When it comes to effective teaching techniques, it’s important to know that kids love learning and having fun at the same time. The more fun an activity it is, the more they will be excited to play it and they will be learning without even knowing it.
While there are several ways to learn, these 8 games will help children learn while having fun and most of these DIY games use toys or supplies you probably already have. A child’s brain soaks up information like a sponge so it’s important to start them young and make learning fun!
1) Teach by playing Connect Four with words.
Many of us have played Connect Four when we were kids but the game has stood the test of time and is also popular with today’s generation of kids. Turn this popular game into a learning game and help kids learn word families, sight words, and word associations.
All you need is a Connect Four game and some stickers with sight words written on them and you are ready to go! Here are instructions for setting up and playing sight words Connect Four.
2) Teach how to tell time using plastic Easter eggs.
Around Easter, many of us hide treats in plastic Easter eggs but they can also be used to create this ingenious time matching game. Learning to tell time is something all kids learn and the more fun they have learning, the quicker they will grasp the concept of digital and analog time.
In this game, you write down the digital time on one half of the egg and you draw a matching analog clock on the other half. To increase the difficulty, you can mix colors and it makes an effective learning tool. Here are the instructions for creating this time matching game at home.
3) Teach sentence structuring with Duplo or LEGO blocks.
It’s no secret that kids love building things with LEGO or Duplo blocks so let them build sentences! This is a great way to learn vocabulary, spelling, word associations, and so many more.
The possibilities are endless and using small blocks is great for individuals letters if your child is learning the alphabet for the first time. Because there are so many colors, different colors can can also be assigned to vowels or verbs.
4) Teach sight words with a “Whack-a-Word” game.
Generally, index cards are used to learn about sight words but why not make it fun by turning it into a whack-a-mole game. Instead of moles, kids get to whack sight words that you read out to your child.
The best part about this is that you can gauge your child’s performance and you can read out words at a comfortable speed to optimize learning. Here are some tips and tricks for using this Whack-a-Word game.
5) Teach life lessons with the iPhone game, Dots.
Sometimes video games get a bad rap because of some games that feature violence but most video games are a great way to stimulate our senses. They can increase hand-eye coordination, improve visual acuity, and they are a great way to give our brain a workout.
Dots by Playdots is one such game and it is addictive in a good way because it lets kids improve their problem solving skills while having fun. In fact, here are 10 life lessons you can learn while playing Dots.
6) Teach about liquid and solid matter by making “Oobleck”.
Science was always my favorite subject and kids love science experiments because they get their hands dirty and learn valuable information. In this experiment, kids learn why some liquids turn into solids and vice versa.
Making “Oobleck” is easy and all you need is a cup of cornstarch and half a cup of water. Learn the science behind Oobleck and get instructions on how to get your kids involved in this science experiment.
7) Teach math with LEGO blocks
Teaching fractions has never been easier and using LEGO provides a visual way to represent fractions.
Children can use the “studs” on each block to help count. In this example, 6 + 2 = 8.
Use LEGO to help teach fractions by using physical objects.
Use them to teach about creating a wide range arrays and help teach multiplication.
This technique was presented by Alycia Zimmerman and learn how LEGO is not just for playtime but a great learning tool for building math concepts.
8) Teach the alphabet and increase motor skills.
If your child is just learning the alphabet, this game is great to learn about uppercase and lower case letters. All you need is 25 ball pit balls and 4 paper towel rolls to create this ABC ice cream cone motor game.
Children build a pretend ice cream cone and the motor skills come into effect when they have to balance the ice cream cone as they deliver it to you. It is great balancing practice and kids are learning while having fun. Here is how to build an ABC ice cream cone motor game for your children.
Some of these games are so much fun, parents will probably have as much fun as their children. Please share these 8 incredible DIY games to make learning fun with your friends and family.
