Kids learn from example and not by preaching. I think we all do. They are keen little observers and everything they watch, see or observe around them, they instantly store it in their computer-like brains. They have their own learning style.
There is only so much you can teach a child through books, the rest he teaches himself especially by playing with educational toys.
Travelling is an excellent way to teach your child about different culture and countries. The child learns many new things everyday. He learns how to organize and plan, meet new people, overcome language barriers, and socialize and interact with ethics and etiquettes.
Another useful way of teaching is by experiment. A child learns more and remembers it for life if he has done a certain act or experiment with his own two hands. Try to let your child practically experience new things a long as they are within safety boundaries. Never let your child experiment with fire, electricity or sharp instruments by himself.
One should never discourage or snub a child if he wants to try something new. For example, my own five year-old told me the other day that he wanted to earn money and was going to set up his very own lemonade booth outside our house. I encouraged him, made a big pitcher of lemonade, and gave him a table and chair to use. He sat for about two hours outside during which no one came. Then, my husband and I called our neighbors and told them to pay him a surprise visit. They did so, bought three glasses of lemonade paid him, and he was simply over the moon…
See, I could’ve also discouraged him and told him it’s a bad idea but, I didn’t. Never restrict your child’s dream and tell him that he can’t do it.
Let him try, let him learn. There’s always a lesson to be learned from every experience, good or bad.