Learning with kids can be fun! To be learning your kids don’t always need to be sitting in a classroom. You can give them hands-on fun to help the learning really stick!  Here are 5 Creative Ideas for Learning With Kids at Home.

1. Sticky Window Art

The lesson learned in this activity is a science lesson. The creative sticky decoration will reflect and bend light as the sun hits the window.

Supplies:

• clear contact paper
• scissors
• tape
• whatever you like to use for decorating, from sticks to pieces of construction paper, to string

Directions:

1. Peel the contact paper away from its backing and lay it sticky side up on the table.
2. Decorate it however you like.
3. Stick it to the window and use tape if necessary.
4. Talk about how the sunlight acts when it hits the contact paper and when it hits the decorations. Does it change? Does it stop? Does it come through a different color?

2. Brownie Fractions

Fractions are everywhere at home, and the opportunities to learn them are right in the kitchen!

Supplies:

• any basic brownie recipe (and the ingredients and supplies that go with making that recipe)

Directions:

1. Make the recipe.
2. After the brownies cool, talk about how they are being cut into thirds, or halves, or quarters, etc.
3. As your child progresses in math skills, start doubling or cutting the recipe to practice adding and subtracting fractions.
4. You can also talk about fractions when you measure out ingredients by cup, half cup etc.

3. Flower Pot Alphabet

This is a great activity to get kids excited for literacy!

Supplies:

• a number of different sized clay pots
• dry black beans
• craft sticks
• flower stickers
• a black marker

Directions:

1. Let the kids help you fill the pots with the beans.
2. Place the flower stickers on one end of each craft stick, then write a letter on the bottom of the sticks.
3. The letters go in the pots; the flowers stick out of the top.
4. Help children discover letters as they learn to identify each one.

4. Water Balloon Colors and Counting

Kids love playing with water. A great way to encourage younger children to talk about colors and numbers is by playing with big water balloons. For younger children, encourage them to name the colors of the water balloons as they are filling them up or throwing them. Have children separate the balloons by color and count how many they have of each. For older children you can have them do addition or subtraction for each balloon you fill or each one that pops.

5. Musical Sidewalk

Have you ever noticed that the squares of a sidewalk look like a musical measure?

Grab the sidewalk chalk and head outside to help the kids learn music basics.

Activities:

1. Draw whole notes, half notes, quarter notes and rests on each square of the sidewalk, using each square as a measure.
2. March, jump and hop with the kids as they move from note to note.
3. Teach them to count to four on the whole notes, two on the half notes and one on the quarter notes, and jump or move on each beat.

Teaching a child at home allows you to think outside the box.  Children in school are often expected to sit down quietly to do their lessons.  At home you can create a more a fun experience for many of your learning activities! There are a ton of great ways to teach your children while playing games at home!

Author Bio:

Kandace Heller is a freelance writer in Orlando, Florida. She studied communications at the University of Florida and loves to read and write.
Photo credit: http://musicforlittlelearners.wordpress.com