Keep Kids Engaged at Home with Choice Boards
As a parent trying to oversee your children’s education and activities amidst everything else, you need ideas that make the process interactive and enjoyable for young learners. Enter choice boards—the solution parents need to actively engage kids at home while building important life skills!
What is a Choice Board?
A choice board contains a grid of different options that allow children to choose how they want to learn, practice, or demonstrate knowledge. As the parent, you create a board offering fun, differentiated activities focused on a theme or skill. Your child selects which options appeal most to them. The act of choosing empowers kids to direct their learning in a meaningful way.
When and Why to Use Them
Choice boards work great:
- During school breaks – Keep kids learning and nix complaints of “boredom!” Use choice boards to explore topics or review skills in engaging ways.
- For family nights/weekends – Choice boards make learning family-friendly. Have everyone in the household try different activities from a shared board.
- For homework alternatives – Rather than worksheets, assign a student-created choice board allowing kids to showcase what they know.
- For skills practice – From math facts to reading comprehension, use choice boards so kids learn actively at their own level.
- For interdisciplinary learning – Blend different subjects through the creative activities presented on the board.
- To explore interests/talents – Tap into kids’ passions to deepen learning. Include activities like coding, painting, video production, etc.
The Benefits of Using Choice Boards at Home:
- Increased engagement, motivation, and enjoyment of learning
- Develops critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving
- Promotes student choice and responsibility over learning
- Allows for differentiation based on interests and skills
- Flexibility makes it easy to incorporate into family life
- Teaches good decision making and goal setting
Steps to Make and Use Choice Boards at Home
- Select your topic or skill focus. What do you want kids to learn or practice?
- Consider your child’s interests and learning style. Brainstorm a range of activities that tap into different strengths.
- Use a template or make your own simple grid. Leave plenty of space for each option.
- Fill the grid with engaging, challenging choices. Include fun media projects kids love.
- Set clear expectations. How many squares must be completed? Due date?
- Introduce the board! Explain how it works and have kids choose their activities.
- Kids work at their pace. Check in and provide guidance as needed.
- Have child share, present, or display their finished choice board work.
- Reflect on the experience together. What did kids learn? How can the board be improved?
Choice boards make learning active, personalized, and fun. Kids gain autonomy while parents gain a handy tool to infuse education into family life. So don’t reserve choice boards just for classrooms – leverage their full potential at home for happy, engaged kids eager to learn!