While schools are to provide resources to keep kids on track with the curriculum, you can make use of the time at home with your child by incorporating other activities that enrich their learning. If you’re looking for ideas for educational activities, then here are some top suggestions.

Reading

Reading books together is a great way to keep your child’s mind occupied and learning new things. When reading to a younger child, you can make it an interactive experience by discussing the pictures or talking about the feelings and motivations of the characters. If you have an older child, you can set aside parts of the day for quiet reading time and sit together to discuss their book afterward.

Cooking

Chances are that you have been doing a lot more home cooking lately, so why not get your child involved? Cooking helps children improve their reading comprehension and learn how to follow instructions. Baking is a particularly great way to incorporate some math and science when measuring out ingredients and discussing the chemical changes that occur to create their favourite baked goodies.

Indoor Gardening

Indoor gardening will encourage your child to learn a bit more about the natural world while staying safely indoors. All you need is a container, seeds, a growing medium, and a sunny window ledge or a grow light. Have your child take care of their own plant and watch as it pokes out of the soil and grows from a seedling.

Recyclable Craft Projects

Teach your child about the importance of reusing and recycling by having them make some crafts out of recyclable materials you find around the home. This can include items like empty toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and cereal boxes, or leftover packaging like bubble wrap. Provide them with some extra crafting materials like glue, paint, and paper, and encourage them to create something new.

Virtual Museum Tours

Many of the world’s top museums provide immersive online tours that you can take right from your home. Your child can explore the beautiful paintings and rare artifacts to their heart’s content, clicking on whatever they are interested in to learn more. Some of the top virtual museum tours available online include the Louvre, the Met, the Vatican Museums, and the National Museum of Natural History.

Educational Online Games

Trying to limit screen time while your child is at home is a good idea, but there are also many resources online that present learning in a fun way. You can find math games, puzzles, quizzes, and more for them to try. Scholastic Canada and CBC Kids both offer a variety of educational games and activities for children of all ages.

Card Games

Another way to turn learning into a game is to play some card games with your child. Cards can help younger kids learn their numbers and older kids practice basic math. Some easy-to-learn games you can enjoy as a family include Crazy Eights, War, and Go Fish!

When thinking of activities to do with your child, just remember that you don’t have to try replacing their teacher. The goal is to keep them entertained, engaged, and learning in a way that you can both enjoy.