Hi there! My name is Heather, and I blog over at HoJo’s Teaching Adventures! We all know that in today’s high stakes testing world, it can be hard to make learning fun and engaging. That’s why I want to share 10 ways to make learning fun with all of you here at Minds in Bloom today. So, let’s get started!

10 Ways to Make Learning Fun and Engaging

1. Get Them Moving – No one likes to sit still all day long. (Think about that last boring in-service!) You want to get moving, and so do your students! Whether you let them use task cards to get some movement while doing academics or utilize brain breaks to give them two minutes of down time, make sure to offer plenty of opportunities for movement as one of the ways to make learning fun and engaging.
2. Break up the Lesson – You can’t have students listen to you lecture and expect them to stay engaged for an entire hour! Break up your lesson. Give an introduction, do an activity, talk a little, go back to the activity, and then finish up with a discussion at the end. Your break up wouldn’t have to look exactly like that, but breaking up the lesson will definitely help!
3. Go on a Field Trip – Many schools have cut field trips from their budgets. However, there are a plethora of options available online. See if they tie into what you’re already learning and give a virtual field trip a try! Or visit local places. Many schools are within walking distance of some great opportunities.
4. Throw a Party – This is something you’re obviously not going to do every day, but why not aim for once a month? If you just finished that rock unit, have a rock party! You could make rock candy or create metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. With Pinterest at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever to find a way to “party” through the school year!
5. Show a Video – In today’s world, our students are bombarded with video stimuli from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep. As teachers, we have to compete! So show that short video clip on YouTube or TeacherTube. Or create something to share yourself.
6. Incorporate Art – In a world filled with craftivities, there’s a way to turn many lessons into art lessons. Science and social studies often take a backseat, so why not incorporate an art or craft project into these content areas to make the learning more fun and meaningful for your students? Yes, even upper elementary students. 🙂
7. Give Choice – Sometimes all students want is a little choice. Think about it…as an adult, do you like always being told what to to? Or would you rather have some say in the matter? I know I like being given choices. When I’ve allowed my students choice, their buy-in and engagement have been much higher in my classroom.
8. Play Games – A quick search on Teachers Pay Teachers shows over 300,000 downloads for “games” and over 30,000 of them are free. While it may not be possible to turn every lesson into a game, you’re likely to get more engagement when you use games in the classroom more frequently. Magic Square Puzzles are a great game option to cover academics while also keeping students engaged.
9. Take Learning Outside – If a lesson can be done outdoors, then move it outside! Sometimes even simply being outside can make the lesson more fun and engaging. Bonus points if there is a way to get creative and be outside!
10. Let Them Be Creative – Let your class know that you’re open to assignments being changed or modified if they approve it with you first. Oftentimes our students have better ideas than we do, so let them run those ideas past you. They may just put a creative twist on a lesson that you hadn’t thought of. For the student, this “twist” will make the lesson more meaningful and fun – therefore making them more engaged!

Interested in 10 More Ways?

If you’d like to see 10 more ways to make learning engaging, I’d love for you to head over to my blog post where I’ve given you another 10 ideas. Simply click here to get those 10 ideas, as well.

Heather, better known as HoJo in the blogging world, writes over at the blog HoJo’s Teaching Adventures. When she’s not updating her teaching blog, listing another product in her Teachers Pay Teachers store, or chasing after her 1-year-old son, Heather also enjoys writing for her lifestyle blog HoJo’s Life Adventures.