Educational Activities to Keep Children Engaged During Winter Break

In my experience as an educator, keeping children engaged learning during breaks will keep them sharp, and it promotes lifelong learning. This is especially important for children who lack motivation during the school year. Keeping educational activities going throughout winter break can help to increase motivation and help to keep them on track for when class is back in session. Here we will explore different educational activities that children can do over break to keep learning active and fun.

Mock Finances

Even younger children are able to do this and benefit from it. If you have a few old checkbooks lying around, these will work, if not, you can often buy fake ones at an educational store for the purpose of mock financial activities. You can choose to have your children follow along with your real finances or set up theoretical situations for them. For younger children, you can give them a few items, have them add up the total and write a check for the total amount.

Writing Short Stories

Children are naturally creative so this activity falls within their range of natural ability. Their story can be a paragraph or a few pages. Their age will determine how in-depth it is. For example, an eight-year old is likely going to write a shorter story than a teenager. Just ask your child to write a short creative story. It can be on any topic of their choice. For very young children, let them write a letter to Santa.

Create a Book List

Have your children read for pleasure. Make sure to allow them to choose the books that they want to read. When a child gets to choose the book, he or she is more likely to enjoy reading and finish the book. Most winter breaks are about two weeks long, so depending on how long the books are and your child's reading level, choose one or more books for your child to get through. Once a book is complete, sit down and discuss the book with him or her, to encourage comprehension.

Let Them Teach Each Other

Spend an hour letting each child present a lesson. The lesson can be of the child's choice. Encourage the child to pick a subject that he or she is strong in. For example, if you have a child strong in math, encourage that child to present a fun math lesson. Teaching often reinforces information for the teacher and the child learning from another child will be learning from a peer perspective.

Build a Volcano

These are really neat and incorporate both science and art. Help your children construct a volcano keeping art in mind. When it is time to allow it to erupt, be sure to explain why mixing baking soda and vinegar causes an eruption. This is always a fun activity for children of all ages and most children will be able to understand the science behind the eruption.

Resources

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Tips for Keeping Up on Math Skills Over Winter Break