| Every child loves to have fun. As a parent you can | | | | spaghetti, homemade slime and cold, round ice cubes. |
| motivate, teach and empower children through the use | | | | They are sure to be wondering just what you having |
| of fun activities for kids. For children under the age of | | | | them touch. This is a great way to get children to learn |
| 10, there are many things that are fun for kids but at | | | | through play. |
| the same time teach them something useful or help | | | | Hearing Something Fun |
| them to explore their surroundings. A good way to do | | | | Kids learn through creative play. You can teach your |
| this is through using their senses. | | | | child about their sense of hearing fairly easily. A fun |
| The following activities are interesting, unique ways to | | | | kids game to play is to simply have them close their |
| help your child of any age to learn about their senses. | | | | eyes and listen to sounds over various areas of the |
| Exploring the Sense of Smell | | | | room. Or, head outside in a very safe area. Blind fold |
| For younger children, the sense of smell can be an | | | | them and take turns calling the individual to come |
| amazing thing, something that they don't think about. | | | | towards your voice. See how long it takes until they |
| The sense of smell is not just a simple sense. There | | | | find you! Keep an eye on them to be sure they are |
| are many ways to have fun exploring it. For example, | | | | safe, of course. |
| blind fold a child and ask them to find a specific scent | | | | For younger children, boys and girls play can be as |
| within a room. Place strong smelling items in various | | | | simple as guessing what sounds are from a recording. |
| corners throughout the room. Let their nose guide them | | | | For older children, even teens, have the child listen to a |
| from place to place. | | | | chord of music and try to mimic the sound with their |
| For younger children, it can also be fun to have a | | | | voice. Ba...ba.ba.ba.... |
| smelling contest where parents give each blind folded | | | | Tasting They Will Love |
| child something to smell and they have to guess what | | | | Since children learn through play, a great way to help |
| it is. Exploring the sense of smell can be a lot of fun | | | | them learn the sense of taste is trying new foods. But, |
| and educational, too. | | | | how do you get a child that is picky willing to taste |
| Using Your Eyes | | | | new foods? There are several things to do here. First, |
| For children, being able to see is something they take | | | | invite them into the kitchen. Allow the child to help peel |
| for granted. Take this away and your child is in a world | | | | and cut (age appropriate and safe) and have them |
| that is completely foreign to them. After removing all of | | | | help with any other method of preparing meals. |
| the harmful objects from a room, have the child close | | | | Encourage them to make their own foods, too. |
| their eyes and identify certain objects. The other | | | | Perhaps they would like to make something with you, |
| senses are heightened when they can't see. | | | | that they create. Good or bad tasting, they still get to |
| For older children, purchase or find online a book of | | | | see the transformation of taste in their mouths. |
| optical illusions. From moving surfaces to objects that | | | | With older children, explore textures, too. The crunch of |
| look like others, this is a fantastic way to explain how | | | | a carrot mixed with the softness of bread creates a |
| the inner eye works and why the brain and eyes have | | | | unique texture in the mouth. What happens when |
| to work together to understand the image. | | | | vegetables are cooked instead of eaten raw? Explore |
| Feeling Something New | | | | each of these areas thoroughly with them. |
| There is nothing more fun than getting dirty and for this | | | | Fun activities for kids can fall into that learning |
| activity kids can get a bit messy. To teach them about | | | | category, too. Kids love to explore new things and play |
| the sense of touch, take an empty shoe box and turn | | | | games, especially when mom or dad gets to help |
| it upside down, open side down. Cut out just a large | | | | them with it. Best of all, you will want to spend your |
| enough hole in one end to allow the child's arm to | | | | time explaining why things happen the way they do. |
| reach in. Then, secretly put different items under the | | | | These kids fun games and projects are something |
| box and have them guess what they are. Try cold | | | | you can do with your child! |