ACTIVITY BASED LEARNING

What exactly is activity based learning and is it something we should do? This is something that I hear parents wonder about. It’s a valid question. We get bombarded with so many pressures when it comes to our children’s education.

I want to focus on the outside of the classroom, what I call “learning outside the classroom”. When I talk about activity based learning or learning outside the classroom, I am not meaning that we simply take what we are doing (reading, math, essay writing) and sitting outside to do it (though that is nice and I actually a fan of that). I am talking about those opportunities we have to learn when doing different activities that are not in the classroom – meaning, life learning, activity based learning. We don’t need a formal setting to learn. It happens all the time in the things we do, in the errands that we run and the games that we play. It doesn’t have to be obvious that “this is a learning opportunity”. Learning outside of the classroom is easy, is natural and is happening all the time. 

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

I am a firm believer in activity based learning and often, covertly, stick several activities into my day for my girls. Of course, they haven’t worked out what I am doing yet – to them, it is all a game or a conversation. They are just four years old, but I want to set them up with rich learning experiences right from the start. This is something that you can easily do. And it doesn’t have to be a conscious preplanned thought or a forced moment. The best learning can happen spontaneously or off the cuff.

ACCELERATE LAERNING

Can these home learning experiences accelerate learning? I believe so. You are providing opportunities to explore, engage in critical thinking, build up skills, and develop the brain in so many wonderful ways. This does lead to accelerated learning. And by that, I mean that learning is moving ahead and beyond the scope of just grade standards. You are engaging your children and teaching them concepts rather than just facts, and it is easy to check to see if your child understands. 

PARENTS AND TEACHERS ARE PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

I firmly believe that parents and teachers are partners in education. Even if you homeschool, you will engage with teachers along the way and more than likely glean from them.

If we grumble and moan about learning or reading, our children will too. If we are enthusiastic and encourage learning, and provide opportunities to engage when at home, then our children will more than likely have a good attitude about school. There is learning that happens within the classroom and without. (I view structured learning with homeschool the same as classroom time.) 

MY LEARNING PLAN

Do you want to know what my learning plan is? So do I! I shouldn’t really say that because I do have a plan. My plan for myself is to learn something new each day. Maybe a new word in German. Or maybe a random but interesting fact. My plan for my girls is that they don’t lose sight of being children and just enjoying what the day has to offer and learn from there. Yes, we do learn our sounds and letters, and we do practice cutting, but it is not forced and usually follows what they are interested in, with my heart to keep it developmentally- or age-appropriate.

LEARNING BASED ACTIVITIES

Here are some of my favorite learning experience examples. They won’t follow any chronological order (so it is a mix of ages and abilities) and they will be ways for your child/ren to learn without any pressure, and hopefully, they find it fun.

Cooking

This incorporates so many subjects. Sometimes people can’t quite wrap their heads around the fact that in cooking you are covering English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Home Economics. You can even throw some social studies in by cooking food from another culture. Bingo! Score! What a great learning experience. How is it English/Language Arts? You are reading and following a recipe. For math, you are perhaps doubling or halving a recipe, but you also have to measure correctly and weigh. With science, you are hypothesizing what is going to happen when you mix something or heat it up, etc. You talk about what you are doing and why. Communication skills are developed, along with some fine motor skills (mixing and cracking eggs for example).

Setting the table

This simple task (if you are not setting the table for royalty) enforces spatial awareness and incorporates math. Do we have enough forks? I had better count. There are patterns and order to how a table is set. It is also about following instructions, which is a component of English/Language Arts. 

Grocery shopping

Some parents love it. Some hate it. I am on the “love it” side of the spectrum. For me not only is it a chance to get out of the house, but it contains a plethora of learning opportunities for my girls. Right now we focus on simple things like colors, numbers, and letters. As we go around the store we try to find the chosen color or number, etc.

It’s a grand glorious eye spy game.

I also give them 2 or 3 things to remember from the shopping list and they have to remember to get those items. We talk about why the store is arranged the way it is, why some food items are in freezers, and about budgets and why we can’t just buy everything we want. For older children, you can give them part of the shopping list and have them go and find the items. Or you give them $20 and a list and say that they can’t spend more than that, so pick wisely and look for deals. Maybe one day I will get into click-list shopping but for now, we will continue to chat with our favorite check out people and dance and sing up and down the aisles. 

Crafting

Again you either love it or hate it. In our house, we often just gather up things that we find and then come up with something to make from that. The girls have never had a “proper” dollhouse because we make our own with cardboard boxes. Each one is unique as we get out fabric scraps to make curtains and rugs. We cut in windows and make staircases.

The hot glue gun gets a run for its money.

And these dollhouses are played with until they fall apart, when we simply recycle them, wait a couple of weeks and then do it all over again. We also make our own playdough and sometimes edible paint. If you are not spontaneous, then buy a craft kit that you can do together. Craft activities do not have to be overwhelming and you don’t have to be a master artist for your child to appreciate your abilities or your time together. 

Family game night 

Do you love playing games? There are so many great board games that are fun…..and lead to learning when you don’t even know it. Simple games (like Candy Land) help with counting and color recognition for younger children. Games and the interaction around them also assist with language development, boosting hand-eye coordination and teaches teamwork. Do you have a child who is maybe struggling with impatience? Learning to wait for your turn in a game is a wonderful skill, and reinforces patience. Are rules important? Can you play a game without rules? Possibly, but it would not work out the same. Being able to follow rules and instructions is important. You also learn, hopefully, how to be a good loser. For older children, there are games that involve strategy and problem-solving. This is a fun way to learn vital skills.

Now, I read somewhere that board games lower blood pressure and reduce stress. This is not the case for me! I am competitive, even when losing to my 4-year-old bowling on the Wii. I find myself just wanting to annihilate the competition. But despite all my competitiveness, I believe in family game nights. Maybe it is not with board games but on the Wii or PlayStation. That is fine too. But sitting around a table together – chatting, laughing, working together…..and making sure your older brother doesn’t sneak money out of the bank when playing Monopoly…. – is a perfect way to learn outside the classroom without it looking like you are learning. 

IT’S LEARNING

You might want to argue here a little bit. I get that. We have to shake off perceived notions or societal expectations at times (I have to do that often) but there are so many ways to learn and it might not look it to someone else but you can say proudly “it’s learning”.
Here are some other activity based learning opportunities –  ways to learn outside the classroom (and this list is not extensive):

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• Plant a vegetable garden or a flower garden
• Plan a trip (which you then take)
• Bike riding
• Learn photography as a family
• Visit an animal shelter
• Work with a food bank
• Dress ups
• Build model planes or cars
• Visit a national park or historical site (here is the link for US national parks)
• Choose your own adventure (go for a drive and only make the choice as to which way to turn when you get to the end of a street)
• Scavenger hunts

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• Have a dance party
• Meal plan as a family
• Paint, draw and stamp
• Go for a walk
• Write your own songs
• Take an outing to a zoo or aquarium or another fun place in your area (here is a list of iconic things to do in each state)
• Check out the local playgrounds
• Make words with these letters (this is also fun when you let your child invent a new word and definition)
• Treasure hunts (especially good when there is a hand-drawn map)

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I LOVE learning outside the classroom and will continue to do so. It is easy. It is fun. All it takes is a little bit of time and perhaps a bit of imagination. Do you believe in activity based learning, or does it just seem too daunting to you? It’s ok if we differ in opinion. What are some of the things you like to do to provide learning opportunities for your children? I would love to come up with a list of “101+ ways to learn outside the classroom” or “101+ Learning-Based Activities. Can you contribute to that list? I would love to hear your thoughts.