How can parents engage their children in playful learning outside of the classroom? One way is by weaving joy into everyday activities.
Children are hardwired to observe and learn how to become successful adults. Why do children love playing with kitchen sets? They are mimicking their caregivers. Why do children love exhibits like the grocery store at the Children’s Museum of Memphis? They get to see their caregivers go shopping regularly. Because children are always watching, it’s important to find small ways to get them involved with the repeated activities that come with being an adult. So when it comes to the everyday tasks, how can caregivers engage with children in meaningful ways that leave a lasting impact?
Photos by Craig Thompson | Courtesy of Children's Museum of Memphis
Children's Museum of Memphis
The benefits of children engaging in adult activities.
When children engage with their caregivers in adult activities, such as going to the bank or grocery store, they help young learners build rich vocabularies and a detailed understanding of what it means to function as an adult. By building this base of knowledge, it supports reading, writing, and math while promoting a healthy understanding of how the world works. As children develop, they can carry these skills or this knowledge into their personal and professional lives.
There are daily opportunities to enhance a child’s potential for becoming a successful adult. It’s as simple as being responsive to their needs, talking to them, and making life and learning fun. When you’re out and about, play a game of I Spy or 20 Questions. Try to come up with imaginative stories on long car drives. You can even turn on music and dance together while cooking dinner. You’re not just creating fun memories; you’re shaping the personalities and practices children lean into as adults.
Photos by Craig Thompson | Courtesy of Children's Museum of Memphis
Children's Museum of Memphis
Make “boring” activities fun.
Children like to move, explore, and play. When it comes to sitting and doing nothing, they often become frustrated. Researchers found that people can accelerate the learning young children take away from running errands and traveling for a vacation with two strategies:
- Talk to children. Use descriptive words; make comparisons and explain what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. This shapes language skills and vocabularies and builds a deeper understanding of how the world works.
- Be playful. Children were born to play. Adding elements of fun and imagination into the mundane tasks of adulthood has been linked to increases in linguistic advancement scores. Bonus – it can also build closeness between you and your child by spending fun time together.
Photos by Craig Thompson | Courtesy of Children's Museum of Memphis
Children's Museum of Memphis
Encourage your children’s interests.
As important as it is to engage with children in adult activities, it’s also vital that you engage with their interests because it demonstrates that you value and appreciate them. When adults pay attention to their children and activities that interest them, it has a lasting positive impact on a child’s growing sense of self.
The things adults pay attention to with their children tend to blossom. For example, if you engage with their interest in reading, they’re more likely to grow into avid readers. If you show interest in their love of music, sports, or art, they’re more likely to gravitate toward those activities as they grow up. Engaging and paying attention to self-directed and self-selected activities has been linked with greater success in their endeavors and measurable long-term cognitive growth.
No matter where life takes you and your children, be sure to look for ways to weave childlike wonder into their experiences. It’s important for your child’s development, and it can also spark joy for caregivers when they see their little ones light up when learning something new.
Dr. Stewart Burgess, CEO of the Children’s Museum of Memphis, is a developmental psychologist with an extensive career in early childhood. For more than 25 years, he has devoted his life to child development: researching, writing, teaching, designing curriculum, and engineering learning environments. To discover more childhood growth and development resources or learning opportunities at the Museum, visit cmom.com.