30 Fun Activities for You
and Your Elementary School Children
- Create a bingo card or passport where each space can be filled in by reading a mystery book, or a piece of non-fiction, to give a few examples. Once the goal has been reached, reward your child with something to celebrate his special achievement.
- Have a paper airplane contest and see who can make a paper airplane that flies the furthest!
- Ask your child what her favourite dessert is and have her help you to make it together.
- Writing gives your child an opportunity to use his reading competence. Support his creative writing efforts and encourage him to keep a journal or diary so he can practice at home.
- Send an "I love you" note in your child's lunch today.
- Make macaroni jewellery. Let your child colour the macaroni with her favourite colours. Then help her make patterns with the macaroni. Cut some yarn to the size of the jewelry piece she wants (rings, necklaces or bracelets). Then put the yarn through the macaroni and tie the ends together.
- Help your child start a collection. Provide him with a place to keep it - a box, a drawer, a shelf.
- Painting while listening to music is a great way to explore emotions or moods that are communicated by visual artists. So turn on the radio or pop in a favourite CD and paint with your child!
- Make read-along audiocassettes of one or two of your child's favourite storybooks. Listen to the recordings in the car.
- Show your child how to use a toothpick dipped in lemon juice and milk to write a message on a piece of white paper. Have her decipher it by holding the paper up to a light.
- Collages provide a great way for your child to explore art through different colours, shapes and textures. Work with him to cut out circles, squares and triangles from construction or tissue paper. For less mess, you can use a glue stick. Help him choose one shape at a time and glue the shapes onto the paper. Talk about what colours and shapes he is using, and how they're making interesting designs. Hang up the finished "work of art" to show him how much you appreciate his creation.
- Go on a walk with your child. Ask her about her fall activity and what she enjoys most about it.
- Practice coming up with fractions that are equal. For example, one-half, two-fourths and four-eighths are all equal.
- Chess anyone? If you don't have a chessboard at home, try playing on your computer. You can find computer chess games with different levels of difficulty.
- Playing store is great way to strengthen your child's addition, subtraction and multiplication skills. Save cereal and soap boxes, soup cans, egg cartons, pop bottles, magazines, etc. With a marker, you and your child can put prices on your "groceries." Once all of your groceries are priced, you will be the customer and he will be the checkout person.
- Support your child's ability with alone time by providing a space in your home where she can have imaginary play. Purchase a few dolls, trucks, blocks, stuffed animals--whatever you think she would enjoy playing with. Observe her with these different toys. Extend her imaginary play by responding to what toy she gravitates to.
- Create a "wall of fame" at home. Have each family member display something they are proud of on the refrigerator. Review the items periodically with your child and add new items.
- Ask your child to tell you about the most interesting thing he learned at school today. Ask him to explain it to you. This is a great way to reinforce learning new skills.
- Make a game out of finding words while driving in the car by searching out road signs and advertisements.
- Play guessing games (e.g., "I'm thinking of a word that starts with the letter "c". Your child then asks if the word is a person, place or thing, and you can answer only "yes" or "no").
- Songs are a great way for children to understand the patterns of words and language, so put on her favourite music and sing along! Print out a copy of the lyrics to a song she loves to sing. Turn the music on and read the lyrics along with her.
- A great and easy way to strengthen your child's reading and language skills is through puzzle and activity word books. Your child will find either the crossword puzzle or the word search to be fun and there are many other word games that the both of you can enjoy together.
- There are many fun games for the entire family to play to encourage the love of words. Find one your entire family can enjoy.
- Listen to different types of music with your child today. Ask him to tell you why he likes/dislikes each type.
- Purchase self-hardening clay. Have your child think about an object that she would like to create, then let her roll the clay on a table and squeeze it to make shapes. Work together to create the object she wishes to create.
- Go on a bike ride with your child. Enjoy just relaxing together and talking about the things you see along your way.
- Help your child create a map of your neighbourhood. Don't forget to include his school, his friends' homes, your home and the local park.
- Go for a walk to your local park and bring a sketchbook, coloured pencils or crayons. Let your child observe the colours, shapes and textures found in nature and sketch what she sees around her.
- Ask your child to help you clip coupons from the local paper. Take him with you next time you go shopping and ask him to calculate the money saved.
- Help your child make a book using her favourite stories and drawings. After she gathers all of her creative work, make photocopies and assemble the books together. Help her send copies to relatives and close friends.
This page was last updated July 7, 2006.
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