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{This is a collaborative post}
Kids love to learn while having fun. It makes education more interesting, and encourages children to take part in things that can teach real value. Today, we are lucky to have more choices than ever for moving learning outside of the classroom and into the home and beyond.
Games for Social Development
Social skills are often sidelined for academic skills in school. While many schools encourage social interaction, you are in a better position as a parent. Don’t worry, as it isn’t as hard as you think! There are many excellent and professional platforms with tips for teaching social skills, such as Begin Learning. Without even knowing it, your children can learn social values such as kindness, respect, and even empathy through games for all ages, from toddlers to teenagers.
Hands-On Activities at Home
If there’s one thing kids love to do, it is to get stuck in and get their little hands dirty. Well, most, anyway! At home, there are many fun activities that teach skills while having fun while also offering unique bonding experiences that can develop lifelong skills and social connections:
Cooking is one of the most fun and rewarding family-based activities.
Playdough is excellent for developing motor skills in young children.
Making things together builds bonds and teaches useful skills.
Just one of these activities can help children in many ways, academically and socially. Cooking alone comes with many useful life skills. Kids can learn to make food, of course. But it also teaches communication, coordination and safety. Grab those little pinnies and get cooking!
Learn while Having Fun on Field Trips
No child wants to spend all day reading from books and blackboards! Children absorb a lot more information when it is right in front of them. This is why field trips are so important. In the UK alone, 18% of kids leave school each year with zero qualifications. So what goes wrong? There are children who learn in different ways, and getting out and about is one of them. Sensory learning is a critical method that is often overlooked but has a major positive impact.
Drawing and Painting for Artistic Expression
As children grow, both the right and left hemispheres take in a vast amount of information and process it differently. The left side of the brain deals with logical systems. The right is the creative side. When these work in tandem, extraordinary things can happen. However, one typically dominates. As youngsters we don’t usually have the logical capacity to explain feelings and experiences. Artistic expression develops first, as a primitive form of communication in kids.
The Fun of Creative Playing
Playtime should be fun. But it can be a time for learning, too. Most children are very creative due to their imaginations. Of course, learning to count and read are vital skills. But you can encourage this in ways that are more palatable to kids. Toys are a great way to teach children just about anything. You can teach them to count their toys, distinguish colours, or how to care for something. Modern toys also come with designs that stimulate multiple senses at once.
Learn while Having Fun with Video Games
One of the easiest and most engaging ways for kids to learn while having fun is with video games. Before you go thinking every game is violent and unsuitable for children, they really aren’t. Many games are puzzle-based and teach various lessons along the way:
Games such as Assassin’s Creed have a lot of history and are suitable for older kids.
Younger children can have fun and learn with games like Minecraft and Roblox.
Little Big Planet and Dreams are a great introduction to video game development.
The Sims series of games features tools for interior design and architecture.
Civilisation games are logical in nature and contain a lot of history lessons.
Classic games like Chess will develop logical and critical thinking skills.
Devices such as the LeapPad 2 have video games designed for learning.
There are a lot of major franchises that teach about history in a more engaging way that children can absorb. Yet, there are even games that provide access and insight to future career prospects without even realising it. Picking games like these can motivate kids to learn more.
Encouraging Your Child’s Interests
Further to motivating the children to learn more about a subject, you can often get them more engaged when they are interested in something. There are basic skills that all children need. But of course, we can encourage them to pursue interests that will benefit them academically and socially. These can be huge motivators in a child’s life as a precursor to success. At the very least, your kids will learn how to get along with others, discipline and self-actualisation.
Dancing and Free Movement
There are many hobbies that children can try that have positive benefits. One of the most important is self-awareness. Dancing is one of the few hobbies or classes that teach self-awareness. Awareness comes from the desire to do better, and dancing can be competitive or a team game. Yet dancing also requires one to be aware of every movement and how each cause has an effect, for a profound understanding of our relationship with the world and each other.
Learn while Having Fun with Online Lessons
Today, children between 5 and 16 years old in the UK spend an average of 6.3 hours in front of a screen. This includes TV and computers. That may be a lot. However, using the internet is a no-go zone for many parents when they think of it for their children. But you can control what your child can access pretty easily these days. And there are many child-friendly learning websites they can use in a creative way while also learning basic school and social skills.
Create a Fun Learning Environment
You can go out of your way to creatively teach children. However, one part of learning that is often overlooked is the environment. Children need a positive and comfortable space to learn in the best way possible. It is tricky, but you can make it more inviting and fun for the kids to learn:
Create a reading nook in a comfy space for reading with the children.
Add some art supplies in a safe area so the children can express themselves.
Appeal to every sense with lights, materials and sounds for sensory learning.
It can be a little tricky to get the environment right. You also need to make sure the place is safe for all children. This includes neurodiverse and disabled children with specific access needs. It will help to keep these in mind when designing a comfortable and inviting play/education area.
Nature, Walking and Museums
What better way is there than getting out and about with the kids? Children love to be outside, exploring, playing and learning. Just a simple walk in the park can teach the kids tons more than they could ever read in a book. They soak up all the information they need by being up close and personal with real things. Museums are also an excellent way for kids to dive into anything. From history to animals, learning in this way helps the kids understand much more in a fun way!
Summary
There are games for social development that can help kids learn while having fun. Certain video games can also offer educational value and encourage interest. However, getting out and about to explore is one of the best ways to ensure the kids get what they need to learn and grow too!