Holidays and celebrations are times of great fun and merrymaking. Kids spend the time playing and having fun with family and friends. But amidst all the fun and merrymaking, all thoughts of learning and lessons fly out of their minds. With school on break, this gap in learning could hinder their progress. Additionally, the gap in learning could also mean children forget all that they’ve learnt in school over the holidays and will have to start from square one again.
Matokeo Darasa la Saba is an ancient African spiritual practice that has been used by many people around the world for centuries. It is now being revived as a modern day therapy.
The best way to keep kids engaged in their lessons and ensure they continue learning during the holidays is through holiday activities for kids and games. These activities and games help kids have fun and learn while they play. In addition to helping them learn during the holidays, these activities also keep kids out of trouble. As the kids stay busy with the activities and games, you can get on with your holiday preparations and other work.
Here are 5 amazing holiday-themed games and activities to help your child learn while they have fun during the holidays.
STEM education is no exception and there is much research that points to their ability to foster a child’s ingenuity and creativity, encourage experimentation, teach problem solving and critical thinking.
Holiday-themed Learning Activities and Games for Kids
- Scavenger Hunts: One game that kids never get tired of playing is a scavenger hunt. So, give this popular game a holiday-themed twist to help children learn while they have fun. You can use scavenger hunts to teach kids about shapes, numbers, alphabets, addition, subtraction, multiplication etc. Just write the clues on flash cards or pieces of paper and hide them around the room or house. Then ask the kids to find the clues and follow them to find the treasure. You can also play the game outdoors. For example, take the children for a walk around the neighborhood during Halloween. Then ask them to spot a certain number of pumpkins, witches, brooms etc. For instance, the kids will have to spot 5 witches, 7 brooms, 9 pumpkins, 4 vampires and so on.
- Worksheets: Holiday-themed worksheets are a dime a dozen on the internet. Just download printable holiday worksheets on different subjects and hand them to your kids. Holiday-themed worksheets can be coloring worksheets, science worksheets like body parts worksheet or math, language, history worksheets. Or they can be just fun worksheets like word search puzzle worksheets, maze worksheets, drawing and coloring worksheets etc. In addition to being fun, worksheets are also great for helping children retain information they’ve learnt.
- Crafting: Crafting is another fun activity for kids during the holidays. You can choose crafts for kids based on the holiday like Christmas-themed crafts, St. Patrick’s Day crafts, Mother’s Day crafts etc. Not only will it improve their fine and gross motor skills, it also helps them learn measurements and other math concepts. Additionally, it also enhances their thinking skills, observation skills, imagination and creativity.
- Experiments: Science experiments are one of the best ways to help children learn science concepts during the holidays. Not only are they fun, but they also help the children understand their science lessons better. You can try holiday-themed science experiments like the rainbow in a bottle experiment or green playdough for St. Patrick’s Day or a baking soda volcano for Independence Day and so on.
- Quiz: A quiz is a wonderful activity that helps children learn about various topics while they have fun. You can try science quizzes or history quizzes or holiday trivia quizzes like Halloween trivia to help kids learn about the holiday. Along with improving their knowledge, quizzes can also boost their confidence and thinking skills.
The next time you’re celebrating a holiday, try these activities to help your child learn while they have fun.
