Do you want to enrich your child’s learning at home? Keeping his mind active and engaged with fun kids’ activities both promotes growth and development and shows him that learning can be fun. In fact, according to Sonya Braun, education specialist at Kids R Kids, educational activities that include physical, emotional and mental elements don’t seem like school at all — making them especially important learning tools for after school and during the summer months.
Between the ages of 6 and 10, your little one faces a whirlwind of development. According to Kareema Martinez, executive director of Esteem Me Montessori & Creative Play, “Six-year-olds have the basic foundations and are ready to start exploring their world and expanding on their understanding of the world around them.” They’re working on problem-solving, relationship-building and discovering values and beliefs.
Here are five activities that enhance your child’s development and make learning fun:
- Direct a Play
Turning your child’s story into a play encourages his imagination, storytelling abilities and cooperation with others. “When a story is made into a play, it expands on many levels for the child,” says Martinez. First, teaming up with siblings or working solo, encourage your child to write a story. Then, help him create scenery and costumes. Next, have the children practice the play and perform in front of an audience — made up of mom, dad and grandparents, of course.
- Play “Mother May I?”
According to Braun, games like “Mother May I?” — which she calls “Go or No Go?” — teach kids patience and that they don’t always get everything they want immediately. Designate one player as the “mother” and the other players as the “children.” The mother stands a few yards away from the other players and turns around. The children take turns asking “Mother, may I…?” with a suggestion to move, such as taking eight steps forward. The mother can reply “Yes, you may,” or she can refuse and offer another suggestion. The children must do whatever the mother asks — even if it means moving farther away. The first child to reach the mother wins the game and takes her place as “mother” for a new round.
- Work In Some Gym Exercises
Exercise helps build more than just motor skills. Braun believes that when children are physically moving, they are constantly learning — cognitively, socially and more. That’s why she implements a grab bag of gym exercises as one of the after school clubs at her school. To do at home, start out with quick bursts of 10-minute activities. Do 10 jumping jacks. Follow this with three burpees and three squats. Then, have the children play Ring Around the Rosy, but instead of “falling down,” have them do a pushup.
- Intermingle Soccer and Science
According to Martinez, “Another way to give developmental challenge is to cross over areas and work on a program — for example, with gross motor activities and physics.” In this activity, your child will mix soccer with experiments on water in its three states (gas, liquid and solid). First, give your child a bag of ice cubes. Let him observe how the ice cubes feel and how they retain their shape. Then, have him put the ice in the sun and play a fun soccer game. By the time he gets back to the experiment, the ice will have melted. Let him explore the water and see how it changes its shape when transferred to different containers. Leave the water outside overnight, so your child can observe the effects of evaporation.
- Create a New Version of a Favorite Song
Combining music with movement helps children store information in their brain and recall it later. “It’s like cheerleaders chanting,” says Braun. “They remember the lyrics because of the beat.” Take your child’s favorite song and insert the letters of a new spelling word. Incorporate some fun dance moves that your child can help choreograph and practice your new dance routine throughout the day — and your child will likely learn his new spelling word by dinnertime.For more information about children and music, check out Music Lessons and Activities for Kids.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your kids’ activities. “The key is keep it engaging, utilize all the senses — touch, smell, sight, hearing and taste — be creative and let the child lead you to where their interests lie,” says Martinez.
Rebecca Desfosse is a freelance writer specializing in parenting and family topics.
