It has been so crazy with the recent announcements of schools closing, I know some parents are wondering how they can keep their children entertained at home, but still give them the educational stimulation that they are missing.

It doesn’t have to be worksheets or you sitting down for 45 minutes doing multiplication, there are so many ways to play AND learn! I’m here to give you a few ideas to keep your kiddos (and you) from getting stir crazy at home.

Sensory Bins

These are always a go-to for preschool-1st grade age kids. There are a million ways you can make these fun and educational. All you need is a big plastic bin and the sky is the limit. Pinterest has a million ideas, but here are a few I have come up with.

• Toy Wash: Fill a bin full of soap and water and have your children wash their toys! Okay, this seems like a chore, but believe me your kids will love it! Give them soap and sponges and let them get all of the nasty germs off of their toys, while playing!
• Buried Treasure: Fill a bin with rice, beans, or oatmeal and hide smaller toys within in it. Give your child a spoon, tongs, measuring cups, anything really, and let them search for the buried treasure! For older kids, set a timer and see how many they can get before time runs out. Have them count all the toys they found!
• Puzzle Search: Similar to the last idea, but use puzzle pieces! We have a wooden alphabet puzzle with smaller alphabet pieces that would be perfect for an activity like this. Hide the puzzle pieces in the rice, beans, or oatmeal and have your child dig through to find them and place them in the correct spot in the puzzle. This works on fine motor skills as well as whatever skill your puzzle is intended for.
• Math & Counting: Sensory bins can easily be modified for your older kids as well. Make some homemade number flashcards with a marker and some paper. Fill a bin with toys or different objects. Have your child pick 2 numbers randomly from the flashcards. Have them place the correct number of objects on both number cards and then have them add, subtract, or even multiply the numbers! It’s visual and can be really fun!

Dot Stickers

I used to think dot stickers were just an office supply, but boy was I wrong! There are so many educational things you can do with a package of dot stickers.

• Color Matching: Get a few different pieces of color construction paper to match the colors of dot stickers you have. Tape them to the wall or place them on the ground and have your child match the correct color dot sticker with the paper. So easy, but extremely fun for a toddler who loves stickers!
• Letter Matching: Same thing as above, but write a letter on each piece of paper. This is a great activity to help your child start to recognize the letters in their own name! Write those same letters on the dot stickers and have your child match them.
• Toilet Paper Roll Letters: Take an empty toilet paper roll and use a black marker to write a bunch of different letters all around it. Write those same letters on some dot stickers and let your child stick the dots over the correct matching letter. Letter recognition is a skill any preschooler and kindergartner can practice over and over and there are so many fun ways you can do it!
• Counting: Get some paper and draw ice cream cones with numbers written on them. Have your child “make ice cream” with the dot stickers and place the correct amount of stickers on each ice cream cone.

Reading

Reading is a fairly simple activity to do with your child, but after a few days of story time, it might start to get a little mundane. Don’t worry, there is a fun and easy way to spice it up! Talk to your child about what it means to “predict”. Start with a story your child knows well. Start reading it and stop randomly. Ask your child what they think is going to happen next. Once they tell you what they think, start reading again and see if they were right!

Another skill that readers need to learn is sequence of events. Again, take a story that your child knows well. Have them act out the story to you, portraying each event in the correct order that they happen in the book. This can be so much fun! It can be simple or you can go all out and make props and costumes!

Movement/Music

I’ll always be an advocate for movement and music in education. Here are a few ideas to get your kids’ creativity flowing.

• Make up a dance or moves to show different types of weather.
• Dance your feelings. Talk to your child about different feelings they can have and come up with movements to portray those feelings.
• Start a band with everyday items. Make your instruments out of random things around the house.
• Have a silent dance party. Instead of playing music out loud, play it through headphones and let your kids dance their hearts out. Preferably before nap time.

Bake & Cook Together

This might seem daunting, especially with toddlers, but it’s so worth it! Let your kids help you bake and cook! Let them pour and measure even if it might make a mess. The time spent together and the skills it helps them develop are worth the few extra paper towels used.

Nature Walks

This one is really important! You and your kids both need fresh air! Even if it’s just a short trip to the front yard. Go outside. Sit outside and play “I spy” for 5 minutes. Give your kids a challenge to find something green or yellow. Make it fun and get that fresh air. Believe me, it will make your life a lot easier.

I hope these at-home learning ideas help you out the next few weeks! If you have any other ideas please share them on our social medias for other parents to see! Stay healthy and safe everyone. We will get through this together <3

-Courtney