3 winter activities that help kids learn better

A stint of volunteering activity, be it at a local NGO involved with food distribution, or even volunteering at one's parents' workplace, is the kind of experience that will keep kids engaged.

By Kartik Bajoria

Large parts of India are experiencing the onset of the winter season. Everyone is busy bringing out their warm clothes and woollens from storage, drying them, dry-cleaning them, readying them for the decreased temperatures to come. Generally speaking, there is a lot of fun to be had in the winter. People love to cosy up with family in the warm confines of a heated room and play games, read, spend time together. It is also a wonderful time for food and fashion lovers.

But what about kids? Are there activities that parents and caregivers can make kids do, specifically in the winter time, that directly or indirectly develop their minds, brains and stimulate their intellect? Of course, there are. And all of them take their cues from nature itself! Let us look at some of the interesting, educational, activities that we can make our children indulge in through the winter, and the benefits associated with each of them.

Soup kitchen

Winter is an absolutely bountiful time for local fresh produce. One gets the most nutritious and yummy vegetables during this season. Why not make a family activity of cooking using this great produce? In fact, a trip to the local market will teach kids a lot. It will be like a field trip where they will be able to touch, feel, smell, enquire about prices, and help handpick and buy vegetables. This will teach them infinitely more hands-on, as compared to their parents buying/ordering the same vegetables at a supermarket or using a mobile app. Second, they will be able to curate the buying experience depending on what recipes they have searched, either by themselves, or along with their parents. This also will teach them teamwork, to take a group’s preferences into account, and then buy as per a list, yet another great habit to imbibe.

The actual cooking process at home will entail many kinesthetic skills being used and developed, brain development from all the knowledge they will gain by discussing nutritional and other values related to the produce. All this while indulging in what will be perceived as an extremely fun family-activity – it will yield the sweetest reward in terms of a hot, healthy, tasty, home-cooked meal that would have, in its making, tested and flexed the kids’ intellect.

Get out and explore

The winter weather affords us infinitely greater possibilities to be out and about. Across several parts of India where the summer is harsh, it is simply impossible to be out and about, with most people preferring to stay indoors. The winter is a time for the great outdoors. It is not even necessary for it to be some elaborate vacation, holiday, trek or expedition, because chances are that most of us will have enough and more to explore and discover within and around our town and cities. Taking the kids to the park, for instance, and curate an experience where they and you, together spot and chronicle the flora and fauna, can itself become an experience that is both fun, and primes the mind to stay alert, active, learn, and prep to learn more in the future.

Similarly, most cities in India have an older, more historic part of town that one hardly ever goes to. In my case for example, Jaipur’s old city, the parts where the buildings are actually pink in colour; it is a veritable playground to explore art, culture, history, facts, and interesting anecdotal knowledge through the ancient architecture, temples, shops, even the people. All one needs to do is get out early in the morning, and walk through the various lanes for an entire day! An absolutely fantastic family-activity that will exercise mind and body, and also make for a super-fun experience.

Volunteer

Winter, particularly for slightly older children, is also a great time to get some volunteer work. A stint of volunteering activity, be it at a local NGO (non-government organisation) involved with food distribution, or even volunteering at one’s parents’ workplace, is the kind of experience that will keep kids engaged, busy, and constantly learning and exercising their minds, preventing brain-drain.

The benefits of this type of activity, once again, are manifold. First, it teaches children time-management, because they have to successfully juggle their school, leisure, non-academic pursuits, and volunteer work, simultaneously. Second, the exposure to most any kind of social-volunteer work will sensitise children positively and make them more aware and awakened citizens. Third, their minds will be positively and constructively occupied with the tasks at hand. And, if chosen correctly, these volunteering stints can also be immersive and fun pursuits.

Each season presents challenges. At the same time, each season also offers unique chances and ways in which to engage children meaningfully, so that parents may curate a roster of activities that strike the right balance between fun and learning. Winter is no different. It is upon us, and we must dive right in.

(Kartik Bajoria is a writer, educator and moderator.)

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