When you foster the love of learning in your children, you set them up for a lifetime of happiness and success. Children are born with a drive to learn and explore the world around them, and parents can nudge them toward continuous learning.

Your ultimate goal as a parent should be to discover your child’s preferred learning method. You can do this by encouraging them to pursue hobbies that they find exciting and enriching. You also need to maintain the wisdom to know when your children might need an extra push in a specific area or whether they need to change their course entirely.

Consider some of these simple strategies to foster the joy of learning:

1. Reading Stories. Your children are always young enough to enjoy a story. Start reading to them when they’re babies; you’ll foster a lifetime of love for the subject. When it comes to reading, as long as they keep practicing the skill, they’ll keep getting better at it. Please encourage your children to read more, regardless of their age or topic of interest, as long as it’s age appropriate.

2. Get Excited About New Things. It’ll help if you maintain a certain excitement about the things your child discovers. When they’re babies, cheer when they learn to walk or rollover. Cheer as they learn to ride bikes. Continue to show excitement every time they start something new.

3. Be Inspired Yourself. It’s important to remain inspired and continue following your wants and dreams. In life, you never stop learning. If your children see your love of learning, they’ll be inspired, too.

4. Give Your Child a Choice. While you don’t have to allow your child to do whatever they want, you can still give them a choice in what they’d like to pursue. When children have a choice, they feel like what they think makes a real difference, and it does! Let them choose their books, hobbies, and so on.

5. Stay Involved with School. Ensure you stay on top of the topics your children are learning in school. Your kids will like the attention, and they’ll appreciate that you’re involved in their life. You can go over assignments at home or have frequent meetings with your child’s teachers.

6. Show Your Support. It’s always important to show your children support no matter what. Even if they’ve chosen a subject to pursue that you don’t enjoy, as long as it’s appropriate, it’s important to be there for your child. If they suspect you’re unhappy with their personal decisions, they may be less likely to continue their studies.

7. Provide Resources. While you may only sometimes have a great deal of cash available for your children’s hobbies, it’s a good idea to provide them with the necessary resources to allow them to pursue their interests fully. For toddlers and young children, it can mean just providing them with educational and age-appropriate toys. It may be more of a financial burden when they’re older because you may need to invest in advanced training or camps.