Educational Games and Activities That Promote Learning at Home

According to the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), American students spend about 180 days in school each year learning essential subjects such as reading, math, science, and social studies. However, it’s just as important that your child spends time learning outside of the classroom — especially if they are performing poorly in school or struggling with a particular subject.

Whether your child is struggling with a subject such as math, science, or reading, or you’re simply looking to expand your child’s knowledge at home, the following games and activities have been shown to promote learning in and outside of the classroom. Read on to explore several top-rated video games, online classes, board games, and electronic toys and apps that can help your child to learn new skills and expand their knowledge — all from the comfort of your home.

Video Games

If you’re already struggling to limit the amount of time your child spends playing video games each day or week, you may be wondering how more video games are going to help your child learn at home. However, many video games have been designed specifically with learning and problem solving in mind. With educational video games such as Big Brain Academy, My Word Coach, and Civilization, your child will learn new skills and strengthen different parts of the brain — all while having fun at the same time!

Online Classes

To promote learning outside of the classroom, you could also enroll your child in an online class or two. If your child enjoys science and technology, for instance, a variety of online STEAM classes are available to kids and teens of all ages — including Einstein’s Workshop, NOVA, and Workbench. In addition to boosting your child’s knowledge of science, technology, engineering, art, and math, these online classes promote hands-on learning, build confidence, and help kids to develop a greater appreciation of the STEAM curriculum.

Board Games

While online classes and educational video games are great for encouraging learning outside of the classroom, board games can be a fun and enjoyable learning opportunity for the whole family. By choosing board games that teach skills like strategic thinking, math, color and symbol matching, and cooperation and collaboration, you’ll have fun as a family while learning something new in the process. A few top-rated board games for families to invest in include:

  • The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game.
  • Cooperative board games like Castle Panic.
  • Classics like Candyland and Sequence.

Electronic Toys and Smartphone Apps

In addition to video games, online classes, and board games, electronic toys and mobile apps can also help kids to learn outside of the classroom. For instance, the LeapFrog 2-in-1 LeapTop Touch is an educational electronic toy that teaches toddlers essential math, reading, and computer skills — all while giving young kids the opportunity to play and have fun.

For older kids aged six to 10, there’s the Osmo Genius Kit for iPad devices. With a compatible iPad device, the Osmo Genius Kit will help to boost your child’s problem-solving skills and their creativity, math confidence, and reading and vocabulary skills.

To encourage learning at home, you could also download a few educational apps to your child’s smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Experts at Good Housekeeping recommend kid-friendly apps such as ABCmouse.com, Epic!, and Quick Math Jr. Plus, parental control apps like KidLogger and SafeToNet allow you to monitor your child’s online activity and protect them from bullies, predators, and other potential dangers whenever they use a mobile device.

Your child’s classroom education is important for many reasons, but it’s just as vital that your child learns from home as well — especially if your teen or grade schooler is struggling with one or more school subjects. However, kids can still have fun while learning at home. With these educational games, online classes, and electronic toys to make use of, you’ll help your child to expand their knowledge and learn new skills, all while having fun at the same time!