their self-esteem and learning ability.
Curiosity
Parents should always promote curiosity in their children. How can they do it? The can create learning contexts with curiosity as a key element.
This is because curiosity is a driving force for learning. If children aren’t interested in learning something, they won’t learn anything about it. Therefore, parents need to motivate them to be willing to learn.
Surprise
If you’ve ever been surprised by something, you probably still remember the experience. Besides, you may even remember it more vividly than other kind of experiences.
Unexpected and surprising things stimulate and motivate children through the learning process. Surprising them is a way of keeping them alert. This way, all the information they receive will stick in their memories more efficiently.
Emotional states that foster learning: safety
When children come from a safe context, they’re more able to develop their own skills and resources. This way, they get to be more receptive. On the other hand, if children don’t feel safe or if they’re afraid of something, they won’t express so freely, and they won’t be so receptive to new information.
Emotional states that don’t foster learning
Just as there are emotional states that help children improve the learning process, there are others which do the exact opposite. The following emotional states make the learning process more difficult for children:
Boredom
A bored child isn’t interested in learning new things, and they don’t pay attention to what we say. Therefore, this feeling won’t help them during the learning process.
Frustration
Frustration is really bad for learning. When children become frustrated because they find something difficult, they’ll end up becoming bored and quitting. In this case, you should try to understand them and support them, because if you don’t, they won’t even feel like trying to it again.
Fear
As we’ve mentioned before, fear freezes children, which makes them less receptive to new information.
Lack of interest
When children lack interest, they find it really hard to learn new things. This is why, they need to be curious and motivated.
In conclusion, we’ve already talked about emotional states that foster learning. Now, as a parent, you need to promote these emotions in them. This way, you’ll be helping them during the learning process.
Teach them to think positively, to fight their fears and to stimulate their creativity. As a result, they’ll improve their learning skills, and they have a better school performance.
