Five Ways To Incorporate A Hands On Education
Find out how you can provide your students with a more hands-on learning experience!
Why provide a hands-on education for children?
Here at Hands-On Education we love to take a practical and kinesthetic approach to learning. This style of learning is a pedagogical approach that encourages children to actively participate in experiential tasks, nurturing a deeper connection to the subject matter. I do not believe this method should be restricted to science and art as it is often connected to. It can be used to inspire children across a wide range of subjects. A wide range of our hands-on activities involve investigating problems, conducting experiments, designing with art materials and exploring outside.
Many parents and educators, like myself, grew up with a concrete idea of traditional education as the best way, if not the only way to learn. I believe however that this method encourages a passive form of learning, requiring children to primarily listen to and memorise facts. It may feel out of your comfort zone but providing a more fluid and exploratory way of learning can engage and incite children to find out more.
Our goal at Hands-On Education is to support home educators, parents and teachers in providing a more meaningful learning experience by taking a more hands-on approach. In this way children can actively engage and take ownership of their education.
Consider introducing a hands-on approach this year
Below are five tips to help you introduce and incorporate a hands-on approach to learning as we begin a new academic year. These ideas are great for home educators and early years or primary school teachers.
1. Make A Mess
Don’t be afraid to let your child make a mess! Hands-on learning is all about exploring and sensory play can be a big part of that. In those early years this can look really messy with paint colours mixed together, playdough figurines all over the place and pieces of paper stuck to other pieces of paper.
As our children grow however, their skills become more refined and the mixed paint isn’t just a dirty brown colour but different shades of orange. The playdough figurines become recognisable pieces of artwork and glue isn’t on everything you touch.
One way to invite your child to make a mess is by creating a creative station. This can be an area in your classroom or within your home in which resources are easily accessible to children. We have dubbed our tuff tray our ‘messy table’. A space for scissors, bits of cardboard and paint.
2. Child-Led Interests
I believe that a huge part of our job as educators is to help children discover their interests and passions. To find the areas which really excite them. We can do this by exposing them to different topics and providing them with a variety of experiences.
It is widely believed that following a child’s interest will lead to a deeper level of understanding and prompt further thinking. When they are seeking solutions to problems they are interested in, they are more likely to take an active role and feel a greater sense of ownership over their own learning.
3. Make Connections To Real-World Experiences
When a child can connect an activity or learning experience to the real world, they can find enormous meaning and lasting knowledge. One very valuable way to make this connection is through fieldtrips. Where possible take learning outside of your home or classroom and provide children with the opportunity to make real relationships to their own learning.
Many of our activities take place outside and we have enjoyed many days exploring microhabitats including ponds, visiting old ruin castles and local museums. You don’t need to go far or spend a lot of money to go on a fieldtrip. You never know what you will find in your local area.
4. Encourage Questions And Discussions
Being in an environment in which discussion is valued and encouraged is an integral part of a learning process. In such an environment a child’s curiosity is nurtured as they share their ideas and talk through ways they can explore and solve problems. We cannot underestimate the power of questions such as ‘I wonder if…?’.
Social learning theory suggests that children learn through observing the behaviour and language displayed by others. Through modelling, children learn a wide array of complicated skills, such as language and social interaction. By participating in discussions with children, we can support them as they develop their vocabulary and language skills, helping them to express themselves and their voices.
Within many of the Hands-On Education lesson plans we provide example questions which parents and teachers can use to prompt discussions whether this be prior to the activity or at the end as a form of reflection and evaluation.
5. Take Risks And Make Mistakes
Exploring and experimenting is a huge part of hands-on learning as children are encouraged to discover their own solutions to problems and investigate their ideas. This style of learning goes “hand in hand” with things not quite not turning out the way we expect or even going completely wrong. Don’t forget that making mistakes is an essential and valuable to learning. It is our failures which lead to more questions and further exploration.
Creating an environment in which children feel safe to make mistakes and try out their ideas is an integral part of a hands-on educational method.
As the beginning of the next academic year begins, we hope you find some ways to incorporate hands-on learning, weather in your classroom or at home. Below are some of our free topics and activities to get you started. Have fun and have a great year!
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