The beautiful thing about homeschooling is that we have the power to tailor the experience to our children’s specific learning styles and interests. So, why not focus on making learning fun? It doesn’t seem hard. But, sometimes it’s easier said than done. Let’s be honest, it’s easy for us to get wrapped up in the “school” of homeschool.
We want to spend this time with our kids, but we also want them to excel academically. In that pursuit, fun is often considered secondary. At least, that’s how it went for us. That’s until I realized that making learning actually enjoyable had to be the primary goal. In this post I share a few things we have done to make homeschool fun.
Gameschooling
My kids are gamers. From video games to board games, they love them all. I have found that when I incorporate games into our homeschool they are not only engaged, but they have so much fun. It is a delight to see because I am literally witnessing the joy of learning.
Just last week I grabbed a ball from the playroom to roll back and forth with my 6 year old. Each time I rolled the ball to him, I asked him to answer a mental math equation. When he rolled the ball back, he would ask me to answer a math equation. It was such a simple game, but he absolutely loved it and we ended up playing for 20 minutes.
We play board games, video games, card games, and made-up-on-the-spot games. It has been something that has developed naturally. But, it is nice to know that game schooling is backed by research.
Incorporating games into your homeschool curriculum can help your child to develop important skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork, while also providing a break from traditional methods of learning. Games can be used to reinforce concepts that your child is struggling with, or to introduce new concepts in a fun and interactive way. Incorporating Game-schooling into our homeschool has helped to keep my children motivated and interested in various learning concepts.
Technology
I know this may be slightly controversial depending on how you feel about screen time, but technology is one of our favorite homeschooling tools. We keep our homeschool fun by working with screen time, instead of fighting against it.
I am a working homeschool mom. Utilizing technology helps me accomplish work-related tasks while also ensuring that my kids are learning. Sure, screen time can get out of control if not structured. But, when used with parameters it has made learning that much more enjoyable for my kids. Here are a few of our favorite online learning resources:
Field Trips
If you know me in real life, then you know I’m a Mama on the Go. If there’s one thing I’m going to do regardless, it’s take my kids on a field trip. Last year we had a zoo membership and we went every other week. Incorporating field trips into our homeschool makes it fun because it gives us something to look forward to during the week. It’s also just really fun to learn about history, science, animals, etc. in a more hands-on environment. Plus, it just feels good to break up the monotony and get outside.
Field trips can be as formal or as informal as you’d like. Taking advantage of memberships is great because it saves money in the long run and ensures that we’ll have a consistent field trip destination. We love our local zoo and museums, but a trip to IKEA can honestly be just as fascinating for my kids. Especially on Wednesdays when kids eat free!
Conclusion
Focusing on fun in your homeschool doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, I’ve found that the activities that require the lowest amount of prep were often the most fun. My advice: keep it simple. In most cases your child will have fun learning if you’re having fun learning too. After all, isn’t learning with our children part of the joy of homeschooling?
Was this post helpful? How do you incorporate fun into your homeschool? Sound off in the comments!
