What do you do if a child seriously lacks interest in learning things?

Discussion in 'Kids' started by Mika, Oct 28, 2017.

  1. Mika

    Mika Active Member

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    I have a question here about managing a child who doesn't want to do something or has no interest in doing something just because they are addicted to gadgets. I know a child of almost 6 who doesn't want to eat, sleep or take shower etc unless he discharges the battery fully. I am looking forward to your suggestions.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2017
  2. KloeRinz

    KloeRinz Member

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    Well, to be fair, everyone learns at a different pace in different ways. Well, he's still a kid. Give him a chance to just be who he is. Eventually, he'll need to grow up, but that can wait. No need to be so strict.
     
  3. amitkokiladitya

    amitkokiladitya Active Member

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    Gadget addiction is a serious problem among kids these days. No matter how much you try to convince them all the efforts always end up in vain. With experience, I have learned that strictness is the only way of dealing with this bad habit. Parents should be strict enough not to allow access to any gadget until and unless the kids finish off all the required tasks. Difficult though it may sound, it always brings good results.
     
  4. Jasmin Cottontail

    Jasmin Cottontail Active Member

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    I think the best way to make kids interested in learning or doing things is to make it fun. Make an activity enjoyable for them or create something that will catch their attention. It's a bit hard though and the first time you do it might not work but you just have to be creative and imaginative in order to divert the kid's attention from playing gadgets to doing the things that you want him to do :)
     
  5. LesY

    LesY New Member

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    I will try to gradually reduce the hours he is in the smartphone/any other gadget, but avoiding being harsh or removing it completely at once because that will only cause a strong reaction and/or pain. One thing that may work is add things he likes to his daily meals and maybe buying a toy or anything he finds interesting so he can play with it in the shower. It is really hard to deal with kids of those ages, but I find it also productive if its channeled correctly.
     
  6. kaka135

    kaka135 Active Member

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    If he is only 6 years old, I wonder if bringing him to outdoor activities will help, especially some activities with friends. Some kids might be interested in Science experiments, magic tricks, or perhaps remote control cars. I guess the parents or caretaker must be patient to try several times in order to let him engage in activities other than the gadget and not to give in. Just find something he might be interested, and try to engage him, but not just pull him into school work.
     
  7. Alexandoy

    Alexandoy Well-Known Member

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    It you mean to say the child seems addicted to gadgets then my suggestion is for you to consult a child psychologist. Don't fret because that is now getting to be a common issue with children particularly those below 7 years old. They have been given the freedom to use the gadget on their own such that it served like a security blanket for some children. It's not easy though so you need to have more patience with such children.
     
  8. amitkokiladitya

    amitkokiladitya Active Member

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    I think that there are many activities that can be experimented with a 6-year-old child. What becomes the prime requirement is that the parents need to involve themselves with the kids. Kids do not develop any interest on their own. It is always the parent's involvement that stimulates them to go ahead and give a try. Raising kids in the right direction demands a lot of personal time nad energy.
     
  9. nangk08

    nangk08 Active Member

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    Oh My God! I would think that is something very serious and if it were my child, I would be running like hell to a doctor or a counsellor long before this. For a child that young, it is really bad. What were the parents doing all this time?
     
  10. harijobs

    harijobs Member

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    I think the parents should take this thing seriously. I would suggest to be a little strict and slowly reduce the amount of time the kid spends on the gadget and replacing it with some other outdoor fun activity. So when you slowly keep increasing the hours of replacement wth other fun activities the kid will eventually let go off the gadget addiction. So the parents need to be strict for a level and help the kid.
     
  11. kaka135

    kaka135 Active Member

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    Yes, I agree with you. Parents or the caretaker really have to spend time to encourage the kids to take part of those activities, at least at the beginning stage. There were some times when I invited my kids to do watercolor painting or modeling with me, they didn't really want to as they were busy with other stuff, but I just did it myself and perhaps I started to tell a story, then they would always come and join me.

    I am not sure, but perhaps the parents can also try with story telling. I see many kids really like to listen to stories. At the beginning, the parents might need to spend more time telling or reading stories to the kids, then slowly perhaps the kids will develop the interest and habit and they will eventually read on their own.

    I would like to add another note: My friend's kid who was around 10 years old and discovered he was numb at one time because he had been playing computer game too much. The mother brought him to the doctor, and the doctor said he really had to stop sitting in front of the computer for long hours, as it had become very serious. So, I think the parents of the 6 year old kid really have to take this seriously or if they really can't solve this, perhaps they can seek for the experts.
     
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  12. tyche

    tyche Active Member

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    Oh it seems like the kid has developed an unhealthy habit of being addicted to gadgets. I think the best way to deal with this is to confiscate the child's gadgets and only allow him to use it for a specified amount of time, so that he won't be glued to it all day.
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2017
  13. amitkokiladitya

    amitkokiladitya Active Member

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    I agree that gadget addiction is causing many mental and physical disorders among kids. It is really unhealthy. In most serious cases, children have reportedly developed complete brain damage. A stopping line has to be made as early as possible.

    I like your concept of story telling. I will try to incorporate this and then give you my feedback.
     
  14. Heatman

    Heatman Active Member

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    I believe a parent always have an upper hand in terms of control over their children, so therefore they have every right to dictate terms of behavior from such child who fails to do anything other than press phones or other gadgets.

    It's a general trend today that the rate at which people, not just kids/children, adults included are addicted to phones and other gadgets lately, it's really disturbing but as a parent you can always determine how your child makes use to his or her own gadget.

    If he fails to do anything other than press phones, the parent or guardian can ground such child's phone use for a couple of days. Take away the phone and data/WiFi connection to that with the condition of him/her improving on her behavior.
     
  15. AmieBotella

    AmieBotella Member

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    Ahh... The classic kid problem. I'd say classic now because I've started noticing this 'addiction' from my niece who is now 20 years old. I am a mother of a nine year old boy who have been through the same path as most parents these days when it comes to gadgets and their time with it. I started introducing my son to gadgets when he was two. Back then in 2009 I don't own a smart phone. I just have an LG cookie. But I do have a laptop ever since for my work and I find it so convenient to let him watch cartoons on it. Later on he was able to maneuver YouTube and learn how to use the mouse or the laptop's touch pad. When he joined playschool at the age of 3, turning 4, his teacher asked me. "Mommy, does he play gadgets or computer at home?" And I said (proud of myself at the time) "Yes, teacher he's so smart and knows how to use it!" And then the teacher just smiled and I wondered and asked, "Is there something wrong?" The teacher patiently told me that she knows when a kid is introduced to a gadget at an early stage because when she's teaching them how to write, their grip and pressure in a pencil when writing is too soft because they've developed that soft touch to gadgets. This is in comparison to kids who do not use gadgets. And I was honestly shocked and as a new mother, I never knew this little act of letting your kid enjoy life's little technological piece would result on some adjustment to your kid. But, I just ignored this and when tablet came, and he's now in kindergarten, I noticed he lacked interest in other things. He gets easily board at coloring pictures and gets mad because of the topics that has become repetitive for him. This is my son until he was in first grade. I realized when he was seven that I didn't teach him or made him develop PATIENCE. This is not a thing for him. He lacks interest on most things. And so what I did is I let him do other things. I did not take away the gadget but I made sure I make a huge effort on my part. That time he's so in to Minecraft and so I find coloring pages in the internet and we color minecraft characters. I would compromise at first, that in order to have a gadget time, we'd color this or answer this. And then we'd go to the local park and bring the bikes with us. No gadgets. And lastly, when it's school days, no gadgets even at night time.

    This is not easy. You and your kid will fight. Your patience will be tested and you just have to think that you're doing this for them. You always have the upper hand when you're a parent or a guardian, always make your kids understand that. Do not be the one who follows them. Be lovingly firm. Always remember that when you take away the gadgets make sure you are substituting it with other things/activities that involve their likes and interest. I also believe we as parents are also guilty of too much gadget. When you are with them, try as much as possible to be with them and you are talking with them.
     
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  16. Mika

    Mika Active Member

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    All your suggestions are perfect but the problem of parents of this kid is that they both are working and by the time they pick the kid from playschool (he goes direct to playschool after regular school) it's almost night time and also they both are so busy in their household job that they find no time for other activities. They have tried almost everything like disconnecting wi-fi etc but the kid is clever enough as he knows how to download and install the games and plays them. The parents of the kid try everything on weekend but probably they need to put some extra efforts.
     
  17. kaka135

    kaka135 Active Member

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    So the kid actually plays with the gadget only during weekend or night time, but he spent most of the other day time in the playschool?

    If there is really no one else can help to take care of the kid when both parents are busy, do you think letting the kids listen to some audio books help? I really like the audio stories from Sparkle Stories, it's actually my kids like the stories. There are paid subscriptions, but there are also free stories online every week. Perhaps you can ask the parents to check it out and see if the kid like the stories. The parents can try to print out some fun printables for the kid to do too, perhaps maze, coloring, etc. I am not sure if the kid is interested in these, but they can try to find some interesting ones for him. Here is one of the mazes I like to print out for my kids: Brainy Maze

    Since the kid is already 6 years old and I am sure he knows how to work with the gadget well, I think the parents really have to hide or lock the gadget if they don't want to let the kid access to it. Sometimes, we don't really need to spend much time playing with kids, but perhaps just 5 minutes at the beginning and let the kid engage with the game/toy, then we can slowly let the kid play independently and we go and do our work. I am sure it will not be easy at the beginning, but if this is what the parents want to do with the kid, they really have to try it out and it'll eventually be better for the whole family.
     
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  18. Holmes22

    Holmes22 Active Member

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    Well I get the feeling that this could happen for a variety of different reasons, and one of the main ones is just how it is presented. I have a hard time believing a child would lack general curiosity, but it is very interesting to think about and wish luck to anyone who is dealing with this.
     
  19. iamawriter

    iamawriter Active Member

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    A six year old can be easily weaned away from that addiction. There could be pandemonium for the first few days. Parents should have patience to go through that phase and in that period the child should be initiated into other activities where either parent should be totally involved. A short holiday could also be a good idea. As they say - if there is a will there is a way. Parents should have that will.
     
  20. Mika

    Mika Active Member

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    I agree, it all depends on parents. Maybe they hand over their phone to the kid to keep him busy when they are busy in their own household jobs once they bring him back from playschool. But that's nothing new I have seen many parents doing that they either make their children sit in front of a TV or hand them other gadgets.
     
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  21. iamawriter

    iamawriter Active Member

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    That is the tragedy - a dangerous compromise. Parents resort to such methods to buy peace. It is time parents realised the long term harm this approach leads to.
     
  22. iamawriter

    iamawriter Active Member

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    Parents are totally to be blamed for a child's addiction. They want their kids out of their way and buy peace allowing kids to have their way. It is a dangerous trend and sooner it is curbed better it will be for both parents and kids.
     
  23. Rexy

    Rexy Member

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    Honestly, you just have to make him do the things he should. If he doesn't, don't give him any rewards or anything like that for that matter. Ground him, honestly, this would be a lot easier if you did it when he was younger, but it's never too late.
     
  24. Nocturnal Writer

    Nocturnal Writer Active Member

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    Kids by nature are inquisitive, curious and daring. Parents should aware of these things. They have the sole control of what they want the kids to be.

    In the kid's formative years should be taught the right, good manners. Since electronic gadgets in any form are proliferating and they have seen them to their parents, siblings. Don't deprive them. Let them handle and tell them the usage, its limitations, and everything. Thus, you're teaching, leading them to be responsible for their actions. But don't leave them alone always monitor them. Appreciate them for being obedient. I think it will practically work.
     
  25. Holmes22

    Holmes22 Active Member

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    Well I like the idea of a short holiday as a means of maybe giving it some kind of interrupiton. I never really thought about that but if well timed I can see it making a big difference.
     
  26. Mika

    Mika Active Member

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    I agree with all your points but some kids do listen to all the reasons but do what they think suits their wishes. I have seen kids going out of control if you try to take the gadgets even for your own use and never agree to anything unless they get it back. I have seen a couple disabled all the apps on the iPad and phone but that was like a disaster since the kid stopped eating or doing other necessary things.
     
  27. remnant

    remnant Member

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    One of the approaches of mitigating against disinterest in learning in a child is to establish what excites them and integrate this into their learning program. Its also important to place there kids amongst inquisitive peers to stimulate interest in a learning environment.
     
  28. workingbuck

    workingbuck Active Member

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    For me, that won't be a problem if the kid wasn't introduced to gadgets at an early age. I mean, as adults I understand that we need such things like smart phones or tablets. But I don't get why kids get to use these things. Instead of letting them use gadgets, we must have time to play with them. get them involved in playing sports at a young age. But since the problem is already there, I think not letting the kid use gadgets would be good. I'm not saying that you lessen the time the kid uses the gadget. Do not let him use any gadget unless the kid really needs to use one.
     
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  29. Mika

    Mika Active Member

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    I agree with all your points but the problem with the child in question is that he is already addicted to gadgets and nothing seems to work with him or even if does it works only temporarily. He comes back to his usual self on Mondays even if he is taken out for entire weekend (Saturday&Sunday). He would go to toilet only after he checks his mom's phone is fully charged, apps are intact, Internet working and then he will complete the routine in a haste and comes to dining table for breakfast only if he has the phone in his hands. There are so many other problems with his addiction which is hard to believe for a person like me.
     
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  30. workingbuck

    workingbuck Active Member

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    Trying to ban the kid from using gadgets might be a little hard but it's worth to try. The kid might not eat or do whatever he needs to do if he doesn't have a gadget but I bet he would eat if he starves. If the kid's addiction continues, it would only mean that the kid is in control and not the parents.
     

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