I am a firm believer that for children, as well as their parents, learning does not just take place in the classroom. Every day provides a situation or an opportunity in which we can learn, adapt, and bear witness to new life-enriching experiences that we can grow and develop from. To help your children in their never-ending quest for education and information – here are some ways you can help educate your children outside of the classroom.
Exercise
The importance of exercise is a great life skill to impart to your children. The earlier children understand the importance of exercise to make them feel good both mentally and physically the better chance exercise has of becoming a habit in their lives. Exercise comes in many forms, it could be kicking a ball around in the outdoors, learning a dance routine, or bouncing on the trampoline. Make it fun and feel good so that your children keep coming back for more.
Extracurricular Activities
Sometimes children need a little extra help with their school-based learning and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If utilizing a math tutor or undertaking speech and language therapy helps to improve your child’s confidence in the classroom then it is absolutely worth investing your time and money in.
Eat Together
When you all sit down to eat a meal try and invoke a rule that there are to be no screens at the table. Instead, encourage discussion and conversation between family members. Use the opportunity to talk about each other’s day, what you have done, learned, liked, or disliked. Don’t be afraid to discuss some of the important topics such as society and the environment. You will no doubt be surprised and intrigued to hear your children’s opinions on the topic. A top tip is to ask your child open-ended questions so that they have to elaborate on their answers and not just reply with a simple yes or no.
Play Games
Games are a fun way to provide learning opportunities to children, often without them even realizing it. Role play games such as toy kitchens or pretend shops encourage social learning and cultivate imagination in children. This type of play can also develop certain skill sets such as simple arithmetic when paying for items in toy shops for example. Puzzles are great for problem solving and games such as Jenga and Pick Up Sticks can help to improve dexterity. If nothing else then playing a game will help to impart the importance of etiquette, taking turns, and good sportsmanship.
In addition to game playing, crafting can be a fantastic resource for young children. Play-doh, for example, can be a fun way to help build up finger strength. Alternatively, provide your children with a raft of crafting supplies from boxes, papers, tape, glue, and paint and leave it to their imagination to see what they can create. This is a great exercise that can promote engineering, problem-solving, and creativity.
What are some ways that you help your children learn outside of the classroom? Leave your comment below and let us know.
