10 Ways to Make Learning Fun – When I first started creating products for Teacher Pay Teachers, my number one goal was to make learning fun for my first graders. I wanted to help teachers create enthusiasm for learning in their classroom. Making resources fun and engaging was top priority. I was noticing that teachers and students were overwhelmed by some of the objectives, making it almost impossible to create enthusiasm for learning. As you can probably guess, making resources fun is not always an easy task! I do realize that not everything will be fun, but if I can help motivate students and increase engagement by making learning fun, I will!
#1: Removing Stress Can Help Make Learning Fun
When kids are stressed out because a skill is too difficult, in interferes with learning in a big way. I saw this happening as I was trying to teach 1st Graders Making Inferences. I realized that this skill was so difficult for kids, that I had to somehow remove the stress. Some kids weren’t ready to read between the lines and determine what an author was trying to slip into their brains. The difficulty of this skill was causing stress and reducing enthusiasm for learning. I was having a difficult making learning fun while MAKING INFERENCES. Then, I got an idea. I decided to give the students the inference! I gave them the inference and they just had to give me the text evidence. This was so successful that I created an entire set of small passages with inferences built right in. By gradually releasing this skill, it reduced the stress and they began having fun as they learned. As they became more successful, they wanted more practice. All Making Inferences Resources For more information about this method, read this Blog Post Making Inferences for Beginners
It turns out that kids LOVE to infer!
#2: Fun Practice Activities Makes Learning Fun
All teachers know that skills practice is a MUST! But, sometimes it can get mundane and it’s just not fun. And when it’s not fun, kids aren’t motivated to keep practicing and learning. Kids don’t like boring and mundane and they are likely not to participate or try their best. But, you know what kids do like? Codes! They love learning with codes! I created a few really fun resources that use codes, taking the math practice to a new level and creating enthusiasm for learning. Kids must use the code to create an equation, then solve the equation. Some of the resources use the Friends of Ten, which breaks the objective into bitesize pieces. These resources are great for distance learning and for learning centers inside your classroom.
#3: Sound Boxes Make Learning Fun
When kids struggle to learn to read, they need more practice. Sometime getting them to practice is the real struggle! How can kids learn to read when they hate it so much and don’t want to practice? By adding an element of fun and scaffolding the skills to make them more attainable. When your students are successful, their enthusiasm for learning is increased making them want more! I created several resources using Sound Boxes that are very helpful for teaching kids the phonics skills they need for becoming a strong reader. These resources of course, are not your typical sound boxes. I took that skill and added to it. Using phonemes that require more than one letter, made these sound boxes so effective, but also made them so much fun for kids. To learn more about this activity, read this blog post. Sound Boxes for Guided Reading
#4: Puppets Make Learning Fun
If I didn’t tell you about how much fun it is to teach with puppets, it just wouldn’t be fair! Kids love to create puppets by coloring, cutting and gluing them to the paper bag. Then, the fun really begins when they can make them talk! When kids make the puppets talk, they will communicate back the information they have learned which involves application of the skills. Here are a few resources that use puppets to make learning fun! Read this blog post to find out more about Reading Strategy Puppets
#5: Boom Cards Make Learning Fun
I started creating Boom Cards months ago, but didn’t realize how fun they could be until I create the “Uncover the…” series. As kids answer math problems, they are uncovering a riddle or trivia question. This is so motivating and fun! They like to do the decks over and over because they already know the answer to the question. That’s enthusiasm for practice! They can also memorize the math problems as they practice and not even realize that they are learning! Here’s a little video to show how it works! Use Boom Cards for Distance Learning
#6: Fun and Engaging Seasonal Activities
Using Seasonal Resources keeps learning fun! Kids love to see the fun clip art on the pages in hopes of being able to color it once their work is done. They are also motivated by this same fun, seasonal clip art then they see it in digital products. You’ll see your students beam with enthusiasm when they see activities that have fun, eye catching images!
#7: Write the Room Activities Create Enthusiasm for Learning
We all know that kids need to get up and move around the classroom. They will behave better if they have this opportunity. In write the room activities, kids are given a recording sheet which they fill in while finding the information hidden in your classroom. Write the room activities allow kids to get much needed movement while they practice the skills you’ve been teaching. It can get loud, but that’s the sound of enthusiastic little learners in your classroom. On Teachers Pay Teachers, you can find a Write the Room resource for just about any skill. A similar activity is Scoot. Read this blog post to learn more about Scoot and Write the Room. Tips for a Successful Scoot & Write the Room
#8: Crossword Puzzles and Word Searches
If you’ve taught your student how to work a crossword puzzle or do a word search correctly, you know how valuable these skills are. But, besides being a valuable skill to have, these two activities are fun and they lend themselves to independent work AND partner work. They are a great way for kids to practice vocabulary, definitions, phonics skills and more. And… if you need something to keep your students busy, crossword puzzles and word searches work great! They are also a fantastic addition to your sub tub!
#9: Flashlights Make Learning Fun
Have you ever met a kid that didn’t love a flashlight? Me either! You can use flashlights in your classroom to engage your young learners and get them to practice reading or math skills. They also just like to use them when reading.
#10: Bingo Dabbers are Fun
Have you tried using Bingo Dabbers (Daubers) in your classroom? You can use them for creating art projects, but they are extremely useful for creating enthusiasm for practicing skills. Your student’s will want to play bingo dabber games during indoor recess! Students use the dabber to dab their answer when playing bingo dabber learning games. Here are a few that I’ve created. All Bingo Dabber Games
#11 BONUS! Crafts are Fun
Kids have so much fun with crafts. When the crafts are educational, you’ve got kids working and learning while they play. Many may not even realize that they are learning! Fun learning crafts can also make a fantastic display for bulletin boards.
And Lots, Lots More
These are just a few of my favorites, but there are so many more. This post could go on and on! Leave a comment if you’d like me to add your favorite!
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Thanks for stopping by!
~ Carrie
I wanted to give my daughter some ideas to help her with my grandchildren with homeschooling. I love your section on crossword puzzles. It is true that these are valuable skills. I agree that they are also fun and initiate independence.