When I first started homeschooling over 13 years ago, I quickly realized that kids learn best when they’re having fun. Play, in particular, became a powerful tool in our homeschooling routine. Over the years, I’ve discovered how to turn playtime into meaningful learning moments—moments that go beyond traditional academics and nurture creativity, critical thinking, and social skills.
Whether you're a homeschooling parent or simply looking to integrate more purposeful play into your child’s day, here are the 13 key lessons I’ve learned over the years that have transformed our home into a joyful learning space.
Lesson 1: Follow the Child’s Lead: Support Their Play
One of the first things I learned was that children are naturally drawn to certain activities. Whether it’s building with blocks, playing dress-up, or exploring nature, these moments of curiosity can be leveraged for deeper learning. How cool is that? Follow their interests, and you’ll find that learning happens organically through play. See more here about the difference between supporting and leading your child’s play!
Lesson 2: Incorporate Learning into Everyday Play
Not all learning has to be a structured activity. Can you imagine the energy we would need to have to structure EVERYTHING? Playtime offers countless opportunities to weave in learning. For instance, sorting toys by size or color can introduce basic math concepts, while building with blocks can teach problem-solving and spatial awareness. Everyday play is a goldmine for learning if you know how to harness it.
Lesson 3: Create Themed Learning Experiences
Themes are a great way to structure play-based learning. Whether your child is obsessed with dinosaurs or outer space, you can create themed activities that touch on different subjects. Storytelling, art projects, and simple science experiments are all ways to incorporate learning without it feeling like a lesson.
Lesson 4: Let Mistakes Become Teachable Moments
Play offers a safe space for trial and error. It’s okay if the tower of blocks falls or the drawing doesn’t come out right. These “mistakes” are actually valuable learning moments. Encourage your child to problem-solve and try again, fostering resilience and confidence in the process. This is one of my favorite things about playing with kids. I love watching them figure things out by trail and error. It is important to not “interrupt” too soon. Let them have a chance to learn on their own. This really helps foster problem-solving skills! Goodness knows we need to solve a lot of problems as we get older!
Lesson 5: Use Play to Develop Social Skills
Pretend play, cooperative games, and even board games are excellent for teaching social skills like sharing, negotiating, and teamwork. Through play, children learn how to communicate and collaborate, which are essential life skills. Can you tell which kids (or adults for that matter) didn’t have a lot of playing with others when they were younger? Yup, I can too! So, let’s give our kiddos all the opportunities possible to learn sharing and teamwork while they are young!
Lesson 6: Incorporate Nature and Outdoor Exploration
Outdoor play is more than just physical exercise—it’s a lesson in observation and exploration. Whether it’s a nature scavenger hunt (check out our friend Jessica's freebie scavenger hunt printable below), gardening, or simply taking a walk in the park, the outdoors is full of opportunities for hands-on learning about science, geography, and even math.
Lesson 7: Turn Playtime into Creative Expression
Arts and crafts, music, and imaginative play allow children to express themselves in unique ways. Provide your child with open-ended materials like paints, dress-up clothes, play scarves, finger puppets, and building blocks to encourage creative thinking and exploration. These are usually children’s favorite materials to play with! Watch their creativity soar!!!
Lesson 8: Use Play to Build Motor Skills
Gross motor and fine motor skills are crucial for a child’s overall development. Playtime activities like jumping, balancing, cutting, and threading not only promote physical coordination but also improve focus and discipline—skills they’ll use throughout their lives.
Lesson 9: Engage with Educational Toys and Games
Not all toys are created equal! Select toys that serve a dual purpose—fun and learning. Puzzles, building sets, and simple printables can reinforce important skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and literacy. Grab our free printable for a fun, alphabet puzzle: letter recognition, coloring fun, practice scissor skills, AND problem solving, all in one activity!
Lesson 10: Integrate Math and Science into Play
You can easily incorporate math and science concepts into play. Create fun games that involve counting, measuring, or experimenting with objects. Activities like measuring ingredients while cooking or setting up a DIY science station can make abstract concepts tangible and fun. Math and science were my favorite, what were your favorite subjects?
Lesson 11: Encourage Problem Solving Through Play
Challenges during play, such as building the tallest tower or navigating an obstacle course, help nurture your child’s problem-solving abilities. These tasks teach them to think critically, test solutions, and adapt when things don’t go as planned. Again, this is one of my favorites! Watch closely how your child solves problems. You will be amazed with how smart they are and are becoming!
Lesson 12: Balance Structured Play with Free Play
While structured activities can help introduce new concepts, it’s important to balance this with unstructured, free play. Free play allows children to take control, explore their environment, and develop decision-making skills on their own terms. It’s in these moments that their creativity truly shines. Free play does not need to look like chaos. It is just children being children. Don’t be too afraid of free play!
Lesson 13: Use Play to Foster a Love of Learning
Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned is that play should be joyful. I know, I know, this sounds too good to be true. But, when children associate learning with fun, they develop a lifelong love of exploration and curiosity. This is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child through play. Yessss please!!!
Play at The Center of It All
Homeschooling has been a journey of discovery for both me and my children, and play has been at the center of it all. Through these 13 lessons, I’ve seen firsthand how play can be transformed into meaningful learning experiences. If you’re looking to make learning fun, start by embracing the power of play—and watch as your child’s love of learning grows.
And if you’re ready to take this to the next level, I invite you to join our Unplug and Play Challenge! For 5 days, you’ll receive simple, stress-free play activities that you can set up in minutes, all using just 5 ingredients or less. It’s the perfect way to unplug, bond with your child, and turn everyday moments into valuable learning experiences.
Sign up today, and let’s make playtime the highlight of your child’s day!