“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Rightly so, children when involved in the learning process tend to learn better. This gives rise to the need of incorporating Experiential Learning early on. For the uninitiated, Experiential learning is an educational philosophy that encourages learning by doing. Unlike conventional school of thoughts which focused on learning by theory, Experiential Learning has a gamut of benefits and here is why it is important for kids:

Be relevant
Children today need an education that will help them to grow in this dynamic world and not restrict them. In the past, the focus was on rote learning which often did not prepare the children for the real world. 

For example, memorising formulas in maths and science were encouraged without much understanding. While simple maths is needed in real life, a lot of things can be accessed by kids today at the tip of their fingers via quick access to the internet. What educators and parents need to teach them is to embrace innovative skills to be problem solvers and relevant in this rapidly changing world. And experiential learning helps achieve the same fantastically. You can enroll them in interactive workshops or online courses for academics that make learning fun and enjoyable. 

Gives an opportunity to be creative

Since experiential learning provides a scope to freely implement what was learned in everyday activities, it gives children a wonderful opportunity to sharpen their creative skills and come up with creative solutions for hands-on tasks.

Strength to overcome challenges
While theoretical learning may introduce children to varied concepts but it seldom teaches them to overcome difficulties. Experiential learning, on the other hand, prepares them for all the failures and setbacks and gives them the confidence and strength to overcome all the challenges. It encourages them to come up with their own unique ways to address each of these challenges.

Encourages learning
Experiential learning makes learning fun as it makes kids see a world beyond the textbooks. Be it learning with music or taking part in the practical implementation of concepts learnt, there is never a dull moment with this kind of learning. 

Now that you know the importance of experiential learning, let us understand how you can introduce children to experiential learning:

Grow a garden with them
Gardening is a simple yet very useful method to not just teach kids the science behind the lifecycle of each plants but also helps teach them:

• Patience

• Importance of hardwork

• The need to respect the food that arrives on the plate after hard work

Go on a scavenger hunt

Nature or for that matter even your own house can prove to be one of the best teachers. While teaching them about flora and fauna or even shapes, you can always send them on a scavenger hunt either outside (if safe) or in your house where they can actually observe everyday objects and living beings,identify them and learn more about them.

Enroll them for Experiential Learning classes
If you are a busy working parent then you can enroll your little ones in offline or online learning classes that encourage learning by doing.

Have some tricks up your sleeves that can help other parents? Let us know in the comments below