Kids are like sponges and these are arguably the most important and foundational years of their lives. This is not only true when it comes to what their hearts and mind are soaking in, but the materials they are exposed to during these uncertain times.
With schools being closed, kids are stuck at home for weeks yearning for new fun learning activities. In keeping your kids motivated and excited, learn more ways that effective learning activities can boost your kids’ engagement and developmental skills.
Get Creative with Art Projects
Material for kids to do fun learning activities can be found all around us. From reusable paper, recycled boxes, food coloring, and paper or plastic cups, creative art projects are endless.
Kids are generally interested in art projects that are entertaining and fun, this can be done by making the activity interactive. Color mixing is one of the many fun learning activities both kids and parents will enjoy doing together.
With simple color mixing activities, kids are able to engage and learn with parents. One of these fun learning activities includes mixing primary colors to accomplish secondary colors. Kids will be able to learn that their intermediate colors can create other colors when mixed. When the activity is complete, assess your kids understanding of primary to secondary colors by providing them with paper and crayons, to demonstrate that they have fully grasped the concept of mixing their primary colors.
Young toddlers and pre-k students will be able to develop their fine motor skills, allowing them to mix the colors on their own. At the same time, they are able to develop their observational and cognitive abilities.
Dramatic Play
Making learning fun can motivate your kids to participate in any fun learning activity. Role play can improve their ability to interact with people and things in the real world. Kids use this outlet to explore and express their own thoughts and feelings. Dramatic play gives kids an opportunity to act out scenes from favorite books and movies. This provides them with greater appreciation of narration and characters. Now that you see the importance of dramatic play, make it a fun learning activity by paying attention to the different characters your kid imitates. This allows you to foster ideas by asking open-ended questions and allows you an opportunity to learn about your kids.
Science Experiments
Kids participating in science projects helps develop their ability to be resourceful. It also cultivates intellectual curiosity, helping your kid explore new and interesting ways of asking questions and discovering the world around them.
Fun learning activities such as lava lamp, homemade slime and pepper soap experiments, allow kids to explore how materials can impact each other in the process of mixing.
The first step is discussing science experiment ideas with your kid to determine their area of interest. Then the most important part is choosing what kinds of experiments to do. To make the experiment a fun learning activity, talk your kids through the process during the experiment, making sure they are helping every step of the way.
Music and Movement
While being indoors can increase the amount of screen time kids are exposed to, encouraging your kids to do sing-alongs or rhyming songs will allow them to be excited about participating. Children usually enjoy music and naturally begin to react to the music, especially when parents are doing it with them. Through music and movement your kids can learn to express emotions, cognitive development and develop small and large motor skills. Fun learning activities that incorporate music and movement create a space where kids can have fun, be creative and burn off excess energy.
Building Vocabulary
Get your kids excited about learning to read at home, picking books that enable them to mimic and reenact scenarios. Selecting stories with repeated phrases or stories that use rhyming words will allow your kids to understand words with greater ease.
Fun learning activities that are able to build your kid’s vocabulary include: matching rhyming words, interactive stories, and sensory books (just to name a few).
When kids are able to predict what’s coming next in a story, they gain a sense of accomplishment. This gives them the ability to explore new words through fun interactive games that relate to the book. Follow your kid’s lead, emphasizing words that hook their interest, help your kid comprehend what a new word means.
Building your child’s vocabulary starts with fun interactive reading.
Parents, You Can Do It!
Make the time you spend indoors with your kids one that is memorable and fun. The time you spend with your kids during this stage of their growth can impact them tremendously. Make the activities fun, engaging, and easy to learn, your kids will be motivated to join and share what they have achieved. Remember, discovering interactive hands-on fun learning activities will provide an opportunity to develop your children’s physical, cognitive, and emotional strength.
Find these fun learning activities useful? Cornerstone Learning Center provides a positive interactive environment where your kids can flourish. We provide and practice developmentally appropriate fun learning activities for your kids to have the best outcome in their early stages of life. To learn more about Cornerstone Learning Center and what we have to offer, feel free to call or visit our website at learnatcornerstone.com.