7 creative ways to keep kids learning over the holidays
With schools closed for Winter, children's daily routines could be in disarray, but just because children are not in their classrooms doesn't mean they have to stop learning.
Keeping children engaged and entertained in learning activities can help them return to school routines when schools open again. Some of the below activities can help children learn new skills, develop and hone the existing ones, and have fun.
Seven ways to keep your child learning over the holidays
Take your children to the supermarket
"The Supermarket Study" found that parents and children under eight tend to talk to each other more in large stores—building their communication skills and developing cognitive skills.1
Teach kids to cook
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Even though PreK and Kindergarten children might be too young to bake brownies, young children can always help parents in the kitchen. Cooking can help teach children multiple math concepts like measurement, temperature, fractions, measuring time, and much more.
Go to the zoo
Become a tourist in your own town for a day. Take your child to the zoo, and read about facts on different animals there. Describe how the animal looks—fierce, fast, friendly, beautiful—to your children.
If there is also a petting zoo, let your child feed and interact with animals directly. It could be an excellent opportunity to develop your child's vocabulary by describing animals and birds.
Solve puzzles
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Puzzles are a great way to spend time and also help stimulate your child's cognitive development.2 Solving puzzles could also help develop critical thinking and reasoning skills3, vocabulary skills4, and memory skills2.
Get artsy
Various grade-level science experiments or DIYs can help children improve hand-eye coordination and learn about shapes, color, math, and language concepts.
Origami is also an excellent way to develop spatial thinking and problem-solving skills while helping learn math concepts like geometry and fractions.5
Make reading part of the routine
Have your children read books that aren't part of their curriculum. You can read their favorite books aloud for younger kids, point out characters, and so on.
Practice spelling with word games like crossword puzzles or scrabble for grades 2 and 3, and spell out 3-letter or more words for first graders.
BYJU'S Learning featuring Disney
Whether you're traveling or on a family vacation, your child can always learn core math, language, and reading concepts through BYJU'S Learning App. It includes video lessons, read-along stories, interactive quizzes, and much more.
Magic Workbooks add a tactile, physical, pen-on-paper learning experience to the App. Making use of Osmo's reflective AI technology, it offers real-time feedback, encouragement, and guidance every step of the way.
Where to get it?
Visit our store page at www.byjuslearning.com to learn more.
BYJU’S Learning is an award-winning program that is interactive and personalized for kids in Pre-K to Grade 3.
Have more questions about our products? Visit our products page.
Happy learning!
References:
1. Psychology & School Psychology Services, Port Melbourne, Melbourne Child.
“The Supermarket Study: Education in the Real World.” The Supermarket Study:
Education in the Real World, 12 Oct. 2016, www.melbourne childpsychology .com.au/ blog/the-supermarket- study-education- in-the-real- world.
2. Dwipratiwi, Rita, et al. “THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF EDUCATIVE GAME TOOLS (PUZZLE) ON COGNITIVE
LEVELS OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN (4-5 YEARS).” ResearchGate, Jan. 2020, www.researchgate. net/
publication/ 340428618_ THE_ POSITIVE_ EFFECT_OF _EDUCATIVE_ GAME_TOOLS _PUZZLE _ON_
COGNITIVE _LEVELS_OF _PRE-SCHOOL _CHILDREN _4-5_ YEARS.
3. Muryanti, Elise, and Yuli Herman. “Building Children’s Critical Thinking by Puzzle Story Telling | Atlantis Press.”
AtlantisPress, 1 Nov. 2016, www.atlantis-press .com /proceedings /icece- 16/ 25869317.
4. Mashru, Deepak, and Ateesha Shrivastava. “Effects of Puzzles in Learning Vocabulary.” ResearchGate, Jan. 2018,
www.researchgate. net/ publication/ 325922961_ Effects_of_ Puzzles_ in_Learning _Vocabulary.
5. “5 Reasons Why Origami Improves Students’ Skills.” 5 Reasons Why Origami Improves Students’ Skills |
Edutopia, 29 Apr. 2015, www.edutopia .org/ blog/ why -origami -improves-students -skills- ainissa- ramirez.
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