The Secret to Supporting Summer Learning
Understand what actually motivates teens to learn and grow and the different types of learning styles
Dear Parents and Chosen Families,
As another school year ends, you might be wondering: How do I help my child maintain their learning momentum without turning summer into "school at home"?
The answer isn't more worksheets or forced reading time. It's about understanding how your unique learner learns best—and giving them tools that will transform their confidence when September arrives.
🧭 The Curiosity Matrix: Your Secret Strategy for Supporting Learning
Want to understand what truly motivates your student? Researcher Anne-Laure Le Cunff from Ness Labs has identified four distinct types of curiosity, each driving learning in different ways. Understanding your child's curiosity type can revolutionise how you support their education
Curiosity Quiz: What's Your Child's Curiosity Type?
Take this short quiz to discover your child's primary curiosity type and learn how you can support their unique learning style this summer. It's quick, fun, and insightful!
1. How does your child react when they find something they're passionate about?
a) They dive deep and want to become an expert
b) They jump from topic to topic, exploring as much as they can
c) They start asking a lot of questions about people's thoughts and feelings
d) They start experimenting or figuring out how things work
2. When your child faces a challenge, what do they do?
a) Try to master the subject, focusing on details
b) Keep moving on to something else to avoid getting stuck
c) Get interested in the people involved in the situation, their stories
d) Break it down logically and look for a process to follow
3. Which of the following excites your child the most?
a) Learning intricate facts about a specific interest (e.g., animals, technology)
b) Exploring new things, learning a little about a variety of topics
c) Connecting with people and understanding their emotions and actions
d) Solving problems and discovering how systems work
Results
🎯 Mostly a's: Specific Curiosity ("I need to know THIS")
Your child obsesses over particular topics (dinosaurs, coding, true crime podcasts)
They dive deep and want expert-level knowledge
How to support: Provide access to specialised resources, connect them with mentors, don't worry if they ignore other subjects temporarily
🌐 Mostly b's: Diversive Curiosity ("What else is out there?")
Your child loves browsing, exploring, discovering new things
They have many interests but might struggle with depth
How to support: Celebrate their broad interests, help them see connections between topics, provide structured exploration time
🎭 Mostly c's: Empathic Curiosity ("How do others think and feel?")
Your child asks about people's motivations, emotions, experiences
They're drawn to stories, relationships, social dynamics
How to support: Encourage perspective-taking activities, discuss characters in books/movies, validate their people-focused interests
🔬 Mostly d's: Epistemic Curiosity ("How does this work?")
Your child wants to understand systems, processes, the "why" behind everything
They love experiments, logical puzzles, cause-and-effect
How to support: Encourage hands-on experiments, provide "how things work" resources, engage in philosophical discussions
Why Learning Styles Matter
When you understand your child's dominant curiosity type, you can:
Choose activities that naturally engage them
Help them see how their natural curiosity applies to school subjects
Support their learning in ways that feel energising, not draining
💡 Get Curious About Your Kid as a Student
Here's a gentle challenge: What if you approached your child's learning with the same curiosity you had when they were taking their first steps?
Questions To Explore Together
(These work whether your child is 12 or 22)
About Learning Uniquenesses:
"When do you feel most focused and alert during the day?"
"Where do you do your best thinking? (bedroom, kitchen table, library, outdoors)"
"Do you prefer background noise, music, or silence when you're concentrating?"
About Challenges:
"What subject or assignment type makes you feel most confident?"
"When you get stuck on something, what usually helps you get unstuck?"
"What's one thing about school that you wish was different?"
About Motivation:
"What topics could you talk about for hours?"
"When you learn something new that excites you, who do you want to tell first?"
"What would make you excited to go to school on Monday morning?"
The Magic Happens When You…
Listen without immediately trying to "fix" - Sometimes they just need to be heard
Ask follow-up questions - "Tell me more about that" works wonders
Share your own learning experiences - When did YOU struggle? What helped?
Notice patterns - Do they work better with deadlines or open-ended time? Alone or with others?
🌱 Creating a Summer Learning Culture (Without the Pressure)
The goal isn't to recreate school at home. It's to create an environment where curiosity and growth happen naturally:
📚 Make Learning Visible
Read your own books where they can see you
Share interesting articles or videos you've discovered
Talk about things you're learning (even if it's a new recipe or hobby)
🗣️ Normalise Struggle
Share when you don't know something: "I don't know—let's find out together"
Model looking things up, asking for help, trying again
Celebrate effort and progress, not just achievement
🎯 Follow Their Lead
If they're obsessed with a video game, ask them to teach you about it
If they mention something interesting from a documentary, watch it together
Support their summer interests, even if they seem "unproductive"
🏆 Summer Curiosity Challenge
Rather than overhauling everything, what if you and your child became curious about just one thing: their study environment?
Take a learning walk together through your home:
Where do they usually try to work?
What do they notice about the light, the sounds, how they're sitting?
What feels energising? What feels draining?
If they could change just one thing to make it feel better, what would it be?
Maybe it's as simple as facing a window instead of a wall. Maybe it's adding a plant or a soft throw. Maybe it's switching locations entirely—kitchen table instead of bedroom desk.
Try that one change for a week. Then check in together. What do they notice? How does it feel? What might they want to adjust next?
💭 A Gentle Reminder
Your child's learning journey is uniquely theirs. Your role isn't to manage every detail—it's to provide love, support, and the occasional strategic nudge in the right direction.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is step back and trust that they're figuring it out. Other times, like with our Summer Skill-Up program, the best thing is to provide them with tools and strategies that school rarely teaches.
Wishing you and your family a discovery and kind, curious learning all season long!
Wishing you kind learning,
xo Deena
