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What is a teachable moment? Simply put, a teachable moment is when your child shows genuine interest in something and gives you the opportunity to talk with them about that subject. Sometimes parents can try and create a teachable moment. Many times teachable moments are unplanned and spontaneous. Either way, keeping an eye out for teachable moments will help your child learn new things and encourage them to ask more questions.

When Your Child Asks a Question

Child Asking Her Mom A Question

The easiest way to recognize a teachable moment is when your child asks you a question. If they are asking, they are interested. If they’re interested, they’re more likely to listen and discover an answer to their question. Genuine curiosity opens the door to discussion and your child is most likely to remember what they learned (rather than being taught something they have no interest in).

Teachable moment example: Jack asks, “Where does the moon go when it’s daytime?” His parent replies with, “Hmm… let’s look it up and see what we can find.”

Watching TV or Listening to Music

Mom And Kids Looking At Ipad

Watching television or listening to music with your child offers many opportunities for teachable moments because chances are your child is seeing or hearing something new that they’ve not experienced firsthand. If they don’t ask a question first, you can ask them a question. 

Teachable moment example: Jack is watching a cartoon where a cat has gotten stuck up in a tree. The fire department is called and Jack wants to know why. His parent points out the fire truck’s ladder and how it extends to reach the top of the tree.

Reading Books or Telling Stories

Mom Reading To Her Daughter

Like watching TV or listening to music, reading a variety of books with your child offers opportunities for discussion. Even books that aren’t traditional children’s picture books can really boost your child’s curiosity. For example, National Geographic Kids books include a lot of interesting facts and colorful photos that offer many teachable moments.

Telling stories about the early years of your child’s life, of your life, or anyone else in the family is also sure to bring up questions in your child’s mind. 

Teachable moment example: Jack’s parent tells him the story about how his grandpa had to use a wheelchair once. Jack asks why and his parent is able to talk about broken bones, casts, illness, etc. and how wheelchairs work.

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When Playing with Other Kids

Group Of Parents And Kids

Playing with other kids offers a lot of opportunities for teachable moments regarding social skills. When children aren’t sharing toys with each other, playing fairly, or playing kindly with each other, feelings may get hurt. Whether your child is the one who is upset or the one instigating the drama, recognizing these teachable moments will allow you to talk with your child “while the iron is hot.”

Teachable moment example: Jack pushes a child down and the child begins to cry. Jack’s parent notices and pulls Jack aside. They point out the crying child and ask Jack, “Was pushing a nice thing to do?” This helps Jack see the consequences of his action in real-time.

Cooking in the Kitchen

Dad Cooking With His Son

Cooking and baking a variety of meals with your child is a way to create teachable moments because children are naturally very curious about how cooking and baking works. Involving them in measuring ingredients, mixing, and (safely) dicing, lets them learn firsthand. 

Teachable moment example: The recipe calls for 1 cup of flour and various measuring cups are sitting out on the counter. Jack’s parent asks him, “which measuring cup has a 1 on it?” 

While Shopping in Public

Parents Shopping With Kids

Taking your child into various stores lets them see a variety of products, many of which they’ve never seen before. You may already be familiar with your child asking, “what’s that?” about every other product you walk by. Recognizing these moments lets your child learn more about how things work. 

You can also create teachable moments by showing your child that everything has a price tag on it. Talking with your child about how much a product is and how much money you have to spend will teach them the purpose of money and some ways it is used. 

Teachable moment example: Jack’s parent gives him a $5 bill. As they walk through the store to find a new book, Jack is asked if he has enough money to get the book he wants.

Teachable Moment Tips

Mom And Daughter Walking Together

There’s no perfect way to handle teachable moments but we do have some tips that may allow you and your child to get the most out of each teachable moment that pops up:

  • Listen actively to your child
  • Be patient as they think and consider an answer to their question
  • Guide them in finding an answer rather than answering it for them right away
  • Ask them questions to help them think
  • Avoid turning teachable moments into long winded lessons
  • Be curious with them

Recognizing teachable moments in your day-to-day life with your child will allow your child to grow and learn authentically in addition to what they learn from textbooks. The benefit of recognizing the moments and acting on them is that your child is able to learn something new first-hand. Plus, you can’t beat those sweet conversations.