Educational fun that doesn’t feel like homework

Don’t ask us how, but May half term is nearly upon us and if you are sticking around in the UK like us this half term, once again you will be looking for activities to do that keep your children occupied. Whilst half term is a great time to have a break from the routine of school and more formal learning, having your children at home with no plans is also a golden opportunity to spark their curiosity for topics that they may not usually cover at school. Not only that but also learning in different ways to how they may be used to learning at school – think learning through play!

Play is one of, if not the most powerful tool you have in your parenting tool kit to increase your child’s learning capability. When children are in play, they are in a state of “flow” which increases creativity, confidence and fosters independence too. Research tells us that children learn significantly from being allowed to “play” and this shapes their growing brains for the rest of their lives. When playing, children need to problem solve, test out new skills, focus (something we are losing more and more as technology continues to change and evolve) and build relationships, practicing their communication and relationship building too. Without referencing too much research for you, play is essential for a child’s brain and continues to be important for many years to come.

Play is the highest form of research – Albert Einstein

It is all very well knowing about the benefits of play but exactly how do we make time to play when there is always so much to do – be that work, in the house or juggling other family commitments too… Here are some ideas to get you started:

Build a Mini Bridge

Decide where you want the bridge to go (between two points – you could use a bowl of water under the “bridge” to make the set up more realistic and challenging) and ask your children to use whatever materials they can find in the home to make a strong and sturdy bridge. Extra bonus points if you are able to use the bridge to suspend some weight on afterwards: think lolly sticks, straws, cutlery, strong hold tape, sticks from the garden…the world is their oyster. Watch and learn as they become super creative in their ideas for creating the worlds best mini bridge!

Story Dice

Make and decorate some home made dice (card folded well into squares) to then use to tell stories. This is a brilliant way of building not only creativity but also language skills too. By decorating several dice with different things (characters, places, objects), you can roll the dice and ask your child to make up a sentence or story using whatever they can see on the top of the die. Encourage them to make up stories that are funny and as outrageous as you want them to and have a bit of fun with them at the same time. A brilliant way of learning through play and fostering vocabulary too.

Get Gardening

No matter whether you have outdoor space or not, a herb garden is always a good idea! What better way to teach your child about where food comes from and how things grow, then to teach them the process of planting something from seed to fully grown herbs! You can buy seeds online for a small price and some small pots with compost from your local supermarket. If you cant find seeds, buying fresh herb plants in the supermarket and splitting them then giving them the responsibility to water them daily is also a brilliant way to teach them about looking after real, live things. You never know, you may have a green fingered gardener on your hands.

When we open up to play, the possibilities are endless.

There is huge power in letting your child guide the play too and letting them take the lead. Try asking questions like “What are you going to do next?” and “How could we make this even better?” will help spark their creativity and problem solving, as well as show them that you are really invested in the activity itself.

Whatever your plans this half term, increase curiosity, confidence and your child’s cognitive development by playing together and making memories that they’ll treasure forever.