Clever ideas to help make learning fun!!!

Me? In a nutshell…..I’m a mother to two, step mother to two, wife to one and a general life-loving, glass-is-half-full kind of gal. I’m currently on maternity leave from Primary School Teaching, I am a self-confessed online shopaholic & caffeine addict. I take way too many photos of my kids and dip my hand into way too many projects all at once. I like to bite off more than I can chew. I run a small business from home; Scissors Paper Rock Designs; { http://www.scissorspaperrockdesigns.com.au/ } where I design & sell typography wall prints. In all of my spare time {haaa} I like to write, read, write some more and drink more coffee 🙂 Although born in Zimbabwe, Africa; I grew up in Australia and truly love the blessings that come with living in such a fair & beautiful country. As I near my 30th birthday, I’m becoming a lot more grateful of the life I’ve lived & the plans I have for the future with my family. 

My blog {Scissors Paper Rock} is basically a journal of my life, with a few garnishes thrown in. I blog mainly about my life as a Mumma to young kids, and the ups & downs that brings. I blog about beautiful things, meaningful things & mundane things….whatever tickles my fancy that day or is brewing in mind; usually makes it onto the blog. I aim to keep my blog a positive, inspiring place for readers to visit and I am forever thankful for the friendships & connections blogging has brought me. I share quite openly & honestly and wear my heart on my sleeve. Writing is my creative outlet late at night when the house is quiet. I want my blog to be a keepsake for my children so they can reflect back on their childhood memories one day & see their world through my eyes. 

And here is what I am talking about!!!  Claire’s very smart ideas for making everyday moments fun learning opportunities!

Here’s a few ideas how you can ‘teach’ your kids….

• Read to them from a VERY young age…..even from birth. Getting into a routine of books before bed is fun, soothing & educational. Get them interested in pictures, words & characters.
• Take a trip to the library ever few weeks. Most local libraries offer Baby Story Time or Rhythm Time. Our local library also offers activities for toddlers & school aged children in the holidays. Just by surrounding your child with books from an early age can have a positive outcome towards their learning attitudes.
• Count! Count toes & fingers, or sultanas or plastic dinosaurs. Count peas at dinner time or how many steps you walk up. Just COUNT 🙂 During play, simply find the opportunity to count. As they get older, start counting further & talking about ‘taking some away’ or ‘adding more on’.
• Study numbers. This can be done during everyday activities. For example, when we’re out driving, I ask my 4yr old to find the speed signs. When she sees one, she has to tell me what number it was. Over time, we have talked about the numbers & what they mean. Number study can be done at home or when out shopping. Simply going on ‘number hunts’ can be fun and embed in them a very basic understanding of simple numbers & their pace value.Walk up your street and get your child to read out the letterbox numbers.

• Get them involved with cooking & baking! Cooking can be a great chance to ‘teach’ your children without it being stressful or too focussed. Measuring, weighing & counting are big parts in cooking, as is reading recipes & following instructions. Not only is fun, but educational too.
• Do some art & craft. I know some people cringe at the idea of crafting with their kids….and that’s ok. But some simple activities can really support & develop your child’s fine motor skills. Plus it’s allowing them be creative. AND…they feel success when they see a finished product of something THEY’VE made! If you’re not a fan of painting or working with clay, simply do some cutting & gluing & drawing activities. When Ella was about 2 yrs old, she LOVED when I drew an outline of her name or a number or a shape on some card. She would then smother it with glue & decorate it with sequins, rice, pasta shells, paper etc. Little things like that can ‘teach’ them, trust me.
• Weave their interests into learning opportunities. Sometimes, mothers of boys say they have difficulty teaching their sons, because their child lacks interest in learning…..If your son LOVES dinosaurs or cars or Lego…then find a way to use this. Sort the toy cars into colour categories. Set them a challenge to build something with Lego using only a certain amount of pieces. Hide the dinosaurs around the house, tell them how many there are, and let them go hunt. Be creative & you can sneakily be ‘teaching’ them skills without them knowing 🙂
• Write their name on card & get them to trace it, or stick string along the lines, or copy it onto other paper, or cut it out etc. Cut up magazines or catalogues – hunt for certain letters or sounds or pictures.
• Play a board game. Introduce them to the concept on dice & counters, and taking turns.

• Do puzzles together. Start with the basic wooden ones where they place the shapes into the moulds, then slowly move up to jigsaw puzzles. You can even make your own jigsaw puzzle by cutting a photo of them into pieces for them to put back together.
• Playdough is great for fine motor skills. AS it allows them to squeeze & cut & roll. They can make shapes & letters & let their imaginations go wild. Get my easy playdough recipe from here.
• Invest in some educational books, toys & technologies. Most people these days have a computer in their home or a Smart Phone or iPad. With supervision, let your children use them! There are so many great apps & websites out there that truly do educate & develop your child’s skills & knowledge.
• When out shopping explain to them amounts & change, and the concept of money. As they get older, get them to pay for something using some coins. Let them experience the fun side of shopping. 
• Take a ‘learning activity’ to a different location. Throw a picnic rug down in your backyard, and sit with your kid/s. Enjoy some books, puzzles or games that you’d normally do inside, have some yummy snacks to enjoy too. Sometimes a change of scenery can inspire them, or maintain their concentration for longer.

• Talk about position words. Words like under, over, next to, right side etc. Get your child to demonstrate these positions, or draw objects to represent each meaning.
• TALK TALK TALK! I truly think the best way to expand your child’s knowledge & vocabulary is to talk to them. Explain things clearly. Tell them why and how and where. Explain the ‘who’s’ in their life and the reasons for certain things. Answer their questions and encourage lots of conversation.
• Go on a shape hunt. Draw some shapes on a piece of paper and go hunting around the house or garden for objects that are the same shapes. Keep a list or get your child to draw them.
• Make a photo story. Let your child use your camera {or invest in a kid’s digital camera…I saw some at Big W for $30}. Allow them to take photos of their surroundings. Seeing things through a lens can really give them a different perspective or view on things. Something I really want to do with my 4yr old soon, is create a photographic ABC book. I can’t remember where I first saw this idea, but I think it’s brilliant. We’re going to create a photo album of the Alphabet {with Ella being the photographer} using objects around our home & local community. Stay tuned….I’ll let you know how we go 🙂
• Let their imagination run wild. Make up stories that involve them as the main character and then listen as they tell you one. Join in with their dressup games……role playing is a great way to learn & interact & have some fun with your kids. 
• SING YOUR HEART OUT!!! Sing to your children. Nursery Rhymes are a great way to grab your infant’s attention or soothe them when they’re unsettled, but they’re also fun to sing along with your toddler. As they get older, find some more age appropriate music to suit their likes. At the moment, Ella LOVES listening & watching old Peter Combe songs on YouTube. I sometime buy ‘Barbie’ or ‘Disney’ songs from iTunes for Ella to listen to during her play or quiet time. And in the car, we play a $2 CD of kid’s songs 🙂 Singing to your kids….believe it or not….is another way to ‘teach’ them!