If you are anything like me, you are super busy and robotically go through most days just trying to make it to bed time. I’m in a season of life with one child in preschool and one in elementary school. Fortunately, I am blessed to work from home which gives me flexibility and I am able to set my own schedule…but still. It seems like I am always going, going, going and have very little down time.
It is so much easier to do things on my own. Quicker, easier and much more efficient. And I am all about being efficient. I’m the type of person who plans errands and appointments to make the most of my time. In contrast, my husband is haphazard, with no plan, and oftentimes will take one or both kids on errands with him. This contrast got me thinking one day and it really opened my eyes to the value of being a little more loosey-goosey.
I have lots of friends who homeschool their kids (God bless them!) and I noticed on social media, how homeschool parents use every little task to teach lessons. School happens everywhere; not just in books. Not just in a classroom. School happens from the time a child wakes up, until they go to bed at night.
Kids grow and thrive when they spend time with parents in everyday situations like going to the store, planting a garden or doing projects around the house. Sure, it is easier to do it alone but that’s kind of selfish. Doing it alone robs your child of the opportunity to build foundational skills, learn valuable lessons and grow into confident and responsible adults.
Now that I look at things as educational opportunities, I will take one child (not both!) with me to the store or invite a child (not both!) to help me in the kitchen. I am more open to including them in these activities rather than just trying to check an item off of my to-do list.
Here are 7 common activities that can be educational if you slow down and take the time to share them with your children.
grocery store
For years, I would always try to leave my kids with a family member when I had to go to the grocery store. It makes it a lot easier and much faster. But over the past couple of years, when I don’t use grocery delivery, I normally take one of the kids with me. When I do, I like to try to make it fun.
Age 3-5: Practice counting and colors. This works especially well in the produce section with the bright colors and different shapes. Eye spy is a great game to play as you fill your basket with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Age 6-8: Reading and identification. As your children get older and learn how to read, having them read the shopping list can be fun for them. Have them read the list and try to find items on the shelves.
Age 9-11: Portions and price comparison. As your child’s skills continue to increase, they can do more to help you and experience practical application of what they have learned in school. You can ask them how much they think is needed to feed your family. Have them compare prices on various brands of the same item. You can discuss your grocery budget and how you have X amount of money to buy groceries for your family.
nature walk
Going on a simple walk with your kids can open up the potential to discuss any number of things relating to plants/trees/flowers/animals.
Identification of plants: I’ll be honest, my husband is much better at this than I am with his horticulture degree. In fact, he’s taught the kids so much that many times they have to tell me what something is.
That being said, going for a walk is a great opportunity to teach your kids about the plants that you see and whether or not they are poisonous. If you have enough knowledge you can even teach them what plants and flowers are safe to eat.
Identify insects and birds: Take binoculars or a magnifying glass so your kids can get a closer look at birds and insects. This gives them the opportunity to count the legs of insects and inspect them more closely. And if you have never watched birds, you are missing out. They are very entertaining.
Talk about animals natural habitats: Going for a nature walk is the perfect time to observe and talk about animals in their natural habitats. Last spring we had several bunnies who ate breakfast in our backyard every day. We have lots of frogs who show up in spring to live in our small koi pond. We even had a turtle who showed up in our yard and hung out for a few days before moving on. Seeing these animals naturally sparks educational conversations between you and your children.
local farm
An area farm can be a great place to visit so your kids can get up close and personal with the animals. They may be able to pet them, feed them and even hold them.
Hands-on experience: We have a local animal rescue in our neighborhood just a short walk from our house. They have pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, roosters as well as cats and dogs. In the fall, after Halloween, we collected pumpkins and delivered them to the farm. The kids had so much fun feeding the animals and watching the pigs eat. They get to hold the chickens and run in terror from the roosters. It is an entertaining experience for all involved.
Talk about items from the farm that are in your home: The farm gave us a very relevant way to explain to the kids how we eat animals and things that come from animals. Even though the pigs there are not eating pigs, we were able to explain that pork comes from pigs so the pork tenderloin and bacon we eat was first a pig that walked around. They got to collect eggs and learned that chickens lay the eggs that we eat. We talk about how goats and cows can give us milk and sheep provide wool.
cooking
While cooking is cleaner, quicker and less frustrating when you do it yourself, inviting the kids to help can be a great learning tool. And it really can be fun…once in a while. Lol.
Boost math skills: The counting, measuring and occasional weighing involved in cooking offers a fun way for your child to boost their math skills. My daughter loves measuring things for me when I am cooking.
Help build self-confidence: When your child makes a dish from start to finish, it makes them feel special. Like they really accomplished something big. When my daughter was 5, she made english muffin pizza for the family for supper. Sure, it was very easy but it was a huge accomplishment for her. Simple things can go a long way in helping your little ones feel more confident. And who knows, they may discover a passion and use it later in life.
gardening
Gardening with your kids is a wonderful way to combine the benefits of nature with a fun learning experience. Gardening teaches children about responsibility, nutrition, and healthy eating.
Physical Activity: When I was a kid, we had no problem getting in activity. Kids these days live much more sedentary lives focused more on technology and less on real life. Inviting your child to help you plant and tend to flowers and veggies helps keep them active daily.
Knowledge of fruits and veggies: In recent years we have planted apple trees, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. The kids have spent time watering the plants, putting compost around them and I even caught my youngest talking to them. Even though they may not eat them (ugh), they have seen things grow from seeds to plants and have learned about various types of fruits and veggies just from playing in our yard.
Life Skills: Gardening provides some wonderful lessons like patience, responsibility and delayed gratification. Kids learn that flowers and food come from seeds. That you have to water the plant bed and care for it. And that it takes time for plants to grow. They sometimes learn the hard way what not watering and nurturing the plant can do. And I mentioned the apple trees we planted, yeah, well, it’s been over 2 years and we are still waiting for them to bear fruit. Talk about patience!
home projects
There are so many life-long benefits of working together as a family. Doing projects together helps kids learn how to do things themselves. Your child will likely carry special memories into adulthood of when they were small and helped mama or daddy do things around the house.
Practical skills: My son, who is 5, loves to follow his daddy around the house and yard when he is working on home projects. He got his own set of “real tools” when he was 4. Just last week he helped his dad replace one of the stairs for our shed. This week, he has been assisting his dad with a roofing project. (It’s a shelter for my son’s ride-on tractor, not the roof of the house…)
Help build self-confidence: Just like cooking helps build self-confidence, so does helping around the house. My son was so proud when he completed the stair project last week. He felt like a big man. And of course, we pump him up and tell him what an awesome helper he is.
board games
Playing board games, card games, stacking games etc. are fun ways to help your kids learn about things like strategy, counting and even money.
Strategy: Jinga is a great game for strategy. Kids have to learn what pieces can be taken out and what pieces must stay to keep the foundation stable. They learn to take their time and think their next move through rather than just making a choice willy-nilly. Of course, some of that comes with age. When my daughter tried to play at age 5, there was little strategy involved. At 8, she takes her time.
Counting: Candyland is a family favorite. My son picked up on counting earlier than his sister and I believe part of that came from board games that require counting. He enjoys counting squares as he moves his little man around the board.
Money: Monopoly is a great game to teach kids about money. They learn that things have a dollar value. That you actually have to pay for things that you want to purchase. It’s a segue into teaching kids about buying property and having to pay a mortgage is you don’t have enough cash on hand.
All of these fun activities translate into practical life skills for your children. Whether it be colors and counting at the grocery store, learning about plants and animals on a walk or at a farm, learning how to cook and prepare food, learning the patience and delayed gratification that come from growing food or learning the practical life skills that come from helping out around the house. There are lessons to be learned all day every day. On the most hectic of days running errands and on the most relaxing days simply hanging out at home playing board games.
