Are you excited about leading an Education Adventure but need some inspiration? Check out these ideas to help kick start your imagination about what magical experience you can lead for kids.
Make Your Own Comic Book
Comic books and graphic novels are a kid-friendly way to encourage reading and develop writing skills. This project can be leveled up or down based on the child’s age and skill set. Younger kids may only write a few sentences; older children can practice editing and using figurative language. Young writers will focus on elements of a story: character, setting, plot and conclusion. Mature students can explore how graphic novels differ from traditional novels and further plot/character development. All kids can create and design characters, craft a plot, compose a first draft, and do simple editing. To get the creative juices flowing, have some sample comic books and graphic novels on hand. The local library is a great resource.
Why Kids Will Love It
From The Babysitters Club to Dog Man, kids love graphic novels. Lively, colorful illustrations engage even the most reluctant reader. Now your child will be able to make their very own comic book story.
Why Parents Will Love It
It’s literacy practice that doesn’t feel like homework.
Make It Extra Special
For just a few dollars, you can order a blank comic book journal on Amazon. Once the story is finalized, the child can copy their pictures and text into a bound book as a keepsake. Don’t forget an “About the Author” page. (Bonus: many books have extra pages for writing sequels!) Encourage the child to show off their creation with an at-home publishing party—or take it to school to read to their class.
Be a Money Math Master
Start the activity by playing Money Memory to review what coins look like and how much each is worth. (There are lots of versions of this game available online to level it up or down for differently aged kids.) Having some actual coins on hand to explore may be helpful. When the child has mastered coins, set up a grocery store at home using items in the pantry and around the house. Make price tags out of Post-It’s and have the child help you label the items. Create shopping lists for each other (bonus: this is great literacy practice too). Take turns shopping for your items and playing the cashier. (Keep it simple with rounded numbers and single items. Level it up using more complex prices or challenging kids to do the math in their head.) Add up the total and pay for it with play or real money. Switch roles and do it all again. Make it feel like a game (and not math homework) by using the dress-up bin to take on new roles and characters shopping and working at the store.
Why Kids Will Love It
Mastering money empowers kids to make their own choices about spending and saving. They’ll love the feeling of increased independence.
Why Parents Will Love It
Money skills lead to more responsible spending decisions, and it’s great for practicing math without feeling like it’s a math assignment.
Make It Extra Special
Make a piggy bank to save up for something special. Pick something big to save up for and set a goal. Decorate a container to use, like an old snack tube with lid. Write your goal on the outside. Draw or cut out pictures to paste on to inspire and motivate. Don’t forget to brainstorm ways to earn money too!
Learn About US Geography
Spend an afternoon exploring the geography of the United States of America. Get familiar with the lay of the land with young kids by playing United States Bingo or going on a USA Scavenger Hunt. Give older children a blank map and challenge them to correctly label as many states as possible. Explore a list of national monuments and use your favorite medium to recreate them. Paint a landscape, make a play-dough replica of a geological feature, or build an historic structure out of Lego. Have extra time? Do all three! Learn the names of all 50 states with the Fifty Nifty United States Song or challenge older kids to learn the states and their capitals. Pick a favorite state and make a poster enticing visitors to plan a trip.
Why Kids Will Love It
Geography is full of fun facts that inquisitive little minds will love to soak up and share with everyone around them.
Why Parents Will Love It
Kids will get exposure to the world beyond their neighborhood. Learning about the USA will spark curiosity and wanderlust.
Make It Extra Special
Print or draw a map of the United States for the child. Have them color in states that they have traveled to and/or would like to travel to. Hang the map in their bedroom as a log of where they’ve been.
Go on a Scholastic Treasure Hunt
Turn studying into a treasure hunt! In order to find the treasure, the child will need to solve riddles, complete puzzles or answer questions to find the clues. You’ll need to do a little up front coordination with parents about the subject the child needs to study, as well as determining a motivating treasure to hunt for. After that, it’s up to you to create challenging and engaging clues and puzzles. Studying for math? Have the child solve math problems. Working on spelling or sight words? Challenge the kiddo to spell or unscramble letters to make the word. Learning new science vocabulary? Ask the child to define key terms while completing physical challenges. (“Tell me the three states of matter while balancing on one foot.”) It’s up to you to decide how fun and challenging it will be.
Why Kids Will Love It
Studying is boring. Homework is just that: work. Kids will love the opportunity to get up from their desk and learn in a dynamic way with an exciting surprise at the end.
Why Parents Will Love It
The child will be learning and studying while playing. Making homework into a game takes the drudgery out of the task.
Make It Extra Special
Teaching someone else solidifies the knowledge in your brain. After the child has found the treasure, challenge them to create a few clues and riddles for you! They’ll get a kick out of reversing roles and won’t even realize they’re still learning!
Learn and Play with Board Games
Make homework and studying fun! Instead of grinding away at a desk, break out the board games and let the learning happen more subtly. There are so many classic games that already incorporate elements of learning. Or with a few small adjustments, you can turn a “regular” game into an educational opportunity. Caring for a child who needs to work on literacy skills? Try Bananagrams, Scrabble, or create your own Wordle, word searches or crossword puzzles. Practice math skills with these games. Sneak some math into the card game, War, by flipping two cards at a time and adding (or subtracting) the total to see who wins the hand. Get physical with a spelling version of Twister.
Why Kids Will Love It
Given the choice, kids will always pick playing games over doing homework.
Why Parents Will Love It
Helping kids with homework can be frustrating, difficult and emotionally charged. Take this task off the parents’ to-do list, and they will be forever grateful.
Make It Extra Special
Bring a special treat to keep motivated. M&M’s, gummy fruit snacks, or other small candies can go a long way in keeping a child engaged with the work. Plus a sweet treat is a fun and low-cost reward for the hard work of learning.
Looking for more ideas to kickstart your Adventure creativity? Here are some creative ideas for Adventures in each of the available categories. Have fun!
