1. Play games
with your children. Many games help children improve their memory,
concentration, problem-solving, and social skills. Point out what they are
doing well while you’re playing. Talk about how they can use some of the
same skills in real life.
2. Find out about activities for children that take place at your
library. Most libraries have story times or other free educational
activities.
3. Encourage your children to keep a scrapbook about a subject that
interests them such as animals, cars, places they’d like to go to, history,
etc.
4. Have crayons and paper available for your children to express
themselves creatively.
5. Give your children rulers. Ask them to find objects of varying lengths
around the house (for example, "Find something in the house that is 2
inches").
6. Show your children how to count change. Then, when you’re at stores or
restaurants, encourage them to figure out how much change you should get
back for items bought.
7. Reinforce what your children are learning in school by having them
teach you newly learned skills when they get home.
8. Review your children’s textbooks so that you know what they’re
learning in school. Then plan family activities that relate to what they’re
studying. For example, if they are studying the civil war in social studies,
take them to a museum that has an exhibit on that topic.
9. Look over assignments after the teacher corrects them. Make sure your
children understand their mistakes.
10. Hang a map of the world on the wall so children can locate the
countries where news events take place.
Learning is a continual process. By doing activities with your children,
you are teaching them the valuable lesson that learning can occur at any
age, in many different ways, and outside of the classroom.