5 Best Ways To Make Learning Fun For Your Kids
Play is one of the simplest and most effective ways to teach children effectively. By their very nature, children love to play and usually don't need much encouragement. Therefore, it is worth using this fact to broaden their horizons of knowledge and skills. Many psychologists and teachers approach learning through enthusiasm. However, it is necessary to skillfully select games so that the effect meets the intended expectations and finally allows the child to develop better in a pleasant way for him.
Highly formalized teaching methods, which we encounter primarily in public schools, are usually unattractive and simply boring for a child. Learning while playing, in turn, ceases to be an unpleasant duty, and becomes a pleasant form of spending free time, which brings many benefits to the child. It acquires new knowledge and skills more efficiently and willingly. As a result, it often develops faster than peers. Below are some basic ways to combine learning with fun at home without incurring excessive costs.
1 Reading books
Appropriate books can have a very positive impact on a child's mental development. Their presence in the child's world should start from an early age. Even a 2-year-old who is not yet able to read and is just beginning to speak can benefit a lot from picture books viewed with his parent.
In this way he gets to know the world and broadens his vocabulary. As you grow up, more books should be tailored to your child's age, individual abilities and interests.
To consolidate the reading habit of your child, it is worth implementing three basic principles related to this:
Choose books that are appropriate for your child's age . Picture books with simple illustrations are great items for the youngest children aged 1-2. In turn, the 3-year-old will certainly be happy to listen to short stories written in the booklet that his parent will read to him or learn simple rhymes. 4-5 years is the right age for books to have specific educational values, such as learning the alphabet.
The right choice of materials is the key to interest and effective learning, so make sure that they are neither excessively demanding nor too infantile in relation to the development stage of your child.
Get your child involved. The toddler's involvement is very important so as not to lose his interest. Even if you read a story to your child, in the meantime ask additional questions like "Do you think this hero did right or wrong?", "Do you remember how many mountains the princess lives in?" The interaction has a very positive effect on the cognitive capabilities of most people.
Be a good example. It's much easier and more effective to develop a reading habit in your child, if you also do it yourself and your child can see it. Children very often imitate the behavior of their parents, so be a good example also in this regard.
2. Board games
Board games in recent decades have been quite pushed to the defensive by the rapid development of video games, social media and virtual reality. And while new forms of communication are often much more attractive to young people, their didactic values are not necessarily the same.
So let's vacuum the old wardrobe at home and check what board games we have left. And if there are none at all, then buy, for example, a few of the following types in a stationary or online store:
Scrabble - a game that perfectly develops vocabulary and creativity. He doesn't get bored quickly. Versions for children and adults are available on the market.
Monopoly - a classic business game that teaches the basics of economics, planning and budget management.
Chess - a classic board game for two. Great develops analytical skills, strategic thinking, planning a few moves forward or reading your opponent's intentions.
Checkers - a game that many people consider to be "chess for the less demanding". Its rules are much simpler than in chess, and the gameplay is more dynamic and shorter. However, checkers also develop similar skills to chess, but to a slightly lesser extent. This is a great option for children for whom chess is too complicated.
Saboteur - an example of a more modern board game that has attracted crowds of fans with its simplicity and interesting gameplay. It helps to develop primarily planning, strategic and analytical thinking.
3. Coloring books for children
A lot has been written and said about the advantages of classic coloring books for children and adults. However, there are still many people who underestimate this form of relaxation or simply forget about it. As in the case of board games, the dynamic development of new forms of communication is to blame for this state of affairs.
Although it must also be admitted that thanks to the development of the Internet, access to printable coloring pages and books is much greater because they can be easily printed at home. You just have to want to reach for them. And what benefits do children get in return? The list of advantages is really long, but mentioning only the most important ones should mention the following:
- Developing manual skills
- Stimulating creativity
- Silencing emotions and general mental state
- Developing accuracy and patience
- Activation of potential artistic talent
Coloring pages or books for children are a very cheap form of relaxation and development of a child's skills, and at the same time very valuable on many levels. It is worth using it whenever time permits. You can download free coloring pages from online top sources, whether you're looking to download coloring pages for girls or boys, you can download them online and print them.
4. Backyard games
Backyard games are a great way to learn and play, especially on warmer days. It is worth mentioning that many of such games, such as the "Chase", develop both intellectual resources of the children and their physical condition. Most backyard games take place with the participation of at least several children, which means that they acquire better social competences, learn to cooperate and move in a group.
Many games, such as "hide and seek", enhance creativity and intelligence. If you need to refresh the information about the rules of popular backyard games, then we recommend our previous article: 8 playgrounds for children
5. Educational websites
To say that all modern forms of communication are harmful would be a very big abuse. Despite the fact that you can throw almost anything to the internet today, there are so many pearls and pages worth visiting in this maze of information.
Using Google search you can easily find children's song lyrics, interesting educational pages, quizzes, children's recipes and many other valuable places in the virtual world. The basis for a good search should be entering the right terms and skilful selection of search results.
