How to keep kids engaged in learning

*PR collaboration with Debbie Fletcher
With the winter holidays fast approaching, students are excited to have a break from the classroom and spend their time having fun. That doesn’t mean that they need to stop learning. It is important to keep your child’s mind sharp during the winter break, so that they’ll be ready by the time they need to go back to school. This may also be the time to offer them math help or help in other subjects they need to focus on.

Here are some ways to keep your kids engaged over the holidays:

Stick to routines. As much as possible, stick to study routines that you have already established in order to keep your child’s interest. You can set a study time each morning or before you let your children play or do other activities. If you feel that your child needs a break, lessen their study time, but still make sure that your daily routine is followed.

Read. Have your child read something new everyday. Give them the newspaper, a magazine, or a new book that will increase their vocabulary. You can also read with them and explain the meaning of some new words to them. To encourage independent learning, give them a dictionary so they can look up the meanings of words on their own.

Arts. Help your children unleash their creativity through art activities. You might even want to hold a playdate with your neighbors and have the kids do something fun such as paint pictures, draw nature, or go on a trip to the museum where they can learn about interesting things.

Educational shows. If you want to steer away from the traditional studying methods, one thing you can do is allow your child to watch educational television shows or movies. This will enable them to learn, while at the same time be entertained. Research on television shows that are appropriate for their age and prepare for a day of educational entertainment.

Daily life application. Teach children real-life concepts by using their lessons on daily life activities. Go shopping with them and ask them to compute the total of the items that you are going to purchase, let them help you make a budget, or let them help out at home when you are doing chores. This is a great way to 

Reward them. Give your children bonus points for studying during the holidays. It may be hard for them to study instead of go outside and play with snow or be with their friends, which is why it is important that you acknowledge their efforts and let them know that they are doing a great job.

These are some tips on how you can keep your kids engaged over the holidays. During the holidays, you can also give your children educational toys and reading materials that will help improve the different skills that they have. Plenty of educational toys are available that cover different topics such as science, arts, math, and geography. It is better to start them young, so that they carry their enthusiasm for learning as they get older.