Smothers Elementary School

Here are some fun activities/tips/tricks that make learning engaging, as well as, informative.

1. Set aside time to write and read short stories to each other.
2. Find a board game that the whole family can play and have some fun (board games usually involve problem solving, math, writing, and many other transferable skills).
3. Read from a variety of sources – expose your children to different ways of writing and thinking.
4. Play rhyming games – rhyming games help with improvisational skills and vocabulary.
5. Don’t limit yourself to a certain writing or vocabulary level – try new things and see what develops quicker than others.
6. Write together often – experiment with different styles to broaden their skills.
7. Read together – dedicate time to read different stories in the same room or the same story.
8. Encourage them to explore art – different artistic expressions can go simultaneously with higher-level skills. Poetry is relatable to writing as much as music is to math.
9. Talk to your kids. Discuss what they did that day in school, what they liked, and what they didn’t.
10. Make every day activities educational – engage your child to skim the newspaper for things, help you make shopping lists, or dictate recipes. Little things like this build transferable skills that help in a variety of areas.
11. Encourage their curiosity.
12. Motivate with reward, applause, or recognition.
13. Routines are good – they set boundaries, time limits, schedules, and things to look forward to.
14. Talk about word families. Point out words that are related to other words and help build an early relationship with language, logic, and deduction.
15. Listen to music. Music can train children in subconscious, subtle manners – making them more receptive to lessons they may consider boring otherwise.
16. Look up words – don’t let your children remain confused. If they come across words they don’t understand, help them look it up and work through it.
17. Share family stories and talk regularly.
18. Go on adventures. Going camping, to museums, or sporting events exposes them to a completely new world of exciting experiences.
19. Play games like I-Spy, where you engage multiple senses, deduction, and problem solving.
20. Help your child keep a diary. Read it through with them, as this is both a good way to learn writing skills, speaking skills, and reading skills.