19 Fun Learning Activities for Kids

By Cynthia Hochswender
Updated April 16, 2020
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Want to increase your kid’s knowledge and improve his social-emotional development? Check out these 19 games, crafts, and activities that incorporate active learning into everyday life.
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Sun Printing

Photograph by Ryan Liebe
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In this easy learning activity, sunlight causes a chemical reaction on construction paper. It teaches the power of ultraviolet (UV) rays—and encourages kids to wear sunscreen!

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DIY Rainstorm

Photograph by Julie Bidwell
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Kids create their own stormy weather—and play with shaving cream—doing this simple science experiment. They’ll also learn about lab techniques and earth science, while building fine motor control skills. 

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Feeding the Birds

Photograph by Julie Bidwell
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Get crafty by making a DIY bird feeder out of a half-gallon carton. Encourage kids to keep a journal with a running tally of feeder visitors, sketches, and observations. This active learning strategy will teach her about nature science and classification. 

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Twist and Count

Photograph by William Geddes

Got an old Twister game in the closet? Give it a smart spin by playing Twisted Math. Write numerals on sticky notes and set them on the dots at random. Call out a number (say, 24), then challenge kids to place their hands and feet on a set of numerals that can be made to equal that number using addition, subtraction, or multiplication (4 + 2 x 4). Players who make a math error or fall over are out. The last mathlete standing wins!

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Constellation Tracker

Photograph by Allie Cottrill
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With their awesomely strange names—we're talking to you, Cassiopeia!—and back stories spun from myth and legend, constellations are a stellar way to spark an interest in astronomy. This simple DIY viewer lets your child see "stars" by day (by peering through a cardboard tube) or at night (by using a flashlight to project formations on a wall). Your child will get a healthy dose of astronomy, cultural history, and observation when using this craft. 

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Hook, Line, and Thinker

Photograph by Allie Cottrill

Let kids reel in the fun—and catch on to numbers—with this "math tub" game. To make a fish, sandwich a steel washer between strips of duct tape, then cut the tape into shape. Mark each with a digit from 0 to 9 and release them in a partially filled tub. Tie a string to a dowel, then sandwich magnets over the string's end to serve as a hook. To play, a young child can fish for a certain number; an older child can try to hook the answer to an equation.

(Remember to supervise children around water and when using small magnets.)

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Track Your Trees

Photograph by Tim MacKay
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This learning activity for kids teaches basic concepts of natural science and mapping right in your own backyard. Using simple supplies, kids can figure out what trees are around their home, then document their findings, charting the grounds and creating a lovely keepsake. It's a perfect project for introducing dendrology (the study of trees) to a budding naturalist.

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Egg in a Bottle

Photograph by Jennifer May
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A boiled egg may seem unassuming, but under the right conditions, it can be a powerful thing. In this classic demonstration of how a vacuum must be filled, the egg withstands a mighty force of nature (at least for a little while), until the experiment's surprising—and kid-pleasing!—conclusion. This learning activity teaches physics, earth science, and observation.

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Book Bingo

Photograph by Michael Piazza
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Here's a surefire way to build excitement around the written word: A book-bingo that rewards frequent and wide-ranging reading. Whether your kids are born bookworms or reluctant readers, they'll get a kick out of earning prizes through their bookish pursuits—and never suspect that they're also boosting their literacy skills and vocabulary!

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Build 3D Shapes

Alexandra Grablewski
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Sometimes the simplest learning activities can demonstrate the most profound ideas. Using humble materials to build a 3-D shape, kids can begin to understand how the things around them—from soccer balls to supermarkets—are made of forms mathematicians call polyhedra (Greek for "many faces"). They’ll also get a dose of spatial reasoning and manual dexterity. 

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Backyard Spelling Game

Photograph by Joe Polillio
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This game puts a super-size spin on Scrabble—and boosts basic literacy skills— by transforming word-building into an active learning challenge.

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Homemade Barometer

Photograph by Andrew Greto
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The weather channel often talks about how high- and low-pressure systems affect the daily forecast. This simple homemade barometer lets kids observe changes in air pressure and make some weather predictions of their own.

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Jump Rope Spelling Game

Photograph by Kinzie & Riehm
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Forget flash cards! Next time your child has a vocabulary list, head to the driveway or sidewalk for this jumping game. Kids will let out some energy while learning to spell.

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Bulb Growth Charts

Photograph by Andrew Greto
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This learning activity for kids works with numbers—and gives a close-up view of spring's arrival. Inspired by the wall markings used to track kids' height, these simple bulb growth charts let young ones adopt a bulb and track its progress. They'll hardly notice they're learning math and science along the way.

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Calculator Hopscotch

Brent Hale
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We all know that exercise is good for kids' health, but according to a growing body of evidence, it can also improve their academic performance. This brainy variation of a blacktop favorite will help your kids get a jump on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. 

Here’s how to set it up: Using sidewalk chalk, draw the calculator hopscotch board (link to diagram above) with boxes about 1 foot square (skip the multiplication and division signs for younger kids). Jumping can be done with one foot (trickier) or two feet.

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Literary Museum

Ed Judice
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This active learning activity was inspired by the alphabet boxes often used in Montessori classrooms. Simply raid your pantry for boxes and line them with colorful letter printouts. Check out the link above for three ways to play games that encourage letter recognition and reading readiness.

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Label Mapping

Andrew Greto
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Want to teach your kid about geography and the world? Seek out a wall map that clearly shows the borders of countries. Have your child place the labels from clothing, toys, and produce on their countries of origin. This learning activity might result in spirited discussions about how and why we're all connected to the wider world.

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Rhyming Domino Game

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Got a beginning reader? Dust off an old set of dominoes and transform them into a tool for mastering letter sounds. Click on the instructions above for more information about making and using this rhyming game. 

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Spool Speller

Alexandra Grablewski
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An easy-to-make spool speller helps kids expand their vocabulary. 

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