Learning to play, and playing to learn - 4 ways to teach your kids at home

My kids are very close in age, however they differ tremendously in development. This is not to say that one is necessarily more intelligent than the other, they are just different. By 1.5 years old, my son had full recognition of every letter in the alphabet, and could count to over 100 when he started kindergarten in 2013. My daughter on the other hand still occasionally puts her underwear on sideways (yes, like waist through the leg hole sideways) and is rarely seen with her shoes on the right feet. I often blame “second child syndrome” for this, but when it comes down to it, it’s just the way each of them learn, and the priorities they place on themselves for what’s important to them. My daughter could care less if her shoes are on right; the faster they’re on, the quicker she can get outside and play, where as my son will spend twice the amount of time putting his shoes on, ensuring that his socks are pulled up properly, laces are tight enough – assessing whether a double knot is needed, and making sure that the loops are just perfect before he’ll run outside and play (hello “Type A”!).

This has presented a challenge for me in making sure that play time in our house is both fun, and educationally appropriate for everyone.

Here are 4 fun ways to teach, and play with your kids at home:

Craft Time – The apple didn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to my kids and crafts. The key to ensuring your crafts are providing a rich learning environment for your kids are to look for activities that promote skills like fine motor development – consider cutting and gluing crafts.
Play Time – Lately, it’s been raining a lot. This means we’ve been inside a lot. To mix things up we’ve been learning simple sciences through making beautiful messes all with ingredients we already have at home like walking water, ice cream in a bag, and bottle rockets.
Reading Time – Both my kids love to read, and to be read to. Nightly story time is a treasured time in our house. The biggest kid can read simple books, with his ability growing by the day, and the smallest kid is mostly reading by looking at the pictures and guessing what the words say. To take simple reading up a notch, I’ve made a reading log binder for both kids to track the books that they’ve read. They fill out the reading log, as well as the book report so we can talk about it after.
Screen Time – I try my best to limit the amount of screen time that the kids get, however sometimes it’s a necessary part of life. The key to screen time is to predetermine the appropriate amount, and most importantly, stick to it. Also, ensure your kids are getting quality out of their screen time. Netflix has great educational shows like Super Why! and Sid the Science Kid. If you have an iPad, Tablet, or other electronic devise, try to choose games with a learning or educational component.

What are your favorite ways to foster play based learning with your children?

**Disclosure: This post was sponsored by: BrigthPath Early Learning & Childcare **

BrightPath is an innovative provider of early education. We continuously examine new ways to bring the highest quality of care and development to our children while providing convenience, service and value to our families. With partnerships in curriculum, nutrition, technology and recreational fitness programming, BrightPath is committed to providing families with the very best care, programs and child development Canada has to offer. Above all else, nothing should take precedence over the well-being and safety of our children. BrightPath is dedicated to providing the very best environment for children to play, grow and develop. BrightPath has 53 centres located throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

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