Teaching should not only be limited to books and blackboards. There are plenty of activities that children can take part in while in preparatory school. These activities make learning more fun and interesting for kids.
To grow and perform well in their early school years, children need more time to play and take part in various activities. These activities can help children develop their character and identify their own likes and dislikes. Here are some beneficial activities for young children they can do at preparatory school UK.
1. Arts and crafts activities
Art and craft activities help children get active and unleash their artsy side.
Here are some exciting art and craft activities for children that can encourage them to get creative.
- build houses using large cardboard boxes.
- use a large piece of paper or cardboard to draw or decorate an imaginary place
- Add sand, sawdust, or dirt to paint
- a book, drawings, notebook
Let their imagination take over releasing creativity and learning new things. If you have a backyard, let them finger paint with color paste, make different shapes with playdough or cardboard. In the summer months, playing with water can be especially engaging to little kids. Let them experiment with various-size pots and pans, cups, and scoops. Kids love to play outside, so take advantage of the warm weather for all the messy tasks.
2. Music and dance activities
Some kids are interested in music and dance more than others. Music and dance are incredible activities as they activate the brain. Dancing is also a form of exercise. Even if the child doesn’t like music or dancing, at least he or he should be taught the benefits of music and dance. Click here to find out more information about different activities in k-12 schools.
At prep school’s like Beachborough Oxfordshire, kids learn and have fun at the same time. Not only do they have music and dance, they also have all kinds of fun activities for kids to do.
Here are some interesting musical activities the child can do:
- If the school has instruments, the child can be taught how to use them.
- The children can play instruments at different rhythms, tempos, and volume.
- The children can hum their favorite songs.
For dance and movement ideas, the child can
- Dance to different music and rhythms
- Create a dance sequence
- Use the whole body to show different emotions, including happiness, sadness, boredom, etc.
- The child can also combine different movements.
3. Reading activities
Reading activities are beneficial for kids as it helps in instilling reading habits at an early age. Reading activities are designed to help guide children through the learning process. Reading can help expand the knowledge of the children since they read new things every day. It also helps them develop different skills, including vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. This, therefore, helps them improve their communication skills, hence building their confidence.
4. Pretend play
Role-taking is great for so many reasons. First, the kids will have fun which is the main ingredient for every successful life lesson. Second, children will be able to look at behaviors and various events from a different point of view, for example, their parents’ perspective. Further, pretend play will teach them to keep their composure in situations that are beyond their control. Keeping their cool is an important skill that will let them to further develop their social and emotional coping skills.
Pretend play scenario ideas include serving, cooking, and shops. Pretend cooking, for example, combines different elements of home safety, sensory play, mathematical concepts, and following processes. When kids pretend to serve or have toy shops, it helps them learn about social interaction, basic mathematical ideas, and being considerate of others.
5. Critical thinking activities
Critical thinking activities help engage students and encourage critical thinking and logical reasoning skills in children. Critical thinking taught in the best independent schools enables children to reason better. It also helps them to base their conclusions on facts and not emotions. One of the ways children can develop their problem-solving skills is by playing puzzle games and taking part in activities that require analytical reasoning.
6. Writing activities
Writing is an excellent way for children to express their feelings and explore ideas. The children can make up new words or make up riddles and jokes. The children can also write anything that comes into their mind. This will help them become more creative since they will learn how to think out of the box.
7. Social skills activities
Developing social skills is crucial in the preschool years teaching children self-control, empathy, and patience. Games like “Red light, green light” will teach them to wait for their turn and to help others. Some degree of defiance is to be expected since they are yet to learn tolerance. Parents or teachers will have to act as an emotional coach that will provide guidelines for proper behavior and sanction the undesirable reactions. All of this must be done with other peers which make the task even more challenging. However, set a time limit to interacting with other kids to an hour or so, since too much exposure to other classmates can make a child anxious and rebellious.
8. Teamwork
Understanding the importance of teamwork will help children to better accept challenges later in life. Board games, or playing sports outside will build their social network of friends and teach them to be team players. School and workplace often request team effort, and if a child hasn’t developed enough social skills to function as a team member that can be a huge obstacle. Sports are particularly good for gaining empathy and a sense of being part of something bigger than themselves. Also, physical activities are necessary for kids to burn out all that energy so that they can be at peace at home and in school.
9. Nature Play
A child’s learning is even more fired especially when you take them outdoors. Forest schools, for example, are becoming more popular today. Nature play isn’t just healthy, it also teaches young kids the beginnings of biology while showing them respect for the environment. This kind of set-up also helps kids be more inquisitive and independent.
The Importance of Play
When kids play, they don’t just have fun because they learn, too. Play reinforces formal learning in later years while also allowing the child to develop their self-esteem. Play also helps in strengthening a child’s focus, which is a crucial part of learning in the classroom. It also strengthens their ability for social interaction and even in encouraging scientific thinking.
Play is especially helpful for younger kids. Preschool kids are usually more interested and learn more when taught using play-based instruction. Playing serves as the foundation of childhood development in terms of emotional intelligence, language, intellectual reasoning, and creativity.
Final thoughts
The above-named activities not only help to encourage learning and development in children, but they also make learning more fun and interesting. Even if success is not immediately reached, children, need to keep practicing. Every activity has a deeper meaning that is not instantly recognizable to children; rather they take it as playing, as they should. That’s why the best prep schools in London must ensure that they integrate these activities into their curriculum. That way, they will help children grow and thrive in their early school years, and apply those skills later in life.
