[Gisela]

You can read them a story and then let them act it out. When teaching about shapes for example, they can cut them out, paste shapes to make an object of their choice. They can also learn to count the number of shapes they used. Playing a game like Simon says is a fun way to teach is them listening skills.

[jaylee korsvik]

Some creative ways to get children in active, meaningful learning are to encourage them to think independently, experiment and problem solve.

[Katrina Simental]

A great way to get children engaged is to read a story to them and then have them re-tell it or act it out. This gets them thinking about the story and engrains it in there minds.

[Bryenna Bird]

In order to get children involved in meaningful learning through activities, they need to be developmentally appropriate and targeted towards their interests.

[Katrina Conway]

Get children involved by doing activities that are centered around their current interests.

[Natylee]

One creative way to engage children in meaningful learning is to have them “help” you with a task in a way that is age appropriate. For example, my two-year-old loves to help me make dinner. As he helps me dump ingredients into a bowl, we can talk about the different foods and how they taste. He also learns some physical skills with stirring and pouring.

[Natalia Plamadeala-Mandel]

By creating artistic projects by them where in the project is included critical thinking, (questions-answers), emotional–social, and physical skills.

[Sydney Thompson]

Having worked with preschoolers the most, I’ve found that incorporating songs into activities keeps them incredibly engaged and having fun! I always play a song during clean up and my students know that I expect them to have the room clean by the end of the song, and we get to have a dance party if we accomplish it. I love “repeat after me” songs because they are super simple and the kiddos learn them fast so if they’re educational, you’re teaching them while having fun with them!

[Coleen]

Use themes lets you add variety to learning. For example, an apple theme in the fall could include books about harvest/farming, art projects using vegetable stamps, learning about the colors of apples, and planting seeds and learning about growing cycles. Then you can ask open ended questions about their experience with these activities at school or home so they can make connections with their daily life as well.

[Hayley Miller]

To get children engaged in meaningful learning you start with engaging activities set up in a way that is accessible and welcoming to children. Activities in small groups that are fun and active like painting or creating something, free play activities that are easy to locate and get out and set up with clear play areas. When children are playing and interacting, ask meaningful questions to get them engaged and thinking at a higher level. Let children take the lead of their play and enhance their learning by following along and helping to model play with others.

[Trainer]

Great suggestions, Hayley! Engaging activities, small group play, and meaningful questions promote active learning and creativity.

[Maira]

Engaging children in active, meaningful learning requires creativity and thoughtful approach that taps into their natural curiosity and energy. some examples of this include Hands on learning and exploration, themed learning, outdoor learning.

[Mary]

Circle time is a way to get children engaged in learning, and if the students are older, “popcorn” answering is an efficient method. Making sure children are speaking among their peers and with you can create an engaging environment in the classroom.

[Trainer]

Great suggestion, Mary! Circle time and “popcorn” answering are engaging ways to involve children in learning. Keep it up!

[Paul Buscarello]

I am always allowing kids to utilize materials across different classroom areas, provided it is part of intentional play. Playdoh can be art or dramatic play, science materials can be used with blocks, etc. This increases a child’s investment in their play and allows them to dream big with games, projects, or pretend scenarios.

[kate]

<strong style=”background-color: var(–bb-content-background-color); font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(–bb-body-text-color);”>Some creative ways to get children engaged in an activity is using music, dance, or dress-up! For example, if we are learning about another country and their culture we might listen to some music from that countries local artists and learn some new dance moves to go with it. Or we might make or bring in some culturally related foods that the children can taste and talk about. One fun activity is setting up pretend play like we are all going on an airplane to travel to that country and we might make a list of things we need and talk about things that we see or hear.

[Trainer]

Kate, your ideas of using music, dance, dress-up, and role play are excellent for engaging children in active learning.

[Shamona Murphy]

some creative ways to get children engaged in activity are to first make it interesting and then try participate in the activity