Brainy Activities for Kids That Don’t Include Textbooks

Kids are like sponges. Many of them, especially the brightest, have a knack for learning a huge amount of information in a short space of time. 

But, of course, if they’re in public school, a lot of this learning comes from textbooks and educational resources. They’re surrounded by didactic tools that their teachers think they have to use. 

This approach is helpful to a point. But is it really the best? 

It turns out that there are quite a few brainy activities that kids can engage in that don’t involve textbooks. These are often more engaging, so more learning takes place, and kids just want to explore the topic. It’s intrinsically rewarding for them, making them want to use their brains more and better understand the things they’re interested in.

But what are these activities that don’t involve textbooks? And how can you, as a parent or caregiver, use them? 

That’s the topic of this guide. We’re look at some of the brainiest activities for kids that don’t involve textbooks but still challenge aspects of their minds in novel ways. It’s one of my favorite topics and I hope it helps you expand your thinking about what constitutes an educational activity or experience!

Nature Exploration

As simple as it might sound, nature exploration can be an excellent way for children to learn. Long ago, it would have been perfectly normal for kids to go out into the forest and explore for themselves, sometimes for hours at a time, with minimal supervision. 

Obviously, times have changed, and that’s not what I’m suggesting, but just getting kids out into nature is often a powerful tool to create a sense of wonder and awe at the world around them.

Here are some things you might want to try: 

• Teach kids about the wildlife that they collect and see and how it all interrelates
• Conduct games like treasure hunts and orienteering that challenge children’s spatial and temporal skills
• Use it as an artistic opportunity, getting kids to draw the scenes and landscapes they see, trying to convert them to something they could see on paper

Brain-Boosting Apps And Games

Another approach is to provide kids with brain-boosting apps and games. Yes, these can be used in the wrong way, but many of them are genuinely helpful to curious minds.

One example is something as simple as solitaire. This game requires planning, understanding complex rules, and working strategically toward an end goal. Some kids can get the hang of it pretty easily, but it also helps with things like meta-cognition, which helps them think about the way they are solving problems. 

Another option is games that reward curiosity and exploration. Think quest-style games. There are many geared toward young learners, but I always recommend checking them out before giving them to your kids.

Puzzles

Another option is good old-fashioned puzzles. Puzzles test spatial awareness and logic, forcing kids to think carefully about how to construct them. 

Puzzles can be fun because they take kids time to master. They have to get the hang of putting the pieces together and figure out the best strategies for doing that, all while developing a sense of patience and determination. A 1,000-piece puzzle requires perseverance! 

If you want to get really fancy, you could opt for three-dimensional puzzles. These require even more spatial awareness and get kids to think in complex ways that their two-dimensional alternatives do not. 

These days, you can get home printers that can cut new puzzles for you. Yes, they’re expensive, but they can be a lot of fun if you want to personalize the experience or hand the creation of puzzles over to your kids. 

Storytelling And Creative Writing

Another way to break away from textbooks is to focus on storytelling and creative writing. These exercises can be a lot of fun and encourage children to see the world from a different perspective while still imposing limits on the worlds they create. 

Creative writing is a skill in itself that takes time to master. Children must learn the art of creating a narrative and problem-solving, ensuring that the tale they weave makes sense internally. 

If you want, you could also get them to write their stories in a new format, perhaps as a play or comic strip. These approaches can also be fun and may be more interesting to kids, especially those interested in drama. 

Coding 

Another non-textbook thing to learn is coding. While it might not be particularly relevant in a future dominated by AI, it’s still an excellent way to learn about the world because of the math and logic it requires. 

Coding isn’t easy. It needs to be precise to work properly, and a lot of children struggle with this level of precision. However, giving them rewarding coding tasks can help them push through these barriers and become more fluent, understanding the structures for how it fits together better. 

Coding is logical, but it is also something that students can approach in a playful way. It provides scope to be creative, allowing them to take more ownership over it, unlike something like mathematics, which is formal and doesn’t really have much leeway. Code.org is a great resource for this!

Music Games

Music games are another way you can teach kids while also getting them away from textbooks. These are helpful for building other types of intellectual skills besides pure analysis or reason. 

Music games can take all sorts of forms, like: 

• Writing a new piece of music
• Creating various DIY sound experiments and instruments
• Using rhythm games to improve music IQ

Adding these sorts of games to a balanced curriculum can be an excellent way to give students a new experience. These approaches can often build their creativity and get them interested in things outside of their traditional subjects. 

Building Projects

Building projects are sometimes the most memorable parts of childhood. These are often inspirational projects that get kids thinking and keep them engaged because there are tangible results at the end. 

From a project as simple as building a block tower to using a programmable robot that they have to build and program, there are so many different options for building.

Magnetic tiles, LEGO bricks, cardboard blocks, and more are just a few of the materials that my kids loved using as they were growing up!

Art Challenges

Another way to get away from textbooks is with art challenges. These give kids a hands-on experience that keeps their minds busy. 

One of the nice things about art challenges is how they enhance creativity and fine motor control. Children have to learn spatial awareness, a skill that will help them in all sorts of situations. 

Origami challenges are especially fun. These involve turning instructions and plans into a real three-dimensional paper object, like a sailboat. These can be fun, and once learnt, they are skills that kids will take with them for life. Here are some of my favorite origami projects for kids!

Another option is to give kids a project that they have to build from recycled materials. Again, this sort of task will inspire them and bring out their creativity in a way that solving dry problems won’t. 

Art challenges could also involve getting kids to learn how to reinvent existing products to see if they could do a better job. 

Bringing Out Creativity

Ultimately, there are all sorts of ways to challenge kids that go beyond standard learning. Many of these ideas are a project-based approach that teachers and homeschoolers alike love to assign. The best way to get kids to learn, according to their reasoning, is to give them a project that will allow them to explore multiple possibilities before coming up with a solution and implementing it. 

Many times, these project-based approaches are collaborative. Kids have to work with other learners to develop a solution that will satisfy the problems originally set by the exercise. 

Which of these methods you choose depends on your students.  

Sometimes, kids will fall flat and will fail at a task. But that’s okay. What matters is their commitment to the learning process and curiosity. Failure is just figuring out what doesn’t work and that’s a good thing!

Have fun creating and building with your students! And put those textbooks aside for awhile!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE…

• 25+ Ways to Nurture Your Child’s Creativity
• Promoting Creativity and Innovation in the Classroom
• Free Brain Teaser Digital Escape Room

Share with your friends!