The Learning Household

How to Help Your Child Get More out of School

Ken Bain, Marsha Marshall Bain

$47.95

Hardback

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English

Harvard University Press
05 August 2025

Educational psychology; Organisation & management of education; School community relations & school home relations; Advice on parenting

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.

By: Ken Bain
With: Marsha Marshall Bain
Imprint: Harvard University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 480g
ISBN: 9780674248168
ISBN 10: 0674248163
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 05 August 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ken Bain is President of the Best Teachers Institute. Previously, he was 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 significantly to What the Best College Teachers Do, What the Best College Students Do, and Super Courses.

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

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. -- Henry L. Roediger III, coauthor of Make It Stick 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. -- Dr. Laura Markham, author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids 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! -- Daniel J. Siegel, MD, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Whole-Brain Child