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After school can feel like a little bit of a slog. The time between getting in from school and enjoying your evening meal can often feel like it drags, and some parents can say it’s the most difficult point of the day. However, filling the time with games and educational activities can be a great way to break the time up. While also doing something productive. So with that in mind, here are some of the educational games and activities you can do after school. Can’t decide on which one to do first? Add them to wheel spin to help you select.
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Science kits and experiments
Science and doing any sort of experiment is always going to be appealing. It feels like they are doing something fun and crazy, but there is also an opportunity to learn at the same time. You can perform many experiments using household items and a bit of research on google. But if you wanted to have everything to hand, then buying mad science kits on websites like Amazon could be an easy option. They can read the instructions and almost occupy themselves for a while.
Treasure hunts
If you have the time, setting up a game before you pick your child up is a great way to get them occupied from the moment they walk through the door. A treasure hunt is an easy way to have them look around your home, solving the clues and then getting a prize at the end. You could even make it educational by asking them to solve maths problems like times tables.
Fun with spellings
Spelling can often be a big issue with children each week. Asking them to write them down consistently is often not the best approach to learn them. So you could create games to help them learn them more easily. It could be putting letters in order or using stair steps to piece the words together. The more fun it is, the more you will find they will learn them more easily.
Coding apps
Coding is a great thing for children to learn at this age. It is one of those things that could help them in the future. There are plenty of apps and websites that encourage children to play games while coding. One great website to try might be the Code Kingdom. This does have a monthly subscription but uses platforms like Minecraft and Roblox to teach children to code.
Create a video
Another great skill to encourage would be video editing. It can be a lovely way to get children to be creative while still using digital tools. It could be a stop-motion video or using toys to create scenarios or episodes. It doesn’t have to be anything too adventurous. But it will teach them to use their imagination, create scenarios and imaginative play and encourage them to use what they have around them. It could keep them occupied as a project over a few days.
Spider webs for times tables
If your child struggles with times tables then a great game to try is the spider web. It is so easy to set up. Use ones that they are working on, and then put the answers to them randomly on an A4 page. They then need to join up the numbers in the right order. It creates a spider’s web at the end. You can then make it harder by adding wrong numbers on the page, so they have to think about the order in which it goes.
Use Lego
Lego is a great way to encourage play after school, and you can make it fun by challenging them to build and create different things. Whether it is a specific setup that requires them to follow instructions or you just ask them to be creative and think outside of the box. You will be surprised how long this could keep them occupied for and beats them going on a games console or using technology.
Make reading fun
Finally, you might want to consider trying to make reading fun. This might be asking them to act out a scene or come up with a different ending to the story that they are reading. Getting children to read can be hard, so asking them to do different things associated with their reading could encourage them to do it more. If they are struggling with their books from school why not ask them what they are interested in and invest in some different books. It can be a great way for them to wind down after school.
Let’s hope these suggestions help you to occupy your kids with games and activities after school.
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To help you keep the children occupied after school as well as add an element of learning through play, we are lucky enough to have a Roald Dahl George’s Marvellous Experiment Kit to giveaway.
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Roald Dahl George’s Marvellous Experiment Kit
