Educational activities kids can do at home

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the traditional school year to a close, and parents were forced into the role of home educator. Even after the school year ended, you can help your child learn with simple activities that tie in to common school subjects:

• Art: Learning doesn’t always mean hitting the books. Nurturing one’s creativity is important to childhood development. Have kids illustrate scenes from a story they’re reading or explain a science experiment using a diagram. Drawing, painting and coloring are applicable for multiple subjects.

• Gym: It’s important to make time for exercise. Kids should be active for at least 60 minutes every day. Whether it’s through fitness videos, apps or even a dance party, find a way to break a sweat.

• Language Arts: Have children write letters to family or friends to encourage self-expression and practice handwriting. Read over them together and take notes on structure, spelling and grammar. There’s also journal writing, which is another form of creative and emotional expression.

• Life Skills: Use this as an opportunity to teach children the benefit of cooking for themselves or washing their own clothes. Sorting laundry can also help little ones learn colors and practice organization.

• Math: Make a batch of cookies and have children figure out the fractions in the recipe. Parents can also teach basic addition and subtraction by using spare change and dollar bills as a visual.

• Reading: Daily reading is great for the imagination. Books can transport kids to