Real-Life-Activities

Learning from Real-Life Experiences

Real-life activities have a goal in mind: providing a meal for friends, learning how to fix a broken tool, creating a beautiful work of art. Whatever the real-life activity,  adults see the need for doing it. Children will notice that our lives are not random, but that we take part in an activity because we find it necessary, important for whatever reason. In joining in with our activities, children will not only learn the skills needed for the activity, but the motivation to get involved as well. This gives us multiple chances to develop character-traits, and to teach values. 

​

It needs adults, who are busy with Real-Life Activities.

Real-life activities offer an excellent context for complex learning skills, Parents are very good at offering real-life activities. Naturally they involve children with their everyday activities. Real-life settings can be perceived as simple, but could be complex for the learner. Parents can do the things they find important, be with other adults to take part in real-life activities. The fun part is that the activities are not only interesting for the children but important to parents as well.

 

Children practise skills in different contexts. Because Real-Life Activities differ greatly from one context to another, children have ample opportunity to practice their skills. Whether it is the skill of walking, cycling, measuring length, reading,  Real-Life Activities bring a lot of variation to the activity. When children learn e.g. to walk short or longer distances, they get a sense of the connection between time and distance. They can use their skill in the city, with its roads and traffic, in nature, walking up-hill or down-hill, on gravel or off-roads, on a sunny day, when it is raining or during inclement weather. ​