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

Bain, Ken; Bain, Marsha Marshall

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0674306023 ISBN 13: 9780674306028

Publisher: The Belknap Press, 2026

Synopsis

A “warm, thoughtful” (Forbes) 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 an insatiable urge to ask questions. And yet, many kids are bored and alienated at school. What can parents do to sustain children’s 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 the creativity, grit, and enthusiasm necessary to navigate a rapidly changing world. At its best, school provides opportunities to cultivate ingenuity and apply knowledge to novel problems. But before children can experience such an education, parents must create a “learning household,” where children are encouraged to ask thoughtful questions, discover their passions, and take risks.

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

About this title

About the Authors

Ken Bain was President of the Best Teachers Institute. He was also the founding director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Vanderbilt University and taught at New York University, Northwestern University, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His books include What the Best College Teachers Do, What the Best College Students Do, and Super Courses.

Marsha Marshall Bain is coordinator for the Best Teachers Institute. A writer and a researcher, she contributed to What the Best College Teachers Do, What the Best College Students Do, and Super Courses.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Belknap Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674306023
• ISBN 13: 9780674306028
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304