Making Learning Fun!

I know it seems that I put the word "fun" in almost everything. We really do have a lot of fun homeschooling. I feel that education should be a positive and exciting experience and "fun" should be apart of the process as much as possible.

My older children have several friends and family who are homeschooled and sometimes, as in any educational process, "life" can get a little boring or stale. My homeschooling friends, family members and I decided it was time to shake things up a bit and throw a homeschooling study party. My girls invited other homeschooling teens to the party and had a great time. The rule was, complete an assignment then take a "play break". Our version of that "play break" was Just Dance on the Wii. Believe it or not, they actually got a lot of school work competed and had a blast doing it. Don't be afraid to break out the goodies and have a great time with your teens.

 

 

Our littles like hands on learning and this makes everything we do a learning experience, including going to the park. We played but we also learned about light and shadows, up and down, high and low, left and right, on top and below, between and next to, far and near, and cooperation. We got a lot of exercise in the process and really had a great time. Some of the pictures below are also of a really fun birthday party for a cousin where they learned about the laws of physics while hitting a piñata. ;)

 

Sometimes my kids get a little bored when we aren't officially schooling and ask for schoolwork. I think this is great! It means they are enjoying the things we are doing while "schooling". Remember that closet full of craft and art supplies? There are lots of fun activities you can do with all those supplies. My little ones love to play with and sort the beads.

 

Sorting is a fun activity for kids. You can teach them colors, shapes and patterns through the sorting process. We like to use ice cube trays and plastic shot glasses found at the dollar store.

 

Make learning a fun and memorable experience for your children. Just because homeschool has the word "school" in it's title doesn't mean children have to sit down and be quiet while they listen to an adult lecture. Don't put learning in a restrictive box. Most children don't learn well in that environment and do better in an environment that allows them to explore and experience learning their way.

 

Happy homeschooling!