Strategies and Activities for Enhancing Your Child’s Learning From Home

Josh Moore

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Even with most schools open across the country now, the pandemic has shown many parents the value of educating their kids from home. Perhaps the most impactful way to help your child succeed in their academics and prepare for adulthood is to supplement their school education with at-home activities. 

The specific activities and strategies that will best serve your child will depend on their unique abilities and challenges. But here are some practical ideas from NightBuddies to help you get started on your supplemental education journey!

Learn About Education 

What better way to learn how to teach your child from home than to pursue a degree in education? Before you start thinking about how impractical an idea it is, consider the fact that there are accredited online colleges that allow you to study at your own pace. 

By taking a flexible course schedule as you pursue an education degree, you can keep up with all of your other responsibilities with family, work, and other areas. Honing your knowledge and skills can ultimately help your child take their academic pursuits to the next level!

Teach Through Meal Preparation

If you have never meal prepped, know that it could transform your family’s routine for the better! It also happens to be an excellent activity for teaching your child life skills and math skills. 

Look for some new, delicious recipes online and determine what ingredients you need to get from the store. Then, have your child help you prepare meals for your family for the next few days. There will be a lot of counting, estimating, measuring, and organizing, and your child will exercise their critical thinking skills.

Institute a Daily Storytime

Make sure you are reading for at least a few minutes each day with your child. Helping them build their literacy and comprehension skills is essential to their success throughout school. 

Along with reading books for fun, look for opportunities to develop your child’s vocabulary by defining and explaining words that you think they might not know. Whether you do storytime in the morning, afternoon, or evening, try to be consistent.

Make a Writing Center

As with reading, writing is a critical element of any child’s academic success. Consider carving out a space for your child to write out their thoughts and feelings each day (or at least once a week). 

Ensure their writing space has all of the supplies they need, such as blank paper, pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. To make it a little more fun, include different colors of paper for your kids to write on.

Arrange Some Backyard Fun     

Spending time in nature is critical for kids, and it seems like children are getting less and less outdoor time than ever before. Consider any improvements you can make to your backyard so it’s safe for your child to play and explore nature. 

Set up simple games like hopscotch, kickball, badminton, or even a miniature obstacle course. And if you want to make the most of your outdoor time, you could even set up a backyard camping experience where you stargaze, roast marshmallows, sing songs, and tell stories until your child is off to sleep!

Set Up Some Art Projects

Finally, arts and crafts tend to unleash a child’s imagination. And suitable art projects can also help your child hone their fine motor skills. 

Set out some glue sticks, scissors, hole punches, construction paper, paint, and other art supplies in your child’s writing space, and find some fun drawings and other projects online that you can do with your child. Even one art session per week can make a big difference in helping your child think creatively and get the most out of their academic pursuits. 

As a parent, you can significantly impact your child’s education by incorporating strategies and activities at home. Depending on your child’s specific needs and preferences, some activities will work better than others. The ideas above are a great place to start, but keep looking for other ways that you can enrich your child’s learning when they are not in school!

Improve your bedtime routine and child’s sleep with night light toys from NightBuddies!