During the school holidays, do you worry about your children’s education being hindered? Do you want your children to enjoy themselves, but learn something too? Education and having fun don’t have to be separate things. They can be combined quite easily and your children will quickly begin to love learning. Here are a few great ideas I have come across that are guaranteed to keep your kids educationally entertained during the holiday.
Going on an adventure
There will be plenty of days out and excursions available to you during the holidays. Going on an educational adventure with your kids is a great way to get them learning. Get in touch with your local council or tourist information, to work out which will be best for your family. Libraries are a great source of information for fun events being held in your local area.
Why not try an art gallery or museum? These are often free to children and will teach them all about history and art. This doesn’t have to be boring. These places will often have activities that children can fill in during their walk around. This will keep them entertained and will also give them fun facts about certain parts of history. If your children love to read, why not take them to a library and let them read you some stories or get involved in some arts and crafts.
Another option is to go to a beach or forest. You can have some real fun here learning about nature. Why not make your own treasure map? Each step of the map can include an educational question they have to answer, before they move onto the next part. Make sure there is a treat at the end to praise your kids on their hard work. Aquariums and Zoos are another great place to do this.
DIY fun at home
There are still plenty of things you can do at home to influence learning. Simple maths and english games can be created easily with just pieces of paper and some pens. Grab a piece of paper and write down every letter of the alphabet, across the longer side. Take it in turns to think of the longest word beginning with each letter. Write down your chosen word and give a point for each letter used. The person with the longest word score wins. This a great game for spelling and you can teach your child some new words too.
Another idea is to do a mini project together. This can be about anything you want from animals to history. Choose something you will both enjoy learning more about. You can create a scrapbook and include drawings and written work, based on your theme. This not only teaches your child about a specific topic, but shows them how they can find information from a number of sources. Try to encourage using books, rather than the internet. This project will mean you have fun reading and learning together. Perfect!
Board games and educational toys are also great for days at home. Take a look at Educational Toys Planet for toys and games your child will love. Or if you would prefer encourage your children to create a game you can all play. You could even bring in your own favourite children’s games such as hopscotch, but turn it into a maths game instead. The possibilities are endless.
Green Fingers
Getting your child into your garden is a brilliant way of encouraging learning. There is so much fun to be had in the great outdoors. Let them help you plant some flowers or even have a flower growing competition. You can ask your child to go and measure both plants using a ruler and keep a growing chart. This will not only encourage them to use their measuring skills but will also get them excited about gardening and looking after plants.
Another brilliant idea is keeping a wildlife diary. Spent the afternoon hunting and exploring your garden for bugs and birds. Write down every species you find and even draw pictures and take photographs. If you find something you aren’t sure of, do some research together. Another fun way of doing this is putting up a tent in your garden and having a sleepover. It will be a fun way of hearing animal noises and seeing insects that don’t usually come out during the day. Local nature charities will be interested to hear about your findings, so they can track the numbers of certain species. Why not make a special pack of your findings and send them off to these charities help your local wildlife.
So there you have it. Just some simple but effective ways of inspiring your children to learn. They don’t have to be attached to a text book for hours during their holidays. The things they learn are guaranteed to stick more if they have fun whilst doing it. They will be excited to tell all their friends how much fun they’ve had.