2 Ways to Apply Knowledge to Real Life

Your child’s job is to learn. They start learning the day they are born. Your job as a parent is to help them learn what they’ll need to know to be successful in life. One way you can do this is to help your child apply knowledge to real life once they start school.

If you can help your child apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world experiences, you’ll be helping them build the skills they’ll need in life.

How many of you have kids who complain about having to learn something in school, saying they’ll never use it in real life (or maybe you were that kid when you were in school)?

While it may not be obvious on the surface how some curriculum will be useful in life, if you can apply schoolwork to life, your child will be less likely to complain about having to learn it.

Below are two ways to help you show your child how to apply school knowledge to real life.

1. Find activities that supplement school learning.
   

   First, you’ll need to know what your child is learning in school. Either ask your child or their teacher. Then find activities that supplement that learning.

   Go to a local museum if it has a relevant exhibit. If your child is learning multiplication or fractions, pull out a favorite recipe and have them help you double it.

   If they’re learning about a time period, make something from that time. When my oldest was studying the Renaissance, we made a catapult.

   Whatever you do, make sure it engages your child and you. You’ll not only have some important bonding time, but also help them see how what they learn can be used in life.

2. Problem-solving.

   The next time your child comes to you with a problem, help them work through the issue. Don’t give them a solution, but help them find one on their own.

   If they complain that it’s too hard or they don’t know what to do (that’s why they came to you), ask them leading questions to help them realize a potential solution.

   After the issue is solved and they’ve had a chance to calm down (later that day or maybe the next), find a time to bring the situation back up. Talk with your child about the problem-solving steps they took.

   Did they struggle to come up with a solution? Did they make a mistake and have to try again? Did they understand why something didn’t work the first time? Did they need feedback from you to reach a correct answer? Did they need to look something up?

   The steps taken to figure out a problem in real life can be very similar to the steps taken to complete homework assignments or learn a subject. Let your child know that even if they won’t use the subject matter later in life, they will probably use the same processes they used to learn the subject. Sometimes it’s about the process of learning, not what is learned.