How to Teach Kids things you Don’t Know

Kids’ brains are like sponges. I’m sure you’ve heard this said before and for good reason. I don’t know if it’s extra synapses or brain plasticity or what, but there’s no doubt about it, kids are quick learners.

Even though this is generally well known, parents seem to forget this in specific cases. One of the greatest limitations we’ve imposed on ourselves, and it’s really a limitation imposed on our kids, is to not teach them things we don’t know how to do.

Wait, how can you teach someone something you don’t know how to do? Well, to continue using our kids’ brain analogy, just add water.

I “solved” a Rubix Cube once in my life. I got the cube when I was a teenager, never used it, and then like 15 years ago I looked up instructions and completed it. I put the completed cube on a shelf and ignored it until the oldest saw it one day.

He wanted me to teach him how to solve the cube. I told him I couldn’t pick up a cube and solve it, but I could give him a code that would allow him to solve it.

I wrote down the process and broke it into steps. I helped him through the steps and was surprised to see he could follow them. He asked if I could print out the steps and he started practicing solving the cube on his own. Then he memorized the steps and was solving it without looking at the steps. And, all of a sudden, I had taught him how to do something I didn’t know how to do.

But it got better. Not only was he able to solve a scrambled cube without looking at any instructions, he could do it fast. Like 45 seconds from scrambled to complete fast. But that wasn’t all. The more he practiced solving the cube, the more he learned about HOW a cube can be solved. So he started coming up with shortcuts and learned a way to solve the cube that was different from what I had taught him.

There’s even one more level to this. He ended up teaching two of his brothers how to solve a cube. So, I taught my son how to solve a Rubix Cube without knowing how and by extension taught at least two other boys how to solve it without even teaching them at all.

Because kids’ brains are like sponges.

What got me thinking about this is hearing parents say they can’t homeschool their kids, or teach them some specific skill or subject. To be sure, everyone’s different and we all have our limitations. But with sponge brains it turns out you don’t have to be a master to teach them something.  

Really, for kids in the 10ish and younger age, it’s a three-step process of adding water for their sponge brain to soak up. And, for the low price of $49.00 + shipping and handling I’ll send you a pamphlet detailing the Daddy Days Didactic Method for Teaching Your Kid Anything.

Just kidding. Here are the boring but repeatable steps for teaching your child almost anything at no charge.

Feed Facts
Preach Practice
Exude Encouragement

The raw material of the thing you’re teaching is the facts. It could be the shorthand for reading Rubix Cube steps, the notes on a piano keyboard, or the way to hold a baseball bat. Feed them the basic facts and they will eat them up. This is the only step you have to know (or be able to get) more info about the subject than them.

Repetition soaks those facts in deeply. If they can find enjoyment in the practice they’ll practice even more. It’s amazing how much a kid can learn in a short time by practicing regularly. Practice with them or let them run with it but have them practice.

They’ll practice more and struggle through rough patches instead of giving up if you encourage them along the way. Recognition of their progress and praise for their development goes a long way with kids.  

Anyway, try it out. I guarantee your kid will learn something. You might even too.