Well for starters, don’t worry. As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher. Your home, where we’re all spending a lot of time at the moment during the current Covid-19 crisis, is a place where lots of learning is happening every day.
Your most important job when it comes to your child’s learning is to show an interest and get involved. You make a difference every day when you talk to and listen to your child. This is what helps your child the most.
Play is one of the most effective ways children learn and the National Adult Literacy Agency’s (NALA) website helpmykidlearn.ie is packed full of fun ideas that will entertain kids and also support their literacy and numeracy development.
The site includes hundreds of fun activities that can be done in the home or outside. And best of all, the activities will help children to learn without them even realising it.
“Many parents will find it challenging to come up with things to do with their children over the next few weeks, so by using helpmykidlearn.ie parents will have something to turn to when they hear the dreaded ‘I’m bored’ from their kids,” said Dr Inez Bailey, NALA CEO.
“The truth is that children learn everyday – from the moment they are born they start to soak up things like a sponge – at home, out and about, even at bedtime.
“Just because they are not in school at the moment doesn’t mean they will stop learning – it just means parents have to be a little creative and we designed this website to do most of the work for you.”
All you have to do is enter your child’s age into the website and you will find lots of suitable fun activities to do with them.
Now relax, it’s going to be fine!
5 boredom busting ideas for kids
Next time you hear the dreaded “I’m bored” or if you’re just desperate to drag them away from the TV or iPad, try some of these fun activities:
Eat an Alphabet
Get your kids to describe how hungry they are – starting with the letter A take turns. The trick is to remember what everyone said before you. I’m so hungry I could eat an Apple. I’m so hungry I could eat an Apple and a Banana. I’m so hungry I could eat an Apple, Banana and a Cat!
Fuzz Buzz
Count to 100, every time you get to a number that’s divisible by seven (7, 14, 21) or has a seven in it (17), say “Buzz” instead of the number. For older kids, to make it even harder say Fuzz for every number with a three or that’s divisible by three. If you make a mistake it’s the next person’s turn. The first to get to 100 wins.
Marbles
Draw a circle on the ground. Each player puts 4 marbles inside the circle – it’s best if everyone picks a colour. Take turns trying to knock each other’s marbles out of the circle with one large marble. If you knock your own marble out it goes back into the centre!
Spud
One person counts to 10 while the rest of the players scatter. When 10 is reached everyone freezes in their spot. The person counting takes 4 giant steps towards the closest person and tries to hit them with a ball. If they hit, that person gets a letter ‘S’ but if they miss then they get the letter – an so on. Now it’s the other person’s time to count. Players get knocked out whenever they reach SPUD – hit or missed 4 times – ouch!
Fortress fun
Everyone’s made a fortress right? The next rainy day that comes around, help your kids make their own supersized fortress in the sitting room. All you need is a couple of chairs or a table covered with a blanket – they’ll stay busy all day long playing make-believe inside.
