Three Ways to Recognize Learning Everywhere
Practice “learning translation” in daily moments. Start noticing the academic skills embedded in your child’s everyday activities and name them out loud. When they’re negotiating screen time with a sibling, you might say, “You’re doing some complex problem-solving right now.” When they’re planning their Halloween costume, point out their project management skills, creative design thinking and budgeting. This isn’t about making everything educational. It’s about helping yourself and your child recognize their own competence and the transferable nature of their thinking skills affirms that learning is always happening.
Create a whole child learning portfolio. Beyond school papers and test scores, document the full range of your child’s learning and growth. Take photos of elaborate LEGO constructions, record videos of them teaching the dog a new trick, save examples of their creative writing (even if it’s a funny text message), and note moments of emotional intelligence or leadership. Include their own reflections: “What are you most proud of learning this month?” This portfolio becomes evidence of learning that no standardized test could capture. Evidence that you both can revisit when you need a reminder of all that takes place beyond school.
Host monthly learning celebrations that honor all kinds of growth. Instead of only celebrating report cards and test scores, create regular family moments that acknowledge the full spectrum of learning. Maybe your child finally mastered riding without training wheels, learned to manage their disappointment when plans changed, or figure out how to make their younger sibling laugh. Celebrate the friend who taught them a new card game, the YouTube tutorial that helped them learn to braid, or their growing ability to advocate for their needs. These celebrations communicate that all learning – social, emotional, physical, creative, practical – has value and deserves recognition.
When we as parents become intentional about noticing and celebrating learning in all its forms, we begin to understand for ourselves that learning truly happens all the time. Thus we’re better able to support our young people in stretching beyond the classroom and core subjects. Our children develop their whole-selves and are able to maintain their natural understandings about learning. They begin to see themselves as capable, curious beings whose intelligence shows up in countless ways throughout each day. This recognition becomes the foundation for lifelong learning, not because they’re trying to get good grades or please adults, but because they begin to see that growth, discovery, and mastery are inherently satisfying parts of being human.
And if you haven’t yet joined the Mosaic Community, we invite you to do so now. There is a place for you who want to embrace independent meaningful learning at home while your young people are in conventional school settings.
