Learning Starts at Home
Many years ago when our children were younger, my husband purchased several books for me on how to develop new and creative learning experiences for our growing children. I made the choice to be a stay at home mom when our first daughter was not quite eighteen months old. It was not an easy decision, I thought I could do it all, be the working mom with a successful career. However, I soon discovered with the demanding hours of my job, it was impossible to be the mother that I wanted to be and therefore something had to change. With that in mind, I resigned from my job.
This was the decision that would work best for our family. In time our family grew and we were blessed with four fabulous children. That decision proved to be the most rewarding and yet the most exhausting time of my life and yet, I wouldn’t change a thing about it!
Your First Experience with Learning
I realized that our home was their first experience with learning, and it was up to me to establish a home where exploring, creating and finding new ways to discover God’s great creation was a priority.
One of the first books I read was, Teach Me Mommy, A Preschool Learning Guide, by Jill Dunford. The book was set up with simple, weekly activities geared towards children ages 3-5 years old. It was a wonderful resource to help me get started with building a valuable parent/child relationship.
Another great resource I used with our children was, Weekday Programs for Children, Teacher’s Guide. This particular resource was more faith based. Each activity and lesson had a goal in mind and seeked ways to teach values for Christian living in the home. Some of those values were, “love, faith, hope, sharing, caring, forgiveness, honesty, obedience and responsibility,” all are so important for children to learn at an early age. These values will set a foundation for children as they grow into adulthood.
In today’s world there is Pinterest and various other resources on the internet that can help mothers, and fathers gather information to help foster learning and experiences of wonder for their children. And, yet sometimes just some simple advice and suggestions from grandma, can also be very helpful.
That’s why as a mother of four and grandmother of four, I wanted to share with you some simple daily activities you can do with your children or grandchildren.
Daily activities to do at home
Below you will find seven days (plus 2 extra bonus ideas) of fun and faithful activities. There is a Bible verse to focus on for the day and a few fun activities that you can do in your own home or outside in your neighborhood.
Day 1
“Love is patient and kind…” 1 Corinthians 13:4
Activity: Roll a ball, underhand toss a ball, roll a ball to different objects, pass a ball and catch, allow each family member to take a turn rolling, tossing and catching.
Run in place, jump up and down, do 10 jumping jacks
Play your favorite music, run around, skip or walk quickly then freeze when the music stops.
Have fun today, be patient with one another. Share lots of hugs!
Day 2
“He “God” cares about you”…1 Peter 5:7
Activity: Draw a picture of your house and write your street address, memorize your address.
Everyone sits in a circle and each person tells something that he or she likes to do. Then repeat it, for example, “mom likes to bake banana bread”, then your child would say, “mom likes to bake banana bread and (child’s name) likes to play with legos”, the next child (if more than one in the family) would say “mom likes to bake banana bread and (child’s name) likes to play with legos and (child’s name) likes to dance”…(or whatever you choose)… keep going with other family member’s names. See how long you can go without someone forgetting.
Play the “Hokey Pokey”, “I put my right hand in, I put my right hand out, I put my right hand in and I shake it all about….
Sometimes it’s just fun to be silly and laugh! Remember to have fun, laugh and enjoy being together.
Day 3
“Let all you do, be done in love…” 1 Corinthians 16:14
Activity: Go outside and trace your body on the sidewalk or driveway. Each person takes a turn tracing the other person. Next, color it in..then take a walk around the neighborhood and find things that are tall and short. (for instance, flowers, trees, or doors and windows of houses)
Have mom or dad make some homemade biscuits and see if they rise and get tall when they bake.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/easy-self-rising-biscuits-recipe
Day 4
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing” Psalm 127:3
Activity: Plan an indoor picnic, everyone helps to set up the room with a blanket, making the food, and preparing the drinks. Then everyone helps to decide which movie to watch. Before the movie, talk about how we need to care for each other, list some things that you can do to help each other out, even when we are sick, what can we do to show each other that we care for one another. As a family, we love each other and are patient with each other.
Day 5
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have…” Hebrews 13:16
Activity: First, talk about what the word good means to you and your family. So often I will hear a parent tell a child to “be good,” and yet I wonder if the child really knows what being “good” means. Does that mean following directions, listening to an adult, helping out a friend or just doing the right thing? Each child takes a toy from their room and shares it with another, let your brother or sister play with your toy for the day, then ask them why they liked playing with it. If you have only one child, ask them to donate a toy, (be sure to sanitize the toy or perhaps you could go to the toy store to purchase a new toy to donate to a shelter) Do something good today for mom or dad, help set the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner, clean up your room, take quiet time without bothering anyone, read quietly in your room. Do something good!
Day 6
“He has made everything beautiful in its time” Ecclesiastes 3:11
Activity: Fall is the most beautiful season, the colorful leaves show off God’s wonderful creation. Go on a nature walk and pick up some fallen leaves. Come back home and make a leave print. Take a piece of white paper and fold in half, next take your leaf and put it in the middle of the fold, then take a crayon and color over the leaf. See what a beautiful leaf you have. Or you can take a piece of wax paper and fold in half, then put your leaf in the middle of the fold and use an iron on low heat and iron your leaf print.
Pretend you are a bird or a squirrel, a bird will fly south where it is warm for the winter and a squirrel will gather up supplies for the cold winter months.
Talk about the change in seasons and what happens to animals during the winter months. Perhaps you could stop by a local lawn and garden store and purchase some tulip bulbs or another flower that will bloom in the spring. Plant the bulbs and then wait, watch and prepare for the amazing timing in which the flower will bloom. In time, all is beautiful!
Day 7
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord” Psalm 92:1
Activity: Make a thankful tree, trace out a tree on a piece of paper. Next draw a leaf shape on separate pieces of colorful construction paper or whatever paper you have available. Then write down all the things you are thankful for and place on the tree. Each day take a leaf off the tree and talk about what you are thankful for and why. If we teach our children to have an attitude of gratitude, their lives will be filled with joy in the most simplest of things. Try to incorporate the words, “thank you” in your daily conversations. Find ways to thank each other for something each day!
Extra Bonus – Two more ideas!
Day 8
“Protect me, O God, I trust in you for safety”…
Activity: Talk about ways to stay safe at home and outside, (no running out into the street, watch for cars, be careful of people that you do not know…)
Draw a picture of ways to be safe..(make a stop sign or traffic light, wear a bike helmet when riding your bike, hold mom or dad’s hand when you cross the street)
Make your own personal pizza with either an English muffin or a plain/or everything bagel, add some sauce and cheese, bake in a toaster oven and have mom or dad use hot pot holders to take it out when the pizza is done. Use the pot holders to keep your hands safe from the heat of the oven.
Day 9
“Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another” Ephesians 4:32
Activity: Everyone gets a puzzle and sees who can put the puzzle together first, or get a big floor puzzle and everyone takes a turn putting a piece of the puzzle together. Remember to be patient and kind, each one taking a turn.
These are just a few ideas to help you create a loving, supportive and creative home environment for your family.
1 Timothy 3:4
4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.