Raise a Child Who Loves to Learn

5 Must Read Books To Raise a Child Who Loves to Learn

Are you interested in how you can help promote curiosity, independence, and self-motivation in your child? Do you want your child to actually love to learn?

Play. Learn. Thrive.™ only endorses products we authentically love and use. Some of the product links in this post may be affiliate links. That means that if you click them and make a purchase, this site makes a commission. Play. Learn. Thrive.™ is also an Amazon Associate. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. It will have no impact on the price you pay or the experience of your purchase. 

We know that so many children these days are losing this innate love of learning. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Read these five books to help you understand how to raise a child who loves to learn.

#1 The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being

This book is great for anyone who is not familiar with the Montessori teaching approach and for people who have or work with younger children.

It has tons of practical advice and ideas that are all based on the Montessori idea that teachers and parents are meant to be guides that follow the child's lead. This book talks about trusting the child and fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity. The Montessori method seeks to develop a life long learner who is self-motivated and inquisitive. Children taught using the Montessori philosophy are often children who love to learn.

#2 Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life

In this book Peter Gray writes about the decline in free play and emphasis on structured education and activities directly contributes to the rise in stress-related mental disorders and depression in young people.

I recently published a more in depth book review here if you want to read that instead of the full text. I would, however, still encourage reading the book because it is incredible and will change your views on how children really learn.

#3 Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children

In this book the author, who is a pediatric occupational therapist, discusses how children benefits from having unstructured play outside. She explains how children are experiencing a record amount of cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues, and aggressiveness–all of which are impacting their ability and motivation to learn.

#4 Unschooling Rules: 55 Ways to Unlearn What We Know About Schools and Rediscover Education

Written by a global education thought leader this book will help you to understand how traditional schooling is going against what we know about how children learn and the best way to build on their natural curiosity.

He touches on ideas such as:

• Learning to be, do and know.
• Tests don't work. Get over it. Move on.
• What a person learns in a classroom is how to be a person in a classroom.
• Animals are better than books about animals.
• Internships, apprenticeships, and interesting jobs beat term papers, textbooks, and tests.
• The only sustainable answer to the global education challenge is a diversity of approaches.

#5 The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined

If you are really interested in the future of education then this is the book for you. This book was life changing for me as an educator (along with Laura Sandefer's book Courage to Grow). Our public education system is struggling in more ways than one, and this book discusses how we can capitalize on students innate drive to learn (that are discussed more deeply in some books listed above) and deliver a world class education to anyone, anywhere all while following the child.