Hands-on science, math, language arts and history help students learn better.
Several recent studies show that students of all ages (even seniors in high school) learn better and are more engaged in the subject matter if they’re allowed to learn through hands-on science, math, language arts or history activities.
But how does a parent adapt a lesson plan that appears to be lacking hands-on ideas and make it more engaging?
3 Tips for Hands-On Science
When you open a lesson plan for science, it’s helpful to keep in mind that not every parent wants to do scientific experiments at home. So there may be a variety of other methods of learning, such as texts to read, videos to watch, and summaries to write.
However, this does not mean your child is stuck with only those options. Three tips for hands-on science include:
- Read the entire lesson plan first, and devise a summary statement that correlates to the lesson plan’s objective.
This lesson may be used to help students learn about erosion in earth science, understand the impact that force can have on speed in a physics lesson, or help a student calculate unit conversions in chemistry.
- Break the lesson into parts.
Once you understand the overall objective of the lesson, you can easily divide it into parts. Usually, this involves a learning component and a trial component.
If the lesson involves reading about a specific topic, why not get creative with it and let your child read it and then interview you to see what you remember from when you were in school? Students of all ages love to test their parents, and while it’s not hands-on, this method of information gathering helps your student recognize what was important about what they read and discover it in the answers you provide (or not, if you don’t know the answers).
The trial component can be anything that’s reinforced or shows a progression of mastery through a hands-on learning technique. Remember that your child should try to display a progression of mastery, not 100% mastery, especially if it’s a new concept. One trial component may include you providing an analogy to clarify something your child didn’t understand to the depth you’d hoped. Then, let your child mimic your analogy by creating one of their own.
- Find one aspect of the learning components that can be taught or reinforced through a hands-on technique, object lesson or test.
One example might be using the conversion metrics for a simple kitchen conversion. Another could be testing the impact that force has on speed by racing toy cars off the kitchen table, being pushed at varying strengths.
Hands-on science activities are easy to Google, too. That’s why understanding the topic and the overall objective are essential. Covering the learning components is what matters most.
5 Ways to Leverage Hands-On Activities in Other Subjects
1. Ask your learner to display what they learned.
Hands-on learning doesn’t have to be complicated. Set a timer and ask your child to show you the big ideas of what he or she learned in that subject. An example could be drawing a picture, constructing a model out of toothpicks and index cards, or shooting a video on their tablet.
Be sure your child understands that this is for fun, so it needn’t be perfect. Also, students need to recognize that a basic understanding is what’s being measured, not expertise. Please make sure they are aware of a time limit so they don’t get sidetracked from the remainder of their subjects.
2. Look for easy-touch ways to apply the lesson.
An easy-touch idea might involve cutting out vocabulary words and definitions, then allowing your child to move and shuffle them and make sure the correct definition matches the appropriate word. Another way to incorporate easy-touch ideas is to look at the headings and subheadings of your child’s textbook, article, or even the segment titles and timestamps in the video that corresponds to the lesson.
These might spark ideas, such as creating a replica of the Mercator World Map used by European explorers during the Age of Exploration; designing a simple model that mimics something they learned; or finding a way to add touch and feel to a lesson that may not have it. One example might be designing the currency that a specific people group used in their world literature study or cooking one of the foods common to a specific region.
While it may feel like too much work, once you get into the habit of looking at lesson plans through a kinesthetic lens, you and your child will quickly be able to adapt learning environments to be more engaging at the homeschool table. Remember, something as simple as cutting out the states on a United States map and letting your child put it back together again counts.
3. Ask older children to apply a “doing” word to the subject or lesson.
Your older elementary, middle or high school student should be able to look at a list of words and recognize at least one that sounds applicable to what he or she is learning in a particular subject. They might choose from the following:
- Draw
- Paint
- Build
- Compose
- Design
- Shout/Whisper
- Act out
- Display
- Find
- Forage
- Explore
- Sing
- Hum
- Plan
- Jump
- Throw
- Push/Pull
- Race
There are others you can add to this list, but the idea is that they choose a word and devise some activity related to the material they’re learning. It’s a fantastic way to boost your child’s imaginative, problem-solving and executive functioning skills.
4. Let them use technology.
We know: you’ve been trying to avoid screens or limit the time your children spend on them, and yes, that’s a valid consideration that we always encourage families to discuss together.
However, if you’re looking to make something more appealing to your child — especially a subject where it’s hard for them to get motivated — explore the components of the lesson plan that can be made more active by putting your child’s technological skills to work.
If using Canva or Photoshop helps your child envision what the lesson is about, let them use it to take notes, design a Venn diagram or anything else that would keep them engaged and focused on the lesson. Another idea would be to teach your child how to use an app or software that requires engagement on two levels. Examples might be using a project management tool like Trello to create lists, cards, or templates to show what the lesson is about. This could be applied to a language arts study of the historical significance behind a novel like The Book Thief, or it could be applied to a list of periodic elements and some of the substances they’re in.
5. Work together to solve a real-world problem.
Sometimes, the best way to help your child learn is to apply the content to an actual problem he or she may encounter in real life. For example, if he is learning about area in math, he might encounter a challenge in your living room where angles have to be taken into account.
You may be considering adding a new piece of furniture. Let your child help you apply area to the room and design a space plan that includes the new furniture.
Or if they’re working on an analysis of a Frederick Douglass essay, ask how this essay would apply to current-day society. They can try to prove their points, just as a lawyer would in a court of law. Not only does this help them understand the essay for better analysis, but it also highlights why learning about Douglass is still relatable.