Keep the Momentum Going: Learning Activities to do at Home that Reinforce and Encourage Ducklings’ Lessons

Daycare and preschool days are filled with excitement, curiosity, and countless learning moments. At Ducklings Early Learning Center, we focus on creating a fun, play-based learning environment where children absorb new ideas naturally. Studies show that children learn best when they’re engaged through play because it makes learning enjoyable and keeps them excited about discovering new things.

As each day comes to an end, the learning doesn’t have to stop. You can keep the momentum going at home to reinforce what your child experienced that day. By supporting their growth after school, you can nurture a love for learning and help your child build important skills that will prepare them for the next stage of their educational journey.

Why Continue Learning at Home?

Ducklings Early Learning Center focuses on teaching the whole child—mind, body, heart, and community—through activities designed to develop social skills, creativity, and critical thinking. We use multi-sensory methods to play to each child’s strengths while helping them grow in areas where they need a little extra support. Our weekly themes bring everything together, making learning cohesive and memorable.

Continuing this process at home reinforces the day’s lessons and helps your child connect what they learned with their teacher and friends to their everyday experiences. Plus, these moments at home offer an opportunity for family bonding and deeper engagement with your child’s growth.

7 Simple Ways to Reinforce Learning

1. Read Stories That Align with Weekly Themes

Each week, we introduce a new theme that ties into everything the children do, from songs to activities. You can support this at home by reading books that relate to that theme. Whether it’s animals, nature, or transportation, reading stories helps expand your child’s imagination while reinforcing vocabulary and concepts they’re learning here through our proprietary Here We Grow™ curriculum.

2. Sing, Dance, and Move Together

Music and movement are integral parts of early learning. You can keep the fun going at home by singing songs they learned during the day or creating new ones that tie into the week’s theme. Encourage your child to dance, move, and play along. This kind of active engagement helps with coordination and gross motor skills and reinforces rhythm, counting, and language skills.

3. Get Creative with Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts are another excellent way to develop fine motor skills and encourage creative expression. Use simple materials—like crayons, paper, scissors, or glue—to make art projects related to their learning during the week. For example, they can use popsicle sticks to make letters and numbers. Creating something with their hands helps reinforce our lessons while letting them practice key skills like cutting, drawing, and constructing.

4. Encourage Independence and Problem Solving

Give your child the opportunity to figure things out on their own. This could be as simple as building with blocks, solving puzzles, or dressing themselves for bed. We believe learning how to fail and try again is an important “real-word” skill. Encouraging problem-solving and independence builds confidence and resilience, which are important in early learning and beyond. Plus, it teaches them that learning doesn’t always have to come from an adult—it can come from their efforts and creativity.

5. Ask About Their Day

When you drive home after pick up or sit down for dinner, make it a habit to ask about their day. Specific questions like, “What was the best part of your day?” or “What new game did you play?” encourages deeper reflection and allows them to share more about their experiences, compared to questions that can be answered with a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ This helps cement new knowledge and boosts their communication skills.

6. Label Objects Around the House

Children are naturally curious about words and language. One simple way to encourage early literacy skills is by labeling common objects. For younger children, start by labeling their toy shelves or bins with the word(s) and a photograph of the toy(s). This also encourages independence when it comes time to clean up. For older children (pre-kindergarten and up), label items like “door,” “window,” or “table” to help them connect spoken words with written text. These small visual cues help with word recognition and early reading skills.

7. Use Our Web-Based Programs to Stay Involved

At Ducklings, we keep you informed through web-based programs that track your child’s daily activities and skills assessments. Staying up-to-date on what they’re learning allows you to know where your child excels and where they may need extra support. If a particular skill needs attention, you can reinforce it at home using the suggestions above to build confidence.

Making Learning an Ongoing Adventure

Continuing the learning journey at home helps reinforce the skills your child is developing at Ducklings Early Learning Center while also nurturing their curiosity and excitement. Whether it’s through reading, creative play, or encouraging independence, these small actions greatly impact your child’s growth.

Together, we can make learning a fun, ongoing adventure that extends beyond the school day, ensuring that your child remains enthusiastic and ready to take on the world!

Enrolled in Ducklings and need help encouraging at-home learning in your child? Reach out to your location’s director and teachers for ideas. Or, if you’re interested in joining Ducklings, find your nearest location and sign up for a tour!