Hands-On History Through Creative Play
I’ve mentioned before that we tend to take a topic and run with it. My kids are highly intelligent and extremely creative. They enjoy diving deep into subjects we study. Mystery of History provides a great spine for our history lessons, though we may never finish Volume One at the rate we’re going.
One of the kids’ lessons was the ancient Egyptian study of pharaohs, but when the book suggested wrapping each other in toilet paper so they could be mummies, they had other ideas. They cleaned the library out of mummy books, and staged their own burial services.
Pharaohs were mummified and sent to the afterlife with treasured pets, servants, loved ones, money, food, and other things buried alongside them. My children played this game for days, getting along and diving deeper into history together. Interest-led learning is a beautiful thing to observe.
Great Resources
We found some great books, toys, and kits filled with wonderful information and hands-on explorations, helping the kids become experts on ancient Egypt.
Fostering creative thinking in kids is so important. It helps kinds become problem-solvers, and to look at their lives and know they can accomplish anything.
Why is Creative Play Important?
Creative play helps children develop emotional maturity. Especially when they play with friends or siblings, they practice verbal and nonverbal communication skills as they negotiate roles, the direction of their play, and the outcomes of made-up situations. They learn to compromise and settle disputes.
Pretend play helps kids develop their sense of self. In play, they are allowed to experiment. A child who is afraid of the dark, for example, may pretend he is an explorer in a cave, discovering ancient fossils.
Mister {Fred} Rogers said,
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.
Children need playtime to really solidify their learning, and history is the perfect subject with which to make a child’s work possible. Role playing and acting out the pioneers’ struggles, reading by candlelight, camping in the woods like early explorers — these things all make history come alive for a child.
And when learning comes alive, it sticks.
What are some ways YOU integrate play into your homeschool? I love getting new ideas to enhance my kids’ learning, and welcome your comments. Who knows what your inspiration may ignite?
Are you looking for more ways to get creative with your kids and encourage learning through play? My new eBook, Raising Creative Kids: A Collection of Simple Creativity Prompts for Children is here — it’s full of fun ideas for you and your kids.