If you’ve been spending more time at home these days with your little ones, there’s a good chance you’ve also been thinking about different ways to keep them occupied. If your hope is for these activities to double as learning opportunities, the good news is that the possibilities are endless. Another bonus is that so many activities are quite simple to plan. Keep reading for four fun and educational activities that your kids will love.
1. Set Up an Indoor or Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Kids of all ages seem to love scavenger hunts. They’re a great way to build on communication skills, practice reading and correlation and follow directions. Finding little treasures throughout the hunt brings along an excitement that can’t be beat. What’s best of all is that they’re something kids of all ages can enjoy.
Whether the hunt is inside or out, coming up with fun themes, clues and objects to be found is essential. Handing out personalized canvas bags to each child is a great way to get everyone excited to participate. If you’re new to scavenger hunts or could use a boost to get started, a little quick research will be a big help.
2. Head To the Kitchen
Spending time in the kitchen with your kids can be a lot of fun, especially when there’s a job for everyone to do. If you haven’t given it a try yet, now’s a great time to come up with a plan and head to the kitchen.
Not only does cooking and baking teach kids the importance of listening and following directions, it can also be the perfect way to include some exposure to math and reading to your kids. The practical experience gained from these times will play a big part in your child’s overall development.
This is also a great opportunity to study foods popular in different countries, to discuss the importance of healthy eating and to encourage trying new foods.
3. Explore Sensory Play
As a parent of young children chances are you’ve heard about the importance of sensory play. Wondering what’s so great about it?
When kids can touch, feel, see and smell what they’re playing with, their minds and bodies are fully engaged. There is no right or wrong when it comes to this. There are just limitless self-driven opportunities to explore.
While indoor sensory play is great, bringing it outdoors has its advantages. One, you won’t need to be as worried about the mess and two, being outdoors simply adds to the entire experience.
Have fun with it and be creative. Your kids will have a great time and enjoy the independence it brings.
4. Get Cozy and Read Together
Reading is one of life’s pleasures. It’s something that everyone can benefit from. It’s a wonderful way to explore and use imagination and every word is an opportunity for your child to learn and grow.
If you have a new reader try encouraging them to take the lead. This can help to boost their confidence and comfort level with reading out loud. However if your child seems shy or unwilling, try suggesting reading out loud to your family pet instead.
Reading old favorites is a great way to rekindle happy memories of days gone by, and letting your kids choose new books to explore will keep things exciting for everyone.
Keep in mind that there are learning opportunities everywhere. You don’t need to bend over backward to give your kids those experiences. Simply presenting ways for their imagination and sense of curiosity to take over can yield some very satisfying results for everyone.
What’s even better is that with many of these activities, your kids will be having so much fun they won’t necessarily feel like they’re learning — it just happens. Have fun together and enjoy watching the pieces fall into place. There’s truly something for everyone.