Ways You Can Teach A Child by just livin’

When we decided to home-school Charlie this year, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew for sure was that public schools were not going to work for us. I refused to let my kid be a pawn in the government's game, so we removed her for the year.

I also wasn't going to let her sit in front of a screen for hours a day doing shit she hates. Nor was I about to send my kid to school, in a mask, just to sit in a bubble.

No. Thank. You.

That said, while structure is necessary in our home, routine and repetitive living just isn't for us. What I mean by that is I am not cut out for teaching Charlie school on the same schedule, every day, all year, as if she were in traditional school. Besides, Adam and I both work from home so we have to be flexible.

As I shared this perspective on Instagram, I quickly realized there are a lot of parents/caretakers out there who feel the same as I do. The only problem is, a lot of people struggled finding educational shit to do with their kid that isn’t sitting at a desk doing worksheets.

So, I figured I would help you out and share a few of the things we do in our family that are educational... without feeling educational (if that makes sense).

These things can be adjusted depending on the age and are great for those early years just before Kindergarten.

Have Them Read Pairing Codes

I told you these were going to be specific, ha! This is one of my favorite ways to challenge Charlie. Whenever we go to pair, say, YouTube to the TV from my phone, there is usually a pairing code we have to input. I am talking about those codes that usually look something like: GH48AH4. Whenever we do those, I always have Charlie read them off.

It challenges her because she feels like she has to hurry (though she doesn’t). So she tries to be very careful as she reads them off. It forces her to be intentional with each letter she rattles off. Then, when she messes up, she corrects herself.

I personally feel this gives her a proud feeling as well. As if she helped me like a big girl (which, she does!). So, try this next time you find yourself needing a code. Even if it’s a text code for a social media account or email account. You could always hand them the phone and ask them to help you by reading the code as you type. Worth a shot!

Have Them Read To Ya While You Shower

This is one of my faves. Granted, sometimes I like to be alone so this definitely isn’t an everyday thing. But, occasionally, I will ask Charlie if she will read to me while I shower. She usually is so excited to entertain mommy that she even lets me pick the book.

Now, if your child can’t read, you can still ask them to do this! Let them flip through the pages and make up their own story as they go. You would be surprised at how well they actually remember the story without your help.

This is also a helpful if you have anxiety about leaving your kid out by themselves if you are a single parent or don’t have a partner there to help you. Charlie is six-years-old so I have no problem leaving her ass out in the living room with a show, but, this is also something I did when she was three and daddy was at work.

Have Them Write Their Own Grocery List

We usually go to the grocery on Mondays. So when we sit down to do our list, I always ask Charlie to grab her notebook and pencil to help. I tell her I am writing our grown up list but I would appreciate if she would help me remember some of her snacks.

So, together, we recite what food and snacks we want to get. For these, I tell her she has to sound them out so I can keep looking at recipes and shit without stopping every .02 seconds to help her spell.

But this is great because, once again, they feel helpful and independent. So, def worth trying if you are in those reading/writing years.

Have Them Read The Prices At The Grocery

As you grocery shop, stop and ask your little how much something is. It can look like “hey, buddy… how much is that peanut butter?” And when they look at you like you’re insane, you can go over and point to the number. You can say something like “See this dot? This separates the dollars from cents. So, this would read two-dollars-and-forty-six-cents.”

Now, will they get it right away? Probably not. But why not start them early? It will help them recognize numbers, decimals, and even symbols.

And, once again, they will feel so proud because they are helping.

Allow Them To Measure When You Cook

This one requires patience so if you suck in that department- maybe leave this one out. But, we love it. The more we do it, the better she gets. Now, Charlie is legit a helper in the kitchen. She usually measures my wet ingredients while I do the dry. I don’t even have to micro-manage or look over her shoulder. It’s pretty cool how quickly they learn.

For example, if we are making dinner, I will ask her to fill certain measuring cups with certain items and pour them into their own bowls. (This is called “mise en place,” FYI).

It helps them recognize fractions and then when you have, say, pizza one night you can reference the fraction based on how many pizza slices are left. Again, you would seriously shit at how quickly these kids catch on to life skills and things like that.

Paint Your Walls And Learn The Five Senses

Ha, okay I know this one sounds insane. But, as I said up top, these are specific because these are legit things we do.

A couple of years ago, when we moved into this house, we were painting her bedroom walls gray to match her Unicorn theme. As we were doing it, I have no idea what made me initiate this, but I started teaching her about senses.

I said “Charlie, isn’t this cool how we can add paint to these walls? Like, this substance changes everything around us.” I then asked her “what all can we do with this paint? For example, we can see that it is changing the wall color, right? So what else can we do?”

She replied “well, I smell it!” and then that was that. We went through the list and made it a little game as I rolled her walls. She looked at her little body and I said “think about it… look at your hands…”

So she said “OH, we can touch it!” See, so it went from sight, to smell, to touch, then we finished with how we could hear the wetness crackling on the walls and how we would get sick if we tasted it.

And that is how Charlie learned her five-senses at four-years-old, haha. Hope this helps!

Let Them Reply To Texts For You While Driving

I actually just recently started this one because I usually just talk-to-text. But, now that she is getting better and better with her reading and writing, this is a cool way for her to learn technology as well.

Now, I know some people are old-fashioned and despise screens. I do too, most of the time. But, technology is our future. So, I want my child to be great at it. Again, that is just me.

So, if you’re driving and you have a semi-important text you’d like to send, ask your little! But, don’t let them cheat. No talk-to-text. Have them sound-spell so it can auto-correct and they can learn the proper spelling ;)

Have Them Hold The Tape Measure

Um, side-note. I just learned that the proper word is not “tape-measurer” but instead “tape-measure.” So, kinda feeling like my whole life has been a lie right now, wtf.

Anyhoo, have them hold it next time you measure something. I recently did this with Charlie and I honestly thought she was going to be able to read it to me. So I asked her “how long is this” and she looked at me like I had seven heads.

It was then that I realized that she really doesn’t know how to use a ruler or tape measure- so it was perfect time to teach her. She quickly caught on that you want to perfectly line up the line on the tape measure to whatever we are measuring.

This obviously helps with reading numbers but also teaches the life skill; measuring! It’s cute, too, because once they get it, it’s like they understand a whole new world. They begin understanding height and recognizing what is really “big” and what is “small.”

Do A Treasure Hunt

This is legit one of my favorite things to do when Charlie is bored shitless and wants something to do. I usually make them up off of the top of my head. But, if you would like for me to make you one that you can screenshot and use, let me know down below! I would be happy to give you a few examples of the challenges I set her out on.

You can do this legit anywhere.

I usually try to include colors, sizes, and textures in each one. So, I will say something like “go find mommy something red that fits in your hand.” Or, “go find something that is cold and sticky.” Or, “okay, now find something that is heavy but bigger than your head.” “Go find me something that is green, soft, and can be eaten.”

You have to get creative, but, kids love this. It forces them to think outside of the box as they go investigate their surroundings.

Again, let me know if you’d like for me to make a printable and I will.

Rubber Bands On A Can

This one is definitely for younger kids. But, it is a great way to teach hand-eye coordination. It’s also a great way to buy yourself more than 10 damn minutes to do something you need to get done.

I don’t remember where I got this idea but it was years ago when I lived in Ohio. I was working from home and needed Charlie to do something that would take more than 5-minutes. I came across a blog that gave me this idea and it really worked!

I had a bag of rubber-bands (she knew not to put them in her mouth so be careful. I don’t know if you teach your child not to put shit in their mouth but you have to be smart about it. You can’t leave them unattended, per say).

I set her up at a little table and dumped all of the colored bands. I had a giant can of protein powder in my pantry so I grabbed that. Then, told her we were playing a game to see how many rubber-bands she could get around the can.

Well, she did all of them. And she sat there for over 30-minutes! Again, please be careful with this one. But, it works great.

Let Them Wash Their Toys

This is one of my favorite summer activities. This works for either gender and is so fun for them to do. What we usually do is get two big bowls of some sort. I fill one up with soapy, warm water and another with cool, clean water.

We go outside (or I set up her up on the floor inside) and lay a towel underneath. If it’s summer, I let her hang in her suit but you can do whatever. Get them a wash-rag or cloth of some sort and tell them they “get to” give their toys a bath.

This is great for barbies, dolls, kitchen toys, G.I. Joes, etc (do kids still play with those)? Anyhoo. This is another great activity that teaches them basic life skills as well as hand-eye coordination. Charlie is six and still loves to do this.

This is also one of those activities that can buy you quite a bit of time if you have shit to do!

Provide Them Two Options For Getting Dressed

While this isn’t really an educational thing, per say… its a really good practice. I have learned that it is vital that Charlie feels she can make decisions on her own.

Not every kid is the same so this may not work for you. But, we have always had issues with getting dressed. Her socks always feel weird, her tag itches, something is too tight or “weird.” So to prevent this from happening, we now have a rule in place. I pick out her two options and she is welcome to pick which vibe is best for her that day.

It gives them a little power but also doesn’t teach them that parents are useless and they run shit, you know what I mean?

Ask Them To Read Off Phone Numbers If You’re Sitting In A Parking Lot

Again, this is another number recognition activity. But, it’s cool because phone numbers are everywhere. This is also a great way to teach them their own phone number in case of an emergency.

For example, if we are in a drive-thru line or even sitting in a parking lot while Adam runs in to the store, I will ask Charlie to rattle off phone numbers on signs or trucks passing by. I say something along the lines of “hey, Charlie! Can you read that phone number to me?”

Then after she does I say “let me know if you see anymore phone numbers drive past…”

And, voila. No boring ass worksheet or iPad screen. So, whatcha think? Will you be trying any of these?