All children are naturally curious, but that doesn’t mean all children love school or educational activities. In fact, many children struggle to get engaged with academic material and find it difficult to focus on subjects they don’t find interesting. (The same goes for a good number of adults, too!) It’s important to remember that scholastic performance isn’t a definitive measure of intelligence or aptitude.
Rather, a lack of interest in school more likely indicates that kids haven’t been exposed to the kind of learning material they find compelling. Fortunately, there are a myriad of fun and educational activities that parents and kids can enjoy together. Check out these five exciting ideas to get started:
Reading Aloud
In the mind of a child, a story is interesting, but a book is not. Perverse though that may sound, there’s a big difference between forcing a child to sit down and read something, and reading them a story out loud. Plus, would-be-thespian parents can adopt funny voices for literary characters and make the words on the page truly come to life!
Museums
Contrary to popular belief, kids love visiting museums. After all, museums host all sorts of artifacts that kids find compelling like dinosaur fossils, ancient weaponry, life-sized animal models, etc. In addition, many museums have begun to add kid-friendly interactive activities that delight as well as educate.
Going to the Movies
Though it’s probably a good idea for parents to limit their kids’ screen time, there’s currently a surfeit of awesome, educational films on subjects as diverse as World War II and the Amazon rainforest. What’s more, many of these eye-catching films receive theatrical releases and are even more breathtaking on the big screen.
Kid-Friendly Experiments
What could be more fun than building a bottle rocket from scratch or learning how to make invisible ink? Science and math classes may seem dull to young kids, but parents can help their little ones develop an interest in chemistry at a young age by helping them complete simple experiments. You only need a few basic pieces of equipment like a 1536 plate or a set of beakers to conduct most elementary experiments. Just remember to instruct your child on safety procedures and monitor them closely to protect their well-being. Even seemingly innocuous experiments can cause accidents!
Video Games
Though parents of the past probably considered video games to be a gross waste of time, there’s now evidence to suggest that educational games will help boost a child’s cognitive abilities. Bonding over an educational video game is one of the easiest ways to show your child just how delightful learning can be.
