How to Entertain Your Kids as They Learn
You don’t need to constantly entertain children. However, they can quickly become bored. Luckily, you can engage your kids as they learn through play and practical activities.
Buy Some Books Aimed at Kids
The number of children’s authors is never-ending. There are some classic books written by the likes of Roald Dahl and Eric Carle, and there’s something for every kind of child. Kids with imagination will love books like James and the Giant Peach and The Gruffalo. The combination of text and illustrations stimulates cerebral development and helps to better understand language. But for the more inquisitive child, you can source a science magazine for kids like National Geographic Kids or Whizz Pop Bang.
Visit Nature Trails and Parks
Children love getting outside and getting filthy. As much as you might not want your kids getting muddy and dirty, it can be an excellent learning experience. Nature trails and parks are full of plant life, bugs, and animals. So, you can take the opportunity to teach your children about all the muddy min-beasts, beautiful birds, and flourishing foliage in your local environment. Additionally, learning about natural habitats at a young age can increase a child’s natural curiosity. It encourages a healthy respect for nature in an otherwise dangerous world.
Entertain Your Kids as they Learn with Animals
Further to diving into your local forests, rivers, and parks, taking kids to zoos can be an amazingly beneficial experience. Frighteningly, one study found that 44% of children are likely to hurt an animal during their childhood either intentionally or by accident. For children under 10, it’s likely because they don’t understand that animals feel pain. So taking kids to petting zoos and parks helps them learn the importance of animals. It also teaches kids how to be kind to animals and how they can contribute to animal conservation as they mature into teens.
Let the Kids Help You Out
Your kids probably love spending time with you unless they are in that awkward phase. So you can pass on your knowledge and help them learn without realizing it by letting them help you out now and then. This could be almost anything. For example, if you are working on fixing your computer, show your kids where each component goes in the motherboard. One day, they might have their own business building gaming PCs. You can also teach responsibilities early by letting the kids help you with chores that follow into their teens.
Let Your Kids Play Video Games
Video games are a hot topic at the moment, owing in part primarily to just two games, Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto. For the most part, Fortnite is OK for children over 12, but GTA should never be played by children. With that out of the way, there are tons of video games for helping kids learn. But even games that aren’t designed for learning will help in other ways. For example, almost every game is a giant puzzle. So without even realizing it, your kids improve memory, focus, and logic skills when they guide Mario through a crumbling castle.
During our Viking unit when the kids were younger, we used Minecraft a lot during our studies. The kids “built” their spelling words out of blocks & even made a Viking village, complete with longhouses.
Summary
Kids can learn through play and practical activities. And there’s something for every child, from reading to video games. However, you can also help them learn about nature at the park or zoo.
