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

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

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

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.

Play dress-up. Few things delight a child more than seeing grown-ups wearing a ridiculous variety of wigs, masks and accessories, so join in on the fun!

Use cushions and other household objects to create an obstacle course with things that kids can go over, under, through and around. Time them and see if they can beat their own times!

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!

This probably depends on the kid, but when my kids were little I would give them a task/goal such as "we can go to the park as soon as your shoes are on and I finish one quick chore" and then walk away to do my own chore somewhere close by, like emptying the dishwasher. I found that they would figure out how to do things for themselves when I wasn't standing over them and tempted to help or looking at the clock. Be sure to do this a looong time before you have to be out the door.

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.

An OT told me this one: use small writing utensils such as golf pencils and broken crayons. This helps prevent children from grabbing the utensil with a fist and encourages the correct pencil grasp.

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).

For very little, I have them sort laundry into piles for who it belongs to. The next ones are folding washcloths and carrying things to/from the dinner table. Watering plants is also good for little ones.

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.

Putting away groceries is one chore that my teen and tween don't mind, because they like to check out the grocery haul when I bring it home.

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle pees from its mouth.

The average sneeze can travel at a speed of up to 100 miles per hour.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

The human eye is made up of about two million working parts.

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.

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

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.

We have taken first day of school and last day of school pics on the front step with each kid holding their own sign. It's the same every year. My high schooler isn't too thrilled with the idea of doing it this year but will have to suffer through it. I plan to make them each a printed photo book of each year's pics when they graduate high school as a keepsake.

Frogs eat their skin after they shed it.

A group of pandas is called an embarrassment.

Axolotls are an incredible species of salamander that can regrow their limbs, spines, even their hearts and other organs!

The world's deadliest animal is the mosquito.

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!

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!

Prepare lunches the night before. I have a fruit bowl and baskets with healthy snacks, so the kids can help prepare their lunches, too. If they help with preparation, they're more likely to eat it, too.

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