Five fun activities that compel you to think play and learn

Five fun activities that compel you to think, play and learn

Let’s look at a few activities that you could already be involved in every day and how they compel your brain to learn happily!

By Snehal Naik 25th Nov, 2016 | 03:05 pm

Studies have shown that children who are taught through activity-based learning sessions have a better chance of retaining and applying the information absorbed. In activity-based learning, children participate in hands-on experiments and activities to learn better. Let’s look at a few activities that you could already be involved in every day and how they compel your brain to learn happily!

1. Building Blocks

If you thought building blocks are only for children to randomly make towers, hold on. Playing with building blocks helps you understand gravity, the use of simple machines, space and direction, sequencing, and even counting and geometry.

2. Word Search Puzzles

Weekend editions of newspaper and monthly children’s magazines usually have a ‘Kid’s Corner’ section full of interesting activities that keep children busy. One of the common activities is a word search puzzle or a crossword. Word search puzzles teach you to guess words from the given clues. The clues can be from a range of subject areas—from states and their capitals to kingdoms and their rulers, from synonyms and antonyms to names of famous personalities. No wonder you learn so much when you search for the correct words in the grid or across and below in a crossword!

3. Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles not only help you become patient and perseverant but also teach you to put things in their place, literally. In fact, the best way to memorise the world map or understand the human body is through a jigsaw puzzle.

You can even make your own jigsaw puzzle!

Take a printout/photocopy (preferably coloured) of a world map or the human anatomy and cut it into asymmetrical pieces. You can stick these on a cardboard so that they last longer. Call your friends and enjoy hours of joining the pieces together!

4. Counting Beads on an Abacus

We all remember our early school days when colourful beads made Math fun. The activity of counting beads helps in learning addition and subtraction while simultaneously facilitating motor skills, hand–eye coordination and colour recognition among many other developments. An abacus is an advanced counting frame of beads and is known as the oldest computing method. Whether it is addition, subtraction, division or multiplication, using the abacus is guaranteed to up the ante of your interest and intrigue in Math.

5. It’s all in the Colours!

Colouring has always been a favourite pastime activity for kids. Painting within the lines in colouring books and sheets also improves hand–eye coordination, focus and helps kids recognise line, perspective, colour, hue, shape and form. Further, children also learn words to express the patterns they draw with colours. Moreover, colouring improves motor skills and teaches children to recognise different colour families.

There are countless activities to make study time a great deal of joy. Activities such as counting beads can also be enjoyed by visually impaired children. This only proves the point that there can be no barriers to receiving a fruitful education if one is open to adopting innovative techniques.