The Learning Household: How to Help Your Child Get More out of School

An expert guide to raising creative, passionate learners, from the bestselling author of What the Best College Teachers Do.

Children are eager learners. As anyone who has taken a car trip with a toddler will tell you, they have a seemingly endless urge to ask questions about whatever pops into their heads. And yet, many kids end up bored and alienated at school. What can parents do to sustain their natural curiosity?

In The Learning Household, educators Ken Bain and Marsha Marshall Bain argue that parents can do a lot. Too often, however, parents emphasize grades instead of instilling the creativity, grit, and enthusiasm necessary to navigate a rapidly changing world. At its best, school provides opportunities to cultivate innovation and apply knowledge to novel problems. But before children can experience such an education, parents must create “a learning household” in which they encourage children to ask thoughtful questions rather than memorize correct answers, to discover their passions rather than fret about report cards, and to take risks rather than worry about failing.

Providing dozens of activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of every family, The Learning Household is an essential guide to bringing curiosity back to the classroom and fostering an appreciation for the intrinsic value of learning.

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The Learning Household: How to Help Your Child Get More out of School

An expert guide to raising creative, passionate learners, from the bestselling author of What the Best College Teachers Do.

Children are eager learners. As anyone who has taken a car trip with a toddler will tell you, they have a seemingly endless urge to ask questions about whatever pops into their heads. And yet, many kids end up bored and alienated at school. What can parents do to sustain their natural curiosity?

In The Learning Household, educators Ken Bain and Marsha Marshall Bain argue that parents can do a lot. Too often, however, parents emphasize grades instead of instilling the creativity, grit, and enthusiasm necessary to navigate a rapidly changing world. At its best, school provides opportunities to cultivate innovation and apply knowledge to novel problems. But before children can experience such an education, parents must create “a learning household” in which they encourage children to ask thoughtful questions rather than memorize correct answers, to discover their passions rather than fret about report cards, and to take risks rather than worry about failing.

Providing dozens of activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of every family, The Learning Household is an essential guide to bringing curiosity back to the classroom and fostering an appreciation for the intrinsic value of learning.

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The Learning Household: How to Help Your Child Get More out of School

The Learning Household: How to Help Your Child Get More out of School

by Ken Bain, Marsha Marshall Bain

Narrated by Rick Adamson

Unabridged — 8 hours, 43 minutes

The Learning Household: How to Help Your Child Get More out of School

The Learning Household: How to Help Your Child Get More out of School

by Ken Bain, Marsha Marshall Bain

Narrated by Rick Adamson

Unabridged — 8 hours, 43 minutes

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Overview

An expert guide to raising creative, passionate learners, from the bestselling author of What the Best College Teachers Do.

Children are eager learners. As anyone who has taken a car trip with a toddler will tell you, they have a seemingly endless urge to ask questions about whatever pops into their heads. And yet, many kids end up bored and alienated at school. What can parents do to sustain their natural curiosity?

In The Learning Household, educators Ken Bain and Marsha Marshall Bain argue that parents can do a lot. Too often, however, parents emphasize grades instead of instilling the creativity, grit, and enthusiasm necessary to navigate a rapidly changing world. At its best, school provides opportunities to cultivate innovation and apply knowledge to novel problems. But before children can experience such an education, parents must create “a learning household” in which they encourage children to ask thoughtful questions rather than memorize correct answers, to discover their passions rather than fret about report cards, and to take risks rather than worry about failing.

Providing dozens of activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of every family, The Learning Household is an essential guide to bringing curiosity back to the classroom and fostering an appreciation for the intrinsic value of learning.


Editorial Reviews

Daniel J. Siegel

This inspiring, science-informed, and practical guide helps you turn your home into a launchpad that prepares your children not only for school but also for the awaiting world. Full of suggestions for how to develop the curiosity and courage needed to ask fundamental questions about life, this is a wonderful contribution to the parenting tool kit. Thank you, Ken and Marsha Bain!

John Carlson

When Ken Bain was my professor during my first semester of college, I benefited directly from his masterful instruction. Years later, when I became a professor myself, that experience profoundly shaped my own teaching. The Learning Household has shown me once again—this time as a parent—that understanding how to tap into children’s natural curiosity matters deeply for cultivating committed lifelong learners.

Library Journal - Lydia Olszak

A practical and well-researched guide to help parents and guardians create an environment conducive to children’s learning.

James M. Lang

The powerful ideas and elegant prose in this book—with its mind-expanding mix of narrative, history, research, and science—make it destined to become a parenting classic. Ken and Marsha Bain illuminate how parents can create a learning household, one that will nurture children who thrive in school and in life.

Publishers Weekly

[The authors] make a strong case in this smart manual for encouraging children’s natural inquisitiveness to build their love of learning…Educators and parents looking to deepen children’s love of learning should check this out.

Dr. Laura Markham

In this essential guide, Ken and Marsha Bain offer a transformative vision for how parents can nurture their children's natural love of learning. Drawing on compelling research and real family stories, they show how any parent can create an environment where curiosity thrives and setbacks become opportunities for growth. This book is a much-needed antidote to the perfectionism and disengagement that result from our narrow focus on school performance, offering parents practical ways to foster curiosity, deep learning, and a growth mindset instead. At a time when many children feel pressured to chase grades rather than understanding, The Learning Household provides practical wisdom for raising kids who don't just succeed in school but develop the creative and critical thinking skills they'll need throughout their lives.

Henry L. Roediger III

This book provides excellent information about sparking curiosity, successful learning strategies, regulating emotions, the powers and dangers of technology and social media, and much more. The Bains base their recommendations on research and their experiences in education over many years. I highly recommend it.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940192919569
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication date: 08/05/2025
Edition description: Unabridged
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