Stealth Homeschooling: Keep it Fun with These 10 Sneaky Learning Methods

Overview: Discover 10 sneaky learning methods to keep homeschooling fun and engaging over the summer. These stealth homeschooling tips will help your kids learn effortlessly while enjoying their break.

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Summer is here, and while the break is a welcome relief from the structured school year, it’s also a great opportunity to keep the learning momentum going. But how do you keep your kids engaged when they’re more interested in swimming pools and playdates than textbooks and lessons?

Who says you need to keep the kids’ learning exactly the same this time of year?!?

Enter stealth homeschooling! In this post, we’ll explore 10 sneaky learning methods that blend fun and education seamlessly, ensuring your kids continue to grow and learn without even realizing it.

Here are 10 Sneaky Learning Methods Which are Perfect for Summer:

1 – Play a Board Game

Younger kids learn lots of things from playing games such as counting, their colors, to take turns, to be a good winner (or loser), and many other things. Older kids learn logic skills, how to add money or large lists of numbers, and strategy. Board games are filled with learning!

Another option is to create an Escape Room at home with one of these awesome resources!

2 – Take a Field Trip

Sometimes the best learning happens when you aren’t in the classroom. If you’re learning about botany, a trip to a botanical garden or a garden center is an excellent place to visit.

If you’re learning about the Victorian Era, touring a Victorian home would be a great way to bring learning alive. If you just want to have some fun, consider touring a chocolate factory or a toy factory.

No matter where you go for your field trip, your kids will learn!

3 – Unit Studies

If your kids are antsy, this is the perfect time to set aside the regular schoolwork and pick up a unit study. Try to focus on a subject which interests your child.

Have fun with it! Choose interesting books for them to read.

Pick some award winning movies to watch. Let your child come up with ideas for building models or otherwise demonstrating what he has learned.

You can also focus in on one subject such as history or science. What kid wouldn’t enjoy building and erupting their own volcano? Or making their own comet?

Or forming crystals? We love watching videos by Destin at Smarter Every Day!

There are also all sorts of books such as The Physics of Popcorn, The Biology of Bananas, The Chemistry of Cola, and The Math of a Milkshake which can help you explore science with your kids.

4 – Educational Apps & Computer Games

It’s amazing how many FREE apps, computer games, and websites are at the disposal of our kids. There are apps and games for learning math, spelling, grammar, and more.

Rather than boring your kids by making them fill out mind-numbing worksheet after worksheet, consider letting them do some of their drills and practice with an app instead.

One of my sons has absolutely LOVED learning about space travel by playing Kerbal Space Program. Minecraft is another game which can be educational.

Have your child build a castle or a fort. Ask them to build a model of pretty much anything you want.

This is a great way to trick your kids into learning!

5 – YouTube Videos

You can learn pretty much anything by watching a video about it on YouTube or some other internet site. We’ve learned everything from car repair to woodworking to history and more.

The one caveat is that you may want to preview these videos to make sure they are appropriate for your kids. We’ve also enjoyed watching TedEd lessons.

6 – Mad Libs, Logic Puzzles, and More

There are so many fun ways to teach grammar, teach logical thinking, etc. My boys have enjoyed filling out Mad Libs over the years.

They also enjoy the Mind Bender puzzles and The Red Herring Mysteries by The Critical Thinking Company. These types of activities are fun and cause the learning to happen in super stealth mode!

7 – Make a book 

If your kids enjoy writing, have them create a short story, a movie script, a play, a comic book, or a novel. Similarly, you could have them write several short pieces and create a newsletter.

Or help them set up a website or blog and let them write several blog posts.

If your kids aren’t big on writing, you could have them record their own audiobook instead.

Let your kids do their reading into some computer recording software so that they can make their own audiobooks. If they want to get really fancy, they could work on editing the sound, adding sound effects, etc.

8 – Art or Music Appreciation

Sometimes the regular school year gets so busy that it’s hard to pack in every subject that you’d like to explore with your kids. This is a great time of year to focus on things such as art or music appreciation.

Visit the local art museum. Let your kids experiment with 3D pens or other media. Listen to various genres of music.

Attend a concert put on by the local symphony or by a jazz band.

9 – Make a Movie

My boys enjoy doing this one. Have your kids come up with a script, do the filming, perform as actors, do the directing, and the editing.

Depending on their age, your kids can put in a significant amount of time creating a very elaborate movie. This is also a fun idea to get together with friends and create.

10 – Concentrate on Life Skills

Just because the kids aren’t cracking the books doesn’t mean they aren’t learning. This is a great time of year to slow down some of the academics and get the kids doing some real-world learning.

Help them brush up on their housecleaning or yard work skills. Tackle a big project together such a building a shed or a deck.

Let your kids help you run your business – or help them start their own. Request for your husband to bring your son to work and allow him to job shadow.

As you can see, learning does not need to be limited to textbooks and worksheets. If your kids appear to be at the end of their ropes and the light has left their eyes, consider dropping the regular studies and adding some sneaky learning methods instead.

These are great ways to help put the love back into learning!

Question: Do you have any other sneaky learning methods that have worked in your homeschool? I’d love to hear what they are! Please leave a comment below.