Hiller Elementary

Here are some fun activities/tips/tricks that make learning engaging, as well as, informative.

• Set aside time to write and read short stories to each other.
• Find a board game that the whole family can play and have some fun (board games usually involve problem solving, math, writing, and many other transferable skills).
• Read from a variety of sources – expose your children to different ways of writing and thinking
• Play rhyming games – rhyming games help with improvisational skills and vocabulary.
• Don’t limit yourself to a certain writing or vocabulary level – try new things and see what develops quicker than others.
• Write different styles – experiment with different styles to broaden their skills.
• Read together – dedicate time to read separate stories in the same room or the same story
• Encourage them to explore art – different artistic expressions can go simultaneously with higher-level skills. Poetry is relatable to writing as much as music is to math.
• Talk to your kids. Discuss what they did that day in school, what they liked, what they didn’t.
• Make every day activities educational – engage your child to skim the paper for things, help you make shopping lists, or dictate recipes. Little things like this build transferable skills that help in a collection of different areas.
• Encourage their curiosity.
• Motivate with reward, applause, or recognition.
• Routines are good – they set boundaries, time limits, schedules, and things to look forward to.
• Talk about word families. Point out words that are related to other words and help build an early relationship with language, logic, and deduction.
• Listen to music. Music can train children in subconscious, subtle manners – making them more receptive to lessons they may consider boring otherwise.
• Look up words – don’t let your children remain confused. If they come across words they don’t understand, help them look it up and work through them.
• Share family stories and talk regularly.
• Go on adventures. Going camping, to museums, or sporting events exposes them to a completely new world of excite to experience.
• Play games like I-Spy, where you engage multiple senses, deduction and problem solving.
• Help your child keep a diary. Read it through with them, as this is both a good way to learn writing skills, speaking skills, and reading skills.