How to learn while having fun?

What makes you laugh? What makes you wanted to jump from the chair and rush to it? Those are the things that interest you and will motivate you to learn more about it. One of my friends is a great hobbyist. Once he falls in love with a hobby, he'll go an extra mile to learn about his hobby. For example, when he likes watches. He will learn about how to dismantle a watch and put all the parts together again. He will get contacts of professional watch repairers and get classes or advices from them. He will search through the internet and read all about watches. He will strive till there is nothing new for him to learn and yes, he is so good in watches that he knows whether one is genuine or a fake one by just one look. That is how one learns while having fun. 

What about children? Children like to imitate adults. They want to be adults. They want to do what adults are doing and get the feel of being adults. Therefore, "fun" for them is doing what adults are doing. If a constant "no" is being said to them, they will have low self-esteem and eventually lost interest in learning altogether. 

When I am cutting lady's fingers, my son came to the kitchen. He stood beside me and watched me carefully. I turned to ask, "Do you want to try?" He was elated. He must be thinking, "Can I?" I smiled at him and said, "Come on. Mama will teach you how to cut off the ends of lady's fingers." I taught him how to hold a knife and cut off the ends of lady's fingers and he did it. No accidents. I think my son enjoyed cutting the lady's fingers and he had fun cutting them. Through this activity, he not only learns how to cut a lady's finger but also enhances his hand-eye coordination, self-confidence and concentration. Isn't it great to have learnt so many things at one time?

Children learn throughout the day. They are like dry sponges ready to absorb whatever "water" we are giving them. So, it all depends on us as parents whether to give them a positive input or a negative one. We need to give confidence to the children on what they can do according to their ages. For example, children age two can be allowed to cut scrap papers using plastic scissors. 

My son likes to pay money at the counter. He feels like an adult. We are still in the midst of teaching him  how to recognise the different notes and coins. By being able to pay at the counter trigger him to learn what those notes and coins mean and as he learn, he has fun.