Work, rest and play: putting the fun into learning
Work, rest and play: an age-old mantra designed to encapsulate what it really means to enjoy a healthy work-life balance. Work gives us a sense of purpose and achievement, whilst rest enables us to recover from the day-to-day trials and tribulations. Play is where we unwind and really enjoy life.For children, the need to combine work, rest and play is even more vital. At schools the world over, teachers are forever inventing new ways to engage their class and ensure that their formative years are not only educational, but fun too.Children’s minds are like sponges for information, but they have to be interested in what they are learning, which is why making lessons fun and enthralling is the best way to help youngsters learn.Most people will have watched kids TV shows such as Sesame Street, where education and fun and games are closely entwined. It may be a song that involves counting animals, or a game that requires children to associate animals with letters of the alphabet: the point is, children learn best when they don’t realise they are learning – when they are fully-engaged and having fun.It’s for this reason that teachers should be using all the resources available to them to help make the classroom a fun, interactive setting. With the technological revolution in full swing, school is the perfect place to combine all the bells and whistles of digital devices and contraptions, with fun-filled classroom activities.Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and interactive flipcharts are designed to bring classrooms to life, bridging the divide between a child’s gadget-filled home and the traditional stuffy textbook school environment.For example, children can investigate how far Olympic athletes can jump and then go outside and see how their own efforts compare. Some interactive flipchart games teach children Spanish numbers, with the help of music, games and a plethora of interactivity that culminates in a short test.There are many free teachers resources available online to tap into. The beauty of sharing lesson plans online is that they have been tried and tested by other teachers – if they worked for a classroom of 10-year-olds in Australia, the chances are they’ll work for a classroom of 10-year-olds in Britain.Whilst home-time is the time for children to enjoy some down-time, school is where children learn about themselves and the world around them, and what better way to learn than through fun and interaction? A sensible mix of work, rest and play is the key to keeping kids mentally healthy.Janine Barclay writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
