From Boring to Brilliant: 7 Ways to Make Any Subject More Fun
Are you starting to feel like the teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Shake things up with these ways to make learning fun.
Why Learning Should Be Fun
Okay, sometimes learning isn’t fun. After all, what one person considers fun, another finds dull. How can you win?
You can win by spicing up your instruction with seven proven methods to make learning fun.
These strategies have one thing in common: they increase student engagement.
They may do this through hands-on participation, entertainment, personal investment, or the refreshment of the outdoors.
So get ready, get set, and let’s make learning fun!
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7 Ways to Make Learning Fun
Goodbye, boredom.
Goodbye, feeling like an adult in a Charlie Brown cartoon that everyone tunes out.
Hello, amazing teacher status!
Infuse your lessons with these seven proven ways to make learning fun.
Gamify Learning
It is a truth universally acknowledged that all kids love games.
You can turn any lesson (even one about rocks) into a game by adding interactive quizzes, challenges, or escape rooms.
You can set up interactive quizzes with sites like Kahoot! or Sporcle.
You can create classroom leaderboards, badges, and points to encourage friendly competition.
Make review time more fun with scavenger hunts or Jeopardy!-!-style games.
Connect Learning to Real Life
As students mature, they increasingly need to know the “why” of their learning.
You may see the big picture, but they don’t. You can motivate them by showing the application of the subject.
Basically, how does what they are learning relate to real life?
There are two ways to do this.
The first way to make learning applicable is to connect the content to their lives right now: their interests, current events, and pop culture.
Use real-life word problems for math and science.
For example, teach equivalent fractions by having students adjust a recipe and create a dish.
Try to make connections between the subject of history and current events.
Another way to make learning applicable is to connect it to their future.
Do they want to be a veterinarian, a YouTuber, a pro baseball player, or a fashion designer?
Show them how what they are learning now sets them up for future success.
Use Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning is hands-on. It requires students to think and move.
Replace worksheets with experiments, crafts, and role-playing activities.
Instead of writing papers, let students build dioramas, models, and mobiles.
For example, say you are learning about ecosystems. Make learning hands-on by having students build terrariums.
You can even complete projects in math. Check out these ideas for elementary, middle, and high school.
Use Storytelling
Kids respond to stories.
If you turn your lesson into a story, you can engage your students with characters, conflict, and mysteries.
History and science lend themselves well to this strategy. To get started, check out our various Bios for Kids.
Incorporate Technology and Multimedia
A sprinkling of technology can provide visual stimulation and make learning fun.
Use videos, virtual reality, interactive apps, or simulations to enhance learning.
You can also encourage students to make their own content (this is also project-based learning).
They can create podcasts, videos, blogs, vlogs, and technical presentations (like Google Slides or Prezi).
Give Students Choice
If you allow students some choice, you make learning more fun for them.
You can do this by allowing them their choice of projects or assignments.
Pair students together for partner learning. They can pick a topic together and present a lesson to the class.
You can also form small groups for collaboration.
Assign free-form activities to the group that encourage creativity and problem-solving.
Go Outside
This is the simplest way to make learning fun: go outside and let the beauty and peace of nature do the rest.
Use field trips, nature walks, and community experiences to bring your lessons to life.
Are you teaching poetry? Have students write their poems in the dirt.
Are you learning about measurement? Measure rocks, leaves, and benches.
Are you learning about plants? Take a field trip to a local botanical garden or park.
Do you need more ideas? Check out this list of nature activities.
How to Make Learning Fun
Are your students wilting from boredom?
Transform your teaching with these seven proven strategies to take your lessons from boring to brilliant.
