Morin - The everything kids learning activities book : 145 entertaining activities and learning games for kids

THE

Learning
Activities
Book

145 Entertaining Activities and Learning Games for Kids

Amanda Morin

Avon, Massachusetts

In memory of my grandmother Ethel Cohen
Raskin, who always told me I had a book in me.

1. Pencils: A sharpened pencil with a good eraser is a must-have for most activities. Try to keep small golf pencils on hand for younger children, as they are easier to grasp.
2. Index cards: Index cards can be used for many different things, from making flipbooks to making flash cards. Be sure to buy them in white, lined, and multicolored.
3. Markers: Permanent markers are useful for making your projects last longer and in labeling all types of materials, while a package of multicolored felt-tip markers can help in personalizing and decorating your childs work.
4. Scissors: Have a pair of adult scissors on hand to cut through cardboard and other sturdier-than-normal materials, but also keep a few pairs of inexpensive safety scissors around for your beginning learner.
5. Heavyweight paper: Card stock, poster board, construction paper, or watercolor paper are more durable for making posters, game boards, and other learning materials.
6. Paper clips and brass fasteners: These everyday office supplies can be used in a number of noneveryday ways to help teach everything from literacy to electricity.
7. Glue: You can use white school glue for most activities, but other options, like hot glue or craft glue, will sometimes work just as well or better. Choose what is safest for your child.
8. String: String is a very versatile material, although twine, yarn, embroidery floss, and craft thread can all be used interchangeably in these learning activities.
9. Duct tape: Duct tape not only fixes everything, but it can also help to create and hold together many things, too. Please note: If you wish to be able to remove tape from an object or project, cello tape or masking tape are better choices.
10. Plastic cups and sandwich bags: Keep zip-top sandwich bags on hand, not only as materials for activities, but also to store finished projects. Plastic cups or other small containers come in handy for science experiments and math activities.

The Everything Kids Learning Activities Book is a complete guide for keeping kids entertained with fun things to do that also promotes important learning concepts in the key areas of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. The games and activities in this book help you and your child practice storytelling skills, creative writing, money sense, backyard science, and eco-friendly play, as well as teaching your child about earth and outer space, diversity, and more. The activities are geared for a wide age range (five to twelve), and within each section, activities for older children build on skill sets learned in the activities for younger children. This guide is all you need to get kids up and learning.

Theres almost nothing more frustrating than sitting down to do an activity with your child only to discover that the directions are hard to follow, the project is mostly adult-led, or that you dont have all the materials you need to complete the activity. Learning activities shouldnt be a burden or cost a fortune, nor should they be so tedious that your child loses interest.

With that in mind, the activities in The Everything Kids Learning Activities Book are a mix of games and projects that aim to use materials you already have around the house, and activities that dont require any materials at all. Whether they require materials or not, the activities are designed to encourage children to be active learners, using their brains and bodies as tools for learning.

Though each sections activities build upon the skills of previous activities, there is no right order in which to do the activities. While in school, math, reading, writing, science, and social studies can be divided into separate subjects, in your childs daily life all of these subjects co-mingle. In fact, it makes perfect sense to combine Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt activities from .

Secondly, The Everything Kids Learning Activities Book aims to help your child become a more active learner, not make you a better teacher. By letting your child get involved with the preparation and execution of each activity, youre helping him discover he can learn through doing, not just by listening or watching. It may be hard to step back and watch him do things differently than you might, but even your childs mistakes and messes offer learning opportunities. If nothing else, hell learn how to ask for your help in fixing mistakes, and learn that when he makes a mess, hes responsible for cleaning it up!

Lastly, know that this book is only a starting point to engage your childs interest. Each game and activity can open a discussion, lead you on a hunt to find more information, and give you the opportunity to share learning with your child in ways that are new and fun to both of you.

Children learn best when theyre motivated to make sense of the world around them. They learn on their own terms, at their own pace, and they learn best when theyre trying to make meaning of the world. Although that may sound as though parents, teachers, and caregivers dont have any role when it comes to childrens learning, thats far from true. By providing children with stimulating activities full of learning opportunities and taking advantage of teachable moments, parents and caregivers can create an environment in which children learn new skills without even really trying.

When a child begins to read, it can seem as though it happened overnight. One day hes trying to sound out the words of his favorite book and the next day hes reading fluently. It may seem that simple, but its not. Learning to read is a process that begins from the moment your child starts listening to language.

Though not all children learn the same way, there are some essential skills that contribute to your child becoming a fluent reader. That is, one who can easily read the words on the page as well as make sense of their deeper meaning.

Early reading skills, or prereading skills, as they are sometimes known, dont really look like reading at all. The simple abilities to rhyme words, to understand that you start reading a book at the front cover, or even being able to recognize the logo of a familiar store are the skills that create a reader.