Having fun while teaching the kids

I have two boys aged three and six. The elder boy is attending preschool while the younger one is still being cared for at home by my parents. Since my wife and I are working professionals, time is of the essence and we dedicate most of our available time to the wellbeing of our boys.

One thing that we believe in is incorporating fun into learning. This is important – by having fun, the child will be able to absorb and focus on learning. Children's attention span is not very long and to keep them focused, they need to be having fun.

So, how do we do it? Firstly, via storytelling. By telling stories with pictures or videos, we are able to keep our child interested in the topic that we intend to teach. We encourage them to ask questions and also relate to us what they have learnt. This builds on their social and speech skills. Also, this will build their confidence.

Secondly, is roleplaying. It's important to role play with our kids in order for them to understand the meaning of teamwork and responsibility. For example, we will roleplay as firemen. Each of us will have a role and we will explain to them the function of each role. We will allow them to take turns in leading to build on their leadership.

Thirdly, arts and crafts is crucial to build your child's creativity. This is my wife's department. She will think up all sorts of craftwork to work on with our boys and they usually enjoy it a lot. They will even take out their colours and colour pictures on their own. And, to parents, their artwork is the best.

Next, is cooking. Yes, we even let them help prepare meals. This is also a fun learning process for them as they are able to learn the names of the food and ingredients used. Apart from that, we can teach them about safety in the kitchen.

There are many more ways that we incorporate fun into their learning – it's just too many to be written here. By having fun, we learn more. By having fun with your kids, you create a bond with them that all the money in the world can't buy.

I'm not a believer in sending my kids to all the various enrichment classes that are mushrooming, especially in KL. I find it all a waste of money and time. As parents, we play the utmost importance in our child's development.

Eric Foo Kok Wei