Learning is most enjoyed when children do not even realize it is happening. The wonder and joy in a child’s eyes increase when they feel that they have worked something out for themselves, as opposed to being shown and dictated it.
Learning from home is a great way to do this, and it is easy to incorporate learning activities into family bonding sessions. Below, we give 5 educational activities that you can do at home.
Learn About Countries and Culture
The beauty of online technologies and the internet are that you do not need to have first-hand experience, or have traveled the world, to teach your children about new cultures. You can start with any culture you wish, but it can often work well if you and your children start a small project on a culture with a popular, easy to learn a language. French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian are all fantastic examples.
Learn some words from the culture by researching traditional songs and games. You can even have an evening of trying to cook cuisines in countries that speak the language, then trying it out over dinner!
Cooking Educational Activities
Cooking is great for early childhood education, as it is an activity that teaches them a range of interchangeable skills. If a child can follow instructions from a cookbook, it will help them in everything from writing exam papers to building furniture in the future.
Let them measure out the ingredients, increasing their maths skills. They can follow instructions, solving problems. Finally, though it may be hard for some parents to let go, let them cook.
Stand with them as they fry in a pan, or place hot items into the oven. Though your nerves may be fraught, it will increase responsibility and the value of danger. It will make your child more aware and in the long run, much safer minded.
Photograph the World
This is a great way to increase engagement and natural wonder in the world around us. Your child will learn basics about composition, color and will be able to combine it with a knowledge of the alphabet.
Provide them with a camera. This can be a mobile phone, though if you have an old-style film camera, the wonder can increase tenfold. Ask your child to take one picture of everything starting with the letters of the alphabet.
For example, A could be a picture of an avocado. B could be a picture of a bicycle and so on. Let them complete the alphabet then put the photos into a large collage and frame them.
Engage in the Story
Children love to hear stories, and most children love to tell them. Start by getting them to discuss what stories they have heard and what they liked best about them.
Next, try reading a few stories and acting them out. When your child feels confident, help them to create their own story with a beginning, middle, and an end.
Play Board Games
Probably the easiest on the list to set up, this will really help you bond as a family. Try having a classic board game night. Get a great selection, that will allow them to work on a range of skills.
For example, you may have physical games to increase hand-eye coordination such as Operation or KerPlunk. Other games such as snakes and ladders may allow them to count, increasing their mathematics skills.
Let Them Make Mistakes
Now you have the educational activities planned, let your children engage deeply with them. This may involve cutting loose, letting them make mistakes, letting them lose, and exposing them to minor, supervised danger. This is part of the learning process.
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