5 Emotions that can hinder your child's learning

Don't let emotion trump logic! Find out which emotions are affecting your child's development and how to manage them!

5 Emotions that can hinder your child's learning

A basic look at psychology will tell you that emotions can affect cognitive functions like the ability to learn. Considering modern science can pinpoint which parts of your brain control memory, language, etc. it's easy to see that emotional stimuli can change or alter the way these specific parts of your brain operate.

For children, who are constantly learning and developing, emotional stimuli interfering with cognitive development can be a major thorn in the side. That's why parents need to understand exactly which emotions can put the biggest damper on a child's education.

Let's take a look at some of the emotions that have been said to block learning in children:

1. Anxiety

At any stage in a kid's life, there will be times in which they feel forms of anxiety. They'll feel a bit worried from time to time, they'll be tense every now and then. It's a normal emotion and is expected in anyone's life. The problems begin to arise when a child is constantly suffering from feelings of anxiety.

Anxiety can lead to sporadic sleeping patterns, lack of concentration, restlessness, mood swings, and more. In order to combat feelings of anxiety in your child, try communicating with them and learning what it is their worrying about. Try to help work through anything that is causing them distress and always make sure to alleviate any added pressure they feel. You'll want to help them set reasonable expectations also, as this will help to relieve irritability, and stress brought on by school.

2. Anger

Anger can always be managed in an efficient way. The key to doing this is to find out the root cause of the anger. For many kids, anger indicates that something isn't going well. As you would talk to your kids to learn what is causing them to feel anxious, you must also talk to them and find out what's causing them to be upset and angry.

Seeing as anger can cause kids to not try their hardest, and to dismiss things all together, it's important to manage anger effectively. If done properly, managing anger can lead to resolving problems instead of causing them. For example, if you find out your child is lashing out because they don't understand their subjects or homework, help them to better understand it so they can get better. Don't let them fester in anger and have their grades suffer from a lack of interest or effort.

3. Pessimism

Kids who develop a negative outlook, including with academics, will find it more difficult to persevere later down the road. Children who lack the "can-do" attitude often struggle to stay atop their ever growing list of assignments and new subjects. You don't want your child to be a disadvantage or facing an insurmountable journey to academic success.

The best way to prevent pessimism in your children is to lead by example. Exemplify resilience and a positive attitude and your children will follow in your footsteps. Kids who see the glass as half-full often lead more productive and healthier lives; this will transfer to their academics.

4. Insecurity

As kids progress through the many grades and levels of education, there will be ups and downs. There will also be varying degrees of teasing, playful banter, and even bullies. While parents will never fond or happy to hear about their kids being the butt of a joke or teasing others, it's something that kids do. The problems begin to arise when kids are teased too often or teased too harshly. This can lead to insecurity in your children or others.

Obviously, insecurity isn't anything that you'd wish upon your kids or others, but it is common. As is pertains to school, insecurity can lead to children being less enthused about attending school, and feelings of discomfort when attending. Your child's education is paramount and can't be compromised, so, if your child is showing signs of insecurity amongst his peers, help them to raise their social IQ.

Help them to develop better social skills by enrolling them in social extracurriculars that leads to more interactions with kids their age. This, in turn, will lead to your child creating more friendships and being more accepting of and by his peers. As a result, your child will be more excited about going to school!

5. Frustration

You may be wondering how frustration differs from anger in the realm of academics. Well, anger deals with a kid's reaction to things not going well or their way. Frustration is associated with the pressures and stress brought on by a set of expectations. Some kids tend to be perfectionists, which isn't necessarily bad, but it can add a lot of pressure to their young minds.

If your kids are feeling particularly frustrated, the pressure from school may be causing them to lose focus and interest in their school work. It can also lead to procrastination, and a negative attitude towards learning which, obviously, will hinder their development.

If your children display signs of frustration with their homework or schoolwork, you should work to help them understand their strengths. If they can understand what their strengths are, they'll be more confident and find it easier to nurture their weaknesses. As with anger, you'll want to talk to your kids to better understand their exact problems with a particular subject. Let them verbalise what's troubling them and they'll soon be on the road to fixing those problems. Sometimes the easiest way to alleviate frustration is to vent and say what's on your mind. Let your kids vent to you, and you'll notice an easier approach to learning.

Original article on Scholastic

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Written by

Santiago Santa Cruz

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