Planning Fun Activities for Kids
 by: Robert Sheldon

When you are planning fun activities for kids you have to maintain a balance between fun and instruction while maintaining your sanity. That can be a feat, but it is doable.

With a little forethought, preparation and tenacity, you can come up with some fantastic activities that will have your kids scrambling back to their parents recounting the events of the day with excitement and joy. What can be better for a teacher to hear than for a student to exclaim, “Guess what I learned in school today!”

1. Make it Interactive. Kids like things that are interactive. They like activities that “talk back” to them. This is an important point to keep in mind when you are planning activities for your classroom.

If you are just standing in front of the class lecturing your heart out, you may not be making the impact you would like, a least not the impact you could make.

Engage your students. Ask questions, encourage discussion and debate, get them involved in the process and you will see a whole new world of learning opening up.

2. Keep it Hands On. If they can touch it, taste it, smell it and hear it, they are much more likely to learn it. Plan hands on activities that allow children to experience the lessons first hand.

Activities that engage their senses, get them moving and get them involved will keep them occupied longer and help them remember the lessons more readily.

3. Be Age Appropriate. Teenagers are probably not going to be interested in climbing all over a firetruck, but they might enjoy visiting a museum where they can handle fossils. Think about the age of the children you are teaching and plan activities that are appropriate for that age group.

Coloring seems to appeal to kids of all ages, so there are some activities that are universal. When in doubt, talk with your kids and really listen to what they like, what excites them and what they find intellectually stimulating.

4. Stay Within Your Means. If you have a room full of preschoolers and you are thinking of going to a museum, you are going to need help! Know what you can and can not do.

If you are planning an activity that will have your kids moving around, you may have trouble controlling the situation if you try to go it alone. When in doubt, get some help.

Ask parents to volunteer. But if you go beyond your means, you will be stressed out and no one is likely to have much fun and they certainly won't be much learning going on!

5. Have Fun! This is the main thing to remember when you are planning fun activities for kids. Kids like to have fun! Plan activities that they will enjoy, that are interesting and creative.

If you are just standing there yammering away, you won't make as much of an impact as you would if you created an activity that engaged their senses, involved them and was fun.

Learning can be fun and when you put effort into planning activities for kids in the classroom, you can teach, have fun and maybe even learn a few things yourself. After all, even algebra can be fun when you are playing math baseball!