Guest Author I’m Sarah from Earth kids learning. I am a scientist and Mum to a lovely little girl and boy, aged 6 and 2. I have always enjoyed making games and activities for my eldest. But while furloughed in lockdown with nursery shut and nowhere to go out of the house, my love (and need!) of creating activities really blossomed. I am a lover of nature and Montessori learning and especially ‘real world’ images for learning. As adults we may love a beautiful illustration or cute cartoon of a cow but I imagine it must be quite tricky for a young child’s brain to match up the word to the actual cow it sees in the field or the different
drawn representations. So, where I can, I try to make learning a little easier for them. And of course, lots of fun!
The scientist in me
When my little boy arrived at the end of lockdown I began making my own activities for both my children.
Covering their ability levels (Toddler/Preschool/Key stage 1). The scientist in me loves
research and it was fun to look up the Early years and KS1 curriculum to get ideas for topics. I also
just love to follow their interest and take requests! I’m currently designing a Dinosaur themed
activity at my daughter’s enthusiastic plea. When the theme goes with something they enjoy, they
don’t even realise they’re learning. Creating activities for our children can be a great way to enhance connection, family time and learning together.
Earth kids learning
My little Etsy shop (Earth Kids Leaning) is where I share and sell the activities I made for my own children. They are printable and simple to cut out. No need to worry if you don’t have a printer or would rather make your own at home. I’m excited to share some simple activities ideas, both printable and DIY, that we love. I hope that you can uses this inspiration for family time ideas this summer.
Activity 1 – So many Puzzles
Oh boy we did a lot of puzzles in Lockdown! They are still a big hit with all ages and are so versatile
for learning. Puzzles are easy to make yourself and they engage children too. One of the best puzzle ideas is a family photograph puzzle. I print pictures of memorable family scenes/pets and cut them up into a puzzle that the children can easily relate to. These are small to store, quick to prep and perfect for keeping in your bag. I recommend a small zip lock for each photo, unless they’re ready for a real challenge! You can use any image that interests your child. A photo of your garden, family and friends they miss who live far away, an animal photo they like from a magazine… there are endless options and you can make them as tricky or simple as you like.
Activity 2 – Real life shapes
Leaning flat shapes on a page is one thing, but it’s another to learn to recognise shapes in the world
around you! I love making games with shapes. The kids get so excited about spotting shapes in the world around them wherever we go now. This is a versatile game that different ages can do together. You can play it sat in a restaurant or a whole host of situations where you need to keep everyone entertained.
You will need a shapes sheet printed or draw showing 2D/3D shapes. (I’d have a look around your house to plan the shapes first so you don’t get yourself a bit stuck or the kids get a bit frustrated the first time you play). There is a quieter and noisier version of this game.
For the quieter version: Using the shapes sheet collect pictures of or the real world recognisable objects of shapes on the sheet. Have them ready so that your children can match them to the shapes on the sheet. You can throw some random objects in to make them giggle and make the game a little trickier! This version of the game has everything you need in front of you so you can sit together and play.
The less quiet version is to send the kids around the room, toy box or house to find objects that
match the shapes on their shape sheet… it’s like a shapes treasure hunt! Advancing kids can start to match the word written on paper to the shape objects too. You can also do this game with colour matching.
Activity 3 – Get counting!
I want to share some of our most popular counting games and ideas from Earth kids learning. I have included some tips to make your own. These three ideas are designed for a rage of abilities
- Toddler: This game is based on the always popular ‘5 little ducks went swimming one day’ song. We use a string visual counting component from the 5 little ducks printable which you can buy from my Etsy shop. Or you can write numbers on separate pieces of paper and select 5 favourite teddies to go ‘walking’ instead of swimming. As you sing together reenforce the number with the visual.
- Preschool: My daughter was obsessed with BBC maths tv show Numberblocks! In the UK schools use them to help with numbers. (Watching this show taught me how to talk to children about numbers). If you know the show then you can use those same colours to help reinforce number learning at home. You can use Earth kids learning printable sheets found in our preschool starter pack or you can draw your own coloured spots version using the same colours as Numberblocks.
- Key Stage 1: Now for real world counting. My daughter always chooses the Earth kids learning activity printable: counting the sprinkles on the ice cream cone. You can draw your own delicious version or look for objects in your home! Duplo or wooden blocks are great for continuing the number blocks colours to help them too.
I find these Earth kids learning games perfect for having some quieter, non-screen time activities and some quality time sitting with your child doing something together. The prospect of being ‘taught’ something by your parent or ‘having to learn something’ can get a bit overwhelming and too much pressure for some children. For those moments it’s great to have some activities that get them thinking and learning without realising. My own children love them and I hope they can bring some joy to you and your child too!
