Five Simple Items to Use When Homeschooling

In this article, we’ll introduce you to five versatile items that can help you in your daily homeschooling routine. You don’t need to spend a fortune—sometimes the most ordinary objects do a better job than expensive equipment! Here’s a quick overview:

1. Dice

Dice, in varying quantities in our homes, are an excellent starting point for learning math. With a few dice, you are ready to work on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Better yet, you can play games with skip-counting or do operations by counting only odd or even results, etc. A simple internet search for dice games will convince you to try it out.

2. Blank board games

Very easy to find on the Internet, blank game boards require only one thing: creativity! Whether you want to create French, math, science or social studies games, these tools are an excellent way to review a multitude of subjects. What’s more, they place the child at the heart of his or her learning, since the child becomes the main actor! It is up to the child to invent the rules, design the question or task cards, give them a title and, of course, illustrate them. These are excellent projects that also aim to develop independence and self-confidence!

3. Guess Who?

Almost everyone knows this classic game, where you have to ask your opponent questions in order to guess their identity. How about a version that honours the emblematic figures of New France, the planets of the solar system or the countries of a given continent? Wouldn’t this be a great way to review important concepts while having fun? All you have to do is replace the characters with the subject you want to cover. Nothing could be easier!

4. A set of magnetic shapes

These games have become popular in recent years and offer a ton of learning opportunities. For the youngest children, the assembly of shapes and the progressive learning of colors and volumes are of particular interest. For the older ones, we note the great versatility of these magnets: creation of sequences by respecting the shapes and colors, introduction to symmetry (by the possibility of folding the shapes on themselves), assembly of solids and visualization of their pattern, construction of 2D and 3D models, etc. Imagination at its best!

5. Popsicle or ice cream sticks :P

Make way for recycling! It is possible to give a second life to popsicle or ice cream sticks by using them in various games. For example, transform them into dominoes to learn numbers or to associate script letters with their cursive counterparts. You can also use them to learn about letters, make shapes or learn about different types of snowflakes. Let your imagination run free and approach concepts in a concrete and playful way with these small items that are often very appealing to our little gourmets!