Kids Learning Activities To Try at Home

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~Maya Angelou

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. ~ Dalai Lama

You've always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself. ~Glinda the Good Witch, The Wizard of Oz

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. ~Wayne Gretzky

Sticky note alphabet hunt! If you appreciate sneakily educational activities for toddlers that are also super entertaining, this one's for you. Just take a pad of Post Its and write the alphabet (or numbers), one letter or number per note. Then, hide all of the notes around the room, and send your toddler on a mission to find them. My 3 year old LOVES this game. Best of all, it keeps him busy for a while, it is super to prepare, and helps reinforce letter and number recognition to boot. Win-win-win!

Take a bubble bath.

For an easy, no-prep toddler activity, I don't think it gets any better than blowing bubbles. Chasing and popping these magical floating spheres is the height of fun for little ones! It's an active, easy toddler activity you can do anytime, anywhere.

Save a cardboard box or two from the recycling bin for your toddler to transform into a rocket ship, a playhouse, a sword and shield, a doll's crib...whatever they can imagine! I highly recommend getting cardboard scissors (to be used by an adult!) if you think this might become a regular thing, as they make it SO much easier to cut shapes out of your cardboard.

Doll houses are great for both boys and girls. It teaches them to be gentle as they try to set things up and play without knocking things over.

Pick up things with kitchen tongs. Our kids have so much fun using tongs to pick up socks on the floor, toys, or anything else that needs tidying up!

Placing letters on a letter board. I discovered this one by accident, but I love how it keeps my 4-year-old sitting quietly for long stretches of time while he tries to get the plastic letters to stay in my felt letter board.

Dressing dolls, especially barbies. When my kids were really little this usually involved me sitting and playing/dressing dolls with them and then they gradually learned to do more and more on their own.

Picking weeds outside, watering flowers/plants/herbs and raking leaves is a chore that my kids find fun. (Added bonus if you buy their own gloves/watering can).

My 4- and 7-year-olds are surprisingly good at washing the walls - which is great since they're the ones that make them disgusting! This is a special chore we don't do all the time, and is one I'll often offer as a way for them to earn a little extra cash. I just give them a bowl of soapy water, a microfiber towel, and set a big towel on the floor to catch most of the mess.

I started showing my children by having them wipe the tables and taking the dishes to the sink. They then moved to washing the cups and bowls until they could do them all. Then they moved to taking out the trash until they were cooking and dying it all. My grandchildren started the same way they know how to clean and take out the trash, they know how to do their laundry and clean their designated areas. I'm currently teaching them how to cook and how to do the dishes.

Disinfecting door handles is a good one, especially around cold and flu season. Once they're old enough to safely use disinfecting wipes, kids can walk around the house wiping down door handles and other high-touch spots like drawer pulls, light switches and faucets.

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle pees from its mouth.

Elephants are the only mammal that can't jump.

Most caterpillars have 12 eyes (6 on each side of their tiny head).

The Queen has two birthdays.

First day of school photos on our front steps, and couple more in front of the school too.

My husband and I will usually take the day off work (when we can) so we can be there for drop off and pick up on the first day, which makes it feel extra special for all of us.

Pizza for dinner! (Kids choice actually, it’s just almost always pizza!)

We have our daughter do a quick video of how her first day of school went and what she is most excited about for the year. Also, of course the first day of school sign.

Frogs eat their skin after they shed it.

The horned lizard can shoot blood out of its eyes to defend itself! Check out this crazy video from Nat Geo Wild, https://youtu.be/xodVcgJ8bc0?si=xm1f_9ElTs3DRzFP

A mantis shrimp can throw a punch with the same acceleration of a .22 caliber bullet.

The world's deadliest animal is the mosquito.

My boys pick out their clothes the night before, and always check what the weather will be like to plan for it, as well as if they have gym or not. It makes getting dressed in the morning much easier!

The kids are responsible for getting their backpacks ready before going to bed, and making sure they have all their homework, books, permission slips, etc in there, and that it is zipped up and ready to just grab and go in the morning. We sometimes need to remind them to do this, but as it becomes part of the nighttime routine it gets easier and easier!

I have my son put out his clothes for the next day the night before it makes it quicker in the morning to get ready for school.

My kids also charge up their chromebooks after school/after homework so they are packed up fully charged for the next day.