As with so many things, education today is so different from the past. We have created institutions (pre-schools, schools, polytechs and universities) to teach skills. Ironically the most important of these skills is learning - something too often only incidental to these institutions..
Anyone who has been disturbed by a young child constantly asking "Why?" knows that learning is natural - until we train children to learn how and when best suits us. Sadly children are not all wired that way. In fact, I suggest it is best for a minority. The rest cope the best they can, but few thrive on their own, reaching their own excellence.
There are two main dangers to natural learning. One is ignoring the child, The other reminds me of a poem I heard when our children were young and we were searching for great options for them, Sadly my memory is problematic these days, but it included phrases such as "ram it in", "jam it in", cram it in and the like. This does just as much damage as the first.
The phrase used to describe the most effective style is the teachable moment. I remember watching Paul Holmes visiting a home in Winuiomata. He asked a child what made the wind. The child answered the trees waved their branches, and Paul had his "Isn't that cute" moment. Sadly the child learned nothing for such a teachable moment.
Learning starts before a child is born - and hopefully continues at death. Some lose their minds before then (dementia, stroke, etc) but too many more regard learning as finishing with schooling. I went to university and said to myself "Done!".
I taught part-time at Polytech for a couple of years and learned from the other side. I found that, even with no training or experience, I could tell which students would fly through and which couldn't make sense of it. I tried helping everyone, but it had very little effect on most. In my second year, I focussed on the middle group. Did I make a difference? I hope so. Of course, teaching children differs from teaching adults (or near adults).
There is a tension between helping children understand material they need to know in life and helping to explore the plethora of potential interests.