Making Learning Fun: Educating With Methods to Engage Children

April 18, 2015…Let’s face it, with all the technology at our fingertips, teachers and parents could have a harder time entertaining new ideas to educate our up and coming generations. They have to be smarter than ever to keep up with the newest of everything. How can we make it fun for them to learn?

• 1. Find educating games that make them inquisitive. One English teacher set up a Jeopardy board on line and made it a competition/game for them. In the end, the children scored higher for their recollection of the facts were embedded in their minds for it was fun.
• 2.Offering children choices could help to give them some control over how and what is the best method for them to learn and retain information. Nina Vukovic, Owner and Educator for JEI Learning Center in Hamilton Township, New Jersey strongly advocates giving her daughter the opportunity to pick the order of how she does her homework. This can be very productive in her independent learning.
• 3.Very hard for a Teacher in a classroom with over 20 kids to tailor the lessons for the individual student, but a teacher/educator can make sure that the lesson is appropriate for the age and child. For example, a 5 year old may not be able to sit for an entire 30 minutes to be taught. Maybe a break in the lesson to keep the kid engaged in making it fun. The break can be as simple as telling a joke, going to get a drink of water, etc.
• 4.Teaching with examples is always a good idea. As a child immerses themselves in a lesson, understanding why they have to learn this stuff is key. Giving them examples of the why this is practical for them to learn. A good educator will give concrete examples of the purpose of the lesson and why it is fun to learn.
• 5.Your student is human and has other interests outside of school. For example, Alisa, an 11 year old, is interested in volleyball and loves to play all the time. To find a game that would have something to do with her interest would benefit her learning. Pay attention to the student’s hobbies and interests. Encourage the child to bring their passions to
• school and figure a way of incorporating that into a learning plan.
• 6.A parent/educator should have their listening ears on to hear what the children are saying and use their ideas to incorporate a lesson plan. In a science class Mrs. Bennett taught about the planets. Joe, a student that loves to build model of different items suggested they spend time building a model of the planets. Mrs. Bennett listened and made it a game in building a model that would be put in the classroom for the remainder of the year. Every student learned the lesson from this for Mrs. Bennett heard the request and capitalized upon it.
• Nelson Mandela talked about education by saying “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Making it interesting and practical is an art, but to make it fun for a child to learn is by far the cornerstone of knowledge.