Switching It Up

Turn boring activities into fun ones but making a few switches.

When I taught high school students, they famously hated taking notes. Teachers could not convince them that in college, that is what they did, or that at work, they would have lots of instructions, and writing them down would be helpful.

I was complaining about this one day, and a much more experienced coworker said to have them take notes on construction paper.

Huh?

Desperate, I tried it. And it worked. So did taking notes on 3 X 5 cards, or hanging large paper around the room and having them write their notes on it.

It seems that taking notes the same way every day, for all classes, is boring. Switching the note taking means intrigues students.

I apply the same theory to my kids:

Old towels over rubber floor mats in the van with WATER paints - instead of the kitchen table.

Doing puzzles by the fireplace - instead of the kitchen table (again).

Using hangers to pull "cargo" - instead of the real truck pieces.

Gluing with expired spices - instead of glitter. This cleaned up way easier, too.

Making a few tweaks to everyday play is inexpensive, and keeps my kids playing longer.