This post was sponsored by the National 4-H Council as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
My love of cooking started at my local community center at their Teen Cooking Class. It was so exciting to be able to make a banana nut bread for the first time! That love of cooking has stayed with me, and it’s one of my favorite things to do. Naturally, any chance I get to cook with my girls we DO. When you inspire kids to do, they do it. Learn how to inspire your kids to do through hands on learning. Give them the guidance they need, with the freedom to learn and create.
How To Inspire Your Kids To Do Through Hands On Learning
As you may recall, a few weeks ago I shared with you about Empowering Your Children With Life Skills To Last A Lifetime. I want to ensure that the girls grow up to be well-rounded adults by eating healthy, and learning life skills like cooking and staying active. Life skills are important and can last a lifetime if they are taught early on. But it is hands on learning that really engages a child’s mind. Which is why the National 4-H Council is kicking off their 30 Days of Doing as part of their Inspire Kids to Do Campaign. Throughout the campaign you can inspire your kids to DO by engaging positive learning experiences with hands-on activities.
Not sure where to start? Download the free “Inspire to Do” list from 4-H to get started!
You can easily engage children and encourage hand-on activities like cooking, vegetable growing, family exercise, and volunteering. The greatest part is that you can start them early on or at any age! I’m a big supporter of learning through play, because I feel that children grasp things better through hands-on experiences, rather than just instruction. Supported by Target, the 4-H Wellness 360 program teaches children valuable life skills such as nutrition education, cooking classes, yoga and more. Children are quick learners, and great teachers too – mine are always teaching me new things. 4-H is hoping to empower 10 million true leaders by 2025 and wants your child to be one of them! Help your child navigate life challenges, pursue passions and contribute to the world around them by inspiring them to DO.
5 Easy Ways To Inspire Your Kids To Do
– Create a meal plan and take the kids to the grocery store with you
– Volunteer as a family at your local food pantry and set up a neighborhood food drive
– Take a cooking or crafting class together
– Take your children to the bank and open a savings account with them
– Let them help – whatever it is, even if it takes longer – encourage them to try
Download the 30 Days of Doing “Inspire to Do” skills-building activities list for more great ideas!
How does winning a $10,000 scholarship for your child sound? From Sept. 1-30, enter the photo contest at http://goic.io/BJgREv for your chance at $10,000! AD #30DaysofDoing #4HWellness360 #IC Share on X
Want to learn more about 4-H programs and win prizes? Join 4-H in kicking off 30 Days of Doing at the #30DaysofDoing Twitter Party from 9pm to 10pm EST. To join, simply log in to Twitter on Aug. 28 from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. EST and search the party hashtags (#gno, #30DaysofDoing) and start engaging in the conversation with other moms. Build your “To Do” list and get fun, skill-building ideas for your kids. Get ready to be inspired, meet fellow doers and win prizes.
How do you inspire your kid to DO through hands on learning?
4-H Wellness 360º | Supported by Target
About 4-H
4‑H is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing. Kids complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and citizenship, in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles. Kids experience 4‑H in every county and parish in the country—through in-school and after-school programs, school and community clubs and 4‑H camps.
Comments (55)
Hands on learning is the best kind of learning
4-H is really wonderful. When I had chickens and a goat, a 4-H gals used to help me with the critters, so I started learning more about 4-H. Learning to bake is a fun ‘hands-on’ way to learn!
HAnds on learning is so importatn and look at the pride she has at her accomplishments!
Many people do their best learning by actually doing the task. It is an excellent idea to start that process early in life.
I think teaching your children these types of skills is so worth while. There is nothing like using your hands to learn how to do something..
What a great post! Your kids are so cute and this is the way to build strong, capable and confident kids!
Hands on learning is more fun and engaging for kids.
My kids are super hands on. They learn best through working with their hands and really getting into something rather than being told or reading. We try to include them in all meal prep (provided they want to be included…sometimes they don’t). They really love baking because I love to bake. It is really easy to pass on the things that I already love. But I also try to encourage them to take up hobbies that I don’t necessarily like in hopes that they I can learn to enjoy them too.
My grandsons love to get their hands on anything and help out whenever they can! These are great ideas to get your child more involved and a fun way to learn!
Thanks 4 sharing this post as I am starting my first job working with elementary students.
Hands-on learning is a wonderful way to spend ‘quality’ time with your kids 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I am starting a cooking class at home this fall with my grand daughter, Kenzie. Her mom is taking her shopping and helping her to plan the menu, then I take over with the actual cooking lesson. It will be lots of fun!
4H is wondering. I love hands on learning with my LO and being able to teach her so many valuable skills
Hands on learning is the best way to learn in my opinion! I homeschool my kids and absolutely love having them help me with day to day activities like cleaning and cooking. They have so much fun and don’t even realize they are learning. 🙂
Thank you for sharing. I think that you children will do great in life because of the way you are teaching them.
These are great tips. I learned to cook as a little girl by helping my mom in the kitchen and I am tankful for it to this day.
Great ideas! My 2 daughters love to help me cook. I am trying to teach them about money. Your idea of taking them to the bank is great.
I love this blog and you are totally correct about hands-on learning. I was a 4Her and it was part of my childhood’s favorite memories.
Good to know the 4-H is still out there doing good work!
Awesome article. Kids need more hand off interaction minus video games and texting.
I think most adults do learn better hands on as well.
I know myself that for me HANDS ON LEARNING is the only way. You can tell me and go away and I am lost. But if you are with me and let me do each step I learn. So why should a child not be able to learn as they do
Our kids didn’t join 4-H when they were young but I wish they could have had the opportunity. I believe in hands on life experiences and learning to help towards understanding different lifestyles.
These are such great suggestions. I love hands on learning for my grandchildren. Learn while you enjoy doing something fun. Thank you so much for sharing
I would love to take a cooking class with my 4 granddaughters.
Hands on skills like cooking are invaluable for kids. Teaches so much…creativity, organising even math….all good stuff!
As an adult I also like to learn hands on.
they just closed the nearest 4-h to me but i am looking into getting my kids involved.
I definitely learned a while ago that hands on is the absolute best way for myself to learn. I think teaching them early and as soon as possible is such a great thing for everyone. I also love the 4H list above. This gives me some great ideas. Pinning for later!
I try to get my grandson more involved with things such as cooking and he has even been to a few cooking classes, but he just does not seem to be that interested, however I do like your tip about making a meal plan and then shopping together for the ingredients.Thank You.
Now as an adult I must learn by doing.
I am all for hands on learning. As a matter of fact, I have done all of the “5 Easy Ways To Inspire Your Kids To Do” with my daughter. She is a very well, rounded child because of it and very independent.
after examining the 4h chart some of the daily activities require way too much work
It is important to keep kids busy!!!!
Learning is very important. I think it’s a wonderful thing to learn new things. I love this and think kids learning is very important even outside of school.
My Mother and Father taught me so much by doing, cooking, electronics and car maintenance to name a few. I think it made me more relaxed about trying new things. I did the same with my Daughter, now she has a Daughter and son she is sharing her knowledge with. I always have crafts for the kids when they come here and I love the idea of the 4H Inspire To Do List. I’m sharing with my friends so they can use the list also. Thank you for sharing.
No doubt some children are immensely empowered and encouraged by hands on learning.
I like the idea of getting kids on a campaign to take them through all the steps in a process, like creating grocery lists to cooking a meal.
Cooking is great to do with kids, it is a skill they will need.
Aww so inspiring
Kids have come so far in their skill levels today. I enjoy watching them on tv cooking things that I would have no ideal how to do at my age.
This type of learning is the best type of learning, in my opinion. Kids learn when they are doing. By seeing, and doing, both actions.
These are excellent tips. I’d love to take a cooking or crafting class together with my daughter – it would be such a neat experience for both of us.
My daughter started to enjoy cooking with me at a young age. She would plan the meal make a list and go grocery shopping and then make the meal. We both enjoyed it.
I loved learning to cook when I was younger and always had so much fun. Looks like you have a little pastry chef in the making!
What a great post!! Hands on learning is the best learning
I love this and love the idea about allowing your child to learn and have fun! doing so. And those cooking came out delicious! looking.
Hands on learning is the best. My mom had my sister and I helping with cooking from an early age.
Love this post! Would love to take some kind of class with my 2 grandchildren.
I used to be in 4-H. I lived in a very rural area, so the only 4-H club available to join was the “Boys Beef Club”. We only did animal projects there, but it was fun. Thanks for posting!
Well this looks like cool ways to get them involved
Hands on learning is a favorite in our home school. I think those lessons have stayed with them more than any others.
I think all kids have someone in their family to inspire them if not so many after school programs are out there for them. I have a great niece that is 2 and she spends a couple days a month with me. While she is here we do crafts coloring, painting, play dough etc. When she stays with her grandmother one of the things they always do is cook/bake something. This is something that she will always remember and who knows what she will grow up loving
–inspiration is a wonderous thing.
Hands on learning is the best way to have something stay with you and not be forgotten, and also makes it a lot more fun!