Six Educational Rainy-Day Activities for Your Student

Struggling in school can affect a child’s confidence in and out of the classroom. While tutoring helps close the gap, hiring a tutor isn’t the only thing parents can do to build their child’s intellect and self-esteem. By exposing children to learning opportunities that are as fun as they are educational, parents can improve their children’s school performance and make learning a little less scary. These six rainy-day activities are perfect for doing just that.

For Elementary Age Students
1. Math bingoBy turning math into a game, parents can reinforce math concepts in a fun, approachable way. Math bingo is the perfect game for elementary schoolers. Kids are supplied with bingo cards where each square is occupied by a number. Parents call out equations, and kids try to score a bingo by marking the right answers. Parents can make their own bingo cards or let kids play math bingo online.

2. Hands-on scienceEarly learning tends to focus on reading and arithmetic skills, but what about science? According to EdSource, the earlier children are exposed to science concepts, the more likely they are to excel in science later on. Develop your young elementary schooler’s spatial reasoning and engineering skills with fun science activities like constructing with Legos, Jenga, and magnets.

For Middle School Age Students
3. Online music lessonsMiddle school is a great time for kids to start learning a musical instrument. Not only that, but according to Pacific Standard, music lessons can improve children’s language-based reasoning, organizational skills, and overall academic achievement. The benefits are especially pronounced for children with learning differences like ADHD and autism. While younger kids benefit from in-person instruction, middle school students can learn an instrument through online lessons and instructional videos. There’s no need to rush out and buy an instrument. If you have an older woodwind instrument or guitar, make sure you have some new reeds or strings on hand, then set your child up with some online instruction and see if an interest is sparked.

4. Movie makingThese days, you don’t need a fancy video camera to record high-quality footage. Kids can shoot video with their smartphones and make their own mini-movies with the help of video-editing apps. Have your middle schooler pull out old toys and shoot a stop-motion film. Making a movie will challenge your children’s storytelling skills and give them something more educational to do with their smartphone than scrolling through social media.

For High School Age Students
5. Real estate lesson plansHigh school is the age where kids start to feel like what they’re learning in school doesn’t matter for the “real world.” Show them that’s not true with an introduction to real estate. As Redfin points out, "Real estate is a complex field that requires skills in math, science, English, social studies and home economics. By incorporating real estate-based lessons into your curriculum, you can help students gain valuable skills in practical math application, presentation giving, forming a persuasive argument, earth science and so much more."

6. Creative writingAs the arts continue to disappear from public school curricula, students crave outlets for creativity. However, they don’t always have the tools to express themselves. Use a rainy day as an opportunity to exercise your teen’s creativity with creative writing exercises. Now Novel offers a variety of writing prompts to get teens started and challenge their writing ability.
 
Sitting down with school books and worksheets isn’t the only way for kids to learn. While they’re not a substitute for formal instruction, activities like these are perfect for igniting a passion for learning in kids who feel discouraged by their difficulties in the classroom. Whether you need an activity for a rainy day, summer break, or just a fun way to spend time with your kids, these six activities are an excellent place to start.