What Learning Activities Can You Do at Home?

During the quarantine linked to the pandemic, many parents want to have learning activities for their children.

With working schedules and the household to run, things can get tricky with your child's at home. Yet, as long as daycares are not open, you are their one and only teacher. 

​Watching TV or being stuck on a tablet all the time may not be healthy for young children. Yet, everything doesn't have to feel like a classroom lesson, either. ​

We’ve seen in previous blogs that kids learn better if they have fun. Now, you have an opportunity to implement that approach. In other words, get your kids excited, engaged, and eager to explore and learn by keeping the activities fun.
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If you are interested to learn more about some great learning activities, read on!

Engage With Young Children Through Learning Games

To attract interest and increase engagement, “play” is an efficient way to approach education.

​Turning a formal learning approach about a variety of subjects into a learning game will inspire learning and engagement.

For instance, pick a topic like “animals in the forest”. Create a scavenger hunt and integrate count, shapes, colors, and natural history.

Then, have them draw their favorite animal of the forest that you discussed using different materials. 
You can adapt that game according to your personal preference, knowledge, educational objectives.

​The great thing about this approach is that you can use your imagination and creativity to do something new.

Identify & Learn Colors

This activity is a big winner! Kids love colors.

Have your child identify a color. To do so, draw characters of different colors on a piece of paper. Ask your child to attribute a colored sticker corresponding to the color of the character. 

Then, ask your child to find a specific color in their environment. Ask them to pick that object and bring it to you.

​Not only do you encourage developing motor skills, but you also help them to learn about making independent choices.

Teach Them Sounds

Teaching children how to read, of course, will follow their natural cognitive development.

​However, teaching them how to make phonic sounds can be the first step that you consider. 

​Consider showing them how a letter or letters associated together make specific sounds. This is a great step to prepare them for what’s coming next.

Practice Writing By Helping Them To Shape Letters

Help show them how to grab a pen naturally. We typically use the Handwriting Without Tears® method in our classrooms. 
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Then, take a piece of paper, draw a letter of their choice, and outline the letter with dots. Ask your child to connect the dots using a pen with their favorite color.

​Do a few lines like that to have them repeat a movement. As for many things in life, consistency and repetition help to gain confidence and self-esteem.

You can use Play-Doh to shape letters or draw letters or gather different materials. Then, ask them to use their imagination to write a letter.

Teach Fun Math

Play games where kids group objects together sorting them by shape, size, color, material, etc.

Create sub-categories and ask them to count, add, or subtract by asking them what they see before them. 

​Try to have your child touch the objects they count. A direct connection with their environment helps them to make sense of things surrounding them.  

​For example, you can first ask them to put small bottles of water on a table. Next, ask them to count them all.

​Then, ask them to take two away.

Finally, ask them to count what is left on the table. Usually, short math lessons work best.

​Yet, if you multiply mini lessons like this one throughout the day, their math skills will improve over time.

Try Simple Science Experiments

Try little science experiments without transforming your kitchen into a full lab. For instance, take an ice-cube and make them touch and feel how cold it is. 

Then, ask them to place the ice-cube in a glass and have them observe what happens over time. Ask questions, try to probe and have them express in their own words what they see. 
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For toddlers and preschoolers, science experiments do not need to be involved in an extreme. Talk about the little stuff but in an engaging manner.

Learn Natural Science

The beautiful weather is finally back in our counties!

​Hence, there’s nothing more fun than planting seeds in the ground with the kids. Once planted, you can add water and observe what happens with time and care. 

A small flower pot or your backyard is a great material for science lessons.

Do you need more ideas?

There are many ways to keep your toddler or preschooler busy. If you need more tips, please let us know and get in touch with us. 

What do you think is your main challenge to implement our ideas?