20+ Learning at Home Activities
Inside: Lots of ideas to teach science and math at home…without worksheets or textbooks! This big collection of learning at home activities is both easy and fun!
Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t ever expect that to happen!
Like many of you, I’m helping my kids at home with distance learning thanks to our quarantine situation.
Our regular teachers have been really good about sending assignments and trying to keep things interesting, but sometimes we need a break from YouTube videos and worksheets!
How to Teach Your Child at Home (without Worksheets or Textbooks)
The number one best way to successfully teach kids at home…
I’ve noticed with my kindergartener that her attention span is about 5 minutes. They say that attention spans for kids are about 1 minute per year in age, so that’s about right!
To keep her attention, I have to been sneaky about learning. That means I have to teach things without my kids thinking that we’re doing a learning activity!
Our friend Wendy at Huntington Learning Center suggested cooking and baking as a way to practice math skills. This was way before the pandemic…just a way to use real life activities to learn math!
What kid doesn’t love to bake a cake with their parents?! It’s quality time and a delicious reward at the end! Oh…and learning about fractions, measurements, and time too!
Awesome!!
Related: New “homeschool” moms…give yourself grace!!
20+ Ways for Kids to Learn at Home
Below are some of our favorite learning at home activities for kids, with a focus on math, science, and language.
We definitely love arts and crafts in our house, and have plenty of those on the blog too! Click here to see our free kids craft printables and templates!
To see the full instructions for each learning activity, click on the links below each photo:
8 Ideas for Teaching Math Without Worksheets
Shopkins Math Games — Who else has Shopkins obsessed kiddos at home? They’ll love these 5 math games with their favorite toys!
Magic Math Activity — All you need are markers, paper towels, and water! The answers magically appear!
Teaching Kids Math With Coupons — Cutting coupons is a great way to save money, but they can also help your kids learn math! Involving kids in planning the grocery order teaches them practical skills like budgeting…aka math!
Coordinate System with Playdough — This combination of sensory and STEM activity will teach your kids about spatial representation, geometry, and so much more!
DIY Balance Scales for Toddlers and Preschoolers — Grab items from around the home and build these fun DIY balance scales to show kids how weight and balance works.
Paper Caterpillar Craft and Learning Ideas — Who knew that crafting could be such an effective way to learn beginning math concepts?! So cool! Learn about shapes, symmetry, and more with this fun paper caterpillar craft.
Play Doh Pie Counting Activity — Practice counting and number recognition by baking a pretend pie!
Speaking of baking…here are some more ways to teach math in the kitchen! Unlike worksheets, these cooking activities have a delicious reward in addition to all that learning!
Kids Can Cook: Hot Fudge Sundae Cake —Teach your kids about measuring and fractions by helping them bake this hot fudge sundae cake.
5 Fun Ways to Teach Preschool with Kitchen Math — Specifically aimed at the preschool age group, these activities introduce kids to addition, subtraction, and other math skills by getting them in the kitchen!
11 Ideas for Teaching Science without Worksheets
Making Ice Cream in a Bag — Learn about freezing points and thermal energy, all while making a delicious batch of homemade ice cream!
Snow Storm in a Jar — Learn about pressure, weather, and immiscible liquids with this hands-on STEM activity!
Rainbow Wheel Color Matching Game for Toddlers & Preschoolers — Learn color names and practice matching with this homemade color wheel game using a paper plate and clothespins!
Easy Science Experiement: Milk + Dyes + Soap — An artsy science experiment! This project can be tailored to kids of different ages. For example, preschoolers can explore color mixing, while older kids can learn about surface tension. This one is great for getting all of your kids learning together!
How to Teach Children to Garden — Gardening is one of the best practical science activities, as kids learn about plant life cycle, how plants grow, and more! It is also great way to practice fine motor skills and teach your kids about where their food comes from.
Plant Science: Regrowing Vegetables from Scraps — With this gardening activity, instead of starting from seeds, kids learn to regrow plants from food scraps. It’s also a way to show the importance of reusing and recycling!
Why do Fruits and Vegetables Get Soft When Cooked? —Teach your children all about plants and what happens when you cook them with this hands-on lesson.
How to Teach Science to Kids Through Baking — Baking provides so many opportunities to teach your kids about science! These activities use food and baking to teach measuring and all kinds of other skills.
Hands-On Learning about Taste Buds — This activity will help your kids learn about taste buds and even experiment with the different types of taste buds on your tongue!
Crystal Science Experiment at Home — This crystal growing project is always a favorite with kids! This post shows kids how to grow three different types of crystals using simple kitchen ingredients and learn the difference among them.
Fruit DNA Extraction Lab Science Experiment — Did you know that you can actually see the DNA in fruit? This exciting activity shows kids how to extract DNA from fruit and take a closer look!
Cool Science – Make LEGO Man Sink and Float — This fun LEGO activity will teach your kids about density without breaking out a textbook!
Go Stargazing as a Family — Learning has never been this much fun! Instead of reading about phases of the moon, meteors, and constellations, go take a look and see them in person!
How to Practice Letters and Language without a Textbook
Magnet Letter Phonics — If you have magnetic letters in your house, you can practice phonics at home by creating words!
Story Stones Guide: How To Make And Ways To Use Them —Story stones are such a versatile and fun project to make with your kids. You can use them to help teach storytelling, numbers, and so much more! Plus it’s a soothing art activity!
Tracing Letters with Slime — Because everything is more fun when it involves whipping up a batch of squishy, stretchy slime!
More of our favorite learning at home activities:
120 STEAM Activities for Preschoolers and Kindergarten
Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids – FREE Printable!
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