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Hands On Homeschool Activities Homeschool Den

Leo Migdal
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hands on homeschool activities homeschool den

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published September 29, 2025 I have just started my second year teaching a Hands-On Science class for lower elementary students K-3 (ages 5-9 or so). This is an in-person class that I teach once a week and I teach three different sessions (same material/different group of kids). I thought I would share some of the activities I am doing this year with my students in science class – so in this series I will... Ages 2-6: Toddler/Preschool Activities / Homeschool Den / Kindergarten / Science: Animal Characteristics / Science: Vertebrates - Invertebrates by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published September 10, 2025 · Last modified September 11, 2025

This 30+ page Farm Animal Unit includes matching pages, tracing, cut-and-paste activities, Farm Animals (and their babies) Montessori 3-part cards, as well as interactive notebook (lapbook) pieces. It is FREE to download through Oct. 10, 2025! These days, it seems like hands-on homeschool is a buzzword of sorts. What’s all the fuss about? It’s best to define hands-on first because I think its overall meaning might surprise you.

You see, hands-on learning can actually mean several things. Most obviously, hands-on means “touching” things during lessons. For instance, rather than reading about simple machines, you actually use simple machines to learn about their characteristics. Or, when learning about the rock cycle, you make your own rocks by taking them through a rock cycle simulation. Similar to the definition above, hands-on can also mean learning by doing. When you learn about Colonial history and actually do several of the tasks that would have been done during that era, that’s hands-on.

As are cooking or baking. Hands-on can also mean connecting somewhat abstract ideas to experiences that build concrete understanding. In other words, real-life experiences become building blocks in the brain, allowing more complex concepts to make sense. For example, using snap cubes to help a child “see” the formulas for calculating perimeter, area, and volume. Or, using beans to teach how scientists determine a taxonomy. Check out what's new at Knowledge Crates!

If you're new to homeschooling, you’ve probably heard the phrase "hands-on learning," but what does that really mean? Think about how kids naturally learn when they play—they touch, build, and explore. Hands-on learning taps into that curiosity by letting kids engage with materials and activities instead of just listening to explanations or filling out worksheets. Let me give you an example. Imagine you're teaching your child how to count money. The traditional way might be having them memorize coin values from a worksheet, which—let's be honest—can feel a little dull (not to mention, result in some less-than-idea enthusiasm and cooperation from your little learner).

Now, imagine setting up a pretend store where they "buy" and "sell" items using real coins. They get to handle the money, count it out, and problem-solve when making change. Suddenly, math feels like a fun game instead of a chore! Hands-on learning makes concepts stick because kids are experiencing them rather than just reading about them. It works well for all learning styles and helps children develop problem-solving skills through exploration. I know what you might be thinking—sure, hands-on learning sounds great, it's the dream ...

but we've got a lot of stuff to get done! Can’t we just stick to the books and get through the lessons? I GET IT. But let's take a second to talk this out, and believe me, I'm writing this as much as a reminder to myself as advice to you on why this matters. We have always been a fan of hands-on, engaging activities! Homeschooling gives us an excuse to dive deep, have fun, and to make learning meaningful and memorable!

Here are six good reasons to add hands-on activities into your homeschool week: There are so many different types of hands-on activities you can do to supplement just about any subject you are studying! Hands-on activities can be done with most any subject and with some creativity and planning… with almost any topic! I provided some photos of I wanted to share some fun pictures… just to get your juices flowing on the kinds of hands-on activities YOU can bring into your homeschool! <img class="aligncenter wp-image-32573" src="https://homeschoolden.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hands-On-Activity-Ideas-to-Inspire-Your-Homeschool.jpg" alt="Hands-On Activity Ideas to Inspire Your Homeschool" width="239" height="359" srcset="https://homeschoolden.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hands-On-Activity-Ideas-to-Inspire-Your-Homeschool.jpg 294w, https://homeschoolden.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hands-On-Activity-Ideas-to-Inspire-Your-Homeschool-100x150.jpg 100w, https://homeschoolden.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hands-On-Activity-Ideas-to-Inspire-Your-Homeschool-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 239px) 100vw, 239px" />

We all know the benefits of hands-on learning in a child’s education—the ability to engage all learning styles, increase retention, allow for real-life application, and improve critical thinking skills. All excellent reasons to stuff your homeschool day full of hands-on activities for learning. But sometimes, it can be overwhelming feeling like you need to incorporate x number of hands-on activities. Or you start to develop mom guilt over skipping the hands-on activities in a lesson because you don’t want to deal with the messy aftermath. Perhaps, like me, hands-on activities and crafts don’t fall in your creative wheelhouse. If you are homeschooling multiple kids, you may be feeling even more pressure and stress to find the time to incorporate hands-on learning elements into your homeschool day.

Like most kids, my children love hands-on activities. Not wanting my kids to miss out on hands-on learning, I knew I needed to come up with a system that would allow me to easily add hands-on activities to our homeschool day. That Homeschool Family is a participant in a variety of programs including the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchases made from links on this website may result in That Homeschool Family receiving a monetary payment at no extra cost to you. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.

This is a sponsored post. I have been compensated for my time. I have not been influenced in any way and all opinions are my own. We didn’t start homeschooling to continue boring lessons, did we? Having the ability to include hands on learning in our every day homeschooling lessons was definitely one of the reasons my husband and I decided to pull our kids from public school. With homeschooling numbers on the rise, new homeschooling parents all over the United States are on the search for effective (and cost-effective!) homeschool curriculum, homeschooling tips, inspiration and more.

Now that my family and I are a few years into our homeschooling experience, I’m happy to share my homeschool experiences and suggestions with others in hopes that they’ll end up enjoying homeschooling just... Take a quick look around my blog and you’ll notice that my kids truly thrive when they have access to hands on learning experiences. Gone are the days of spending hours sitting behind desks while enduring seemingly repetitive (read: boring) lessons from musty textbooks. You’ll find none of that here! You will, however, find plenty of ways to make learning meaningful, memorable, & fun! This post has a wide range of different hands-on activity ideas and teaching strategies that might inspire you in your homeschooling!

This time of year, our homeschooling can start to feel a bit stale. That’s when we have to shake things up and try approaching things from a different angle. We all have homeschool teaching strategies that we rely on, but it’s really great to change those up from time to time. What kinds of engaging, hands-on activities can we do in our homeschools? Our family has done simulations (the kids really liked the one we did on the Black Plague and the one we did on feudalism), plays, power point presentations, posters, dioramas, pin maps, dough diagrams,... In fact, you might want to check out this list of 30 Math Activity Ideas!

I’ll share many more ideas down below! Here are a couple of examples of teaching strategies we’ve been using the past week or two in our homeschool:

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By Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published September 29, 2025

by Liesl - Homeschool Den · Published September 29, 2025 I have just started my second year teaching a Hands-On Science class for lower elementary students K-3 (ages 5-9 or so). This is an in-person class that I teach once a week and I teach three different sessions (same material/different group of kids). I thought I would share some of the activities I am doing this year with my students in scie...

This 30+ Page Farm Animal Unit Includes Matching Pages, Tracing,

This 30+ page Farm Animal Unit includes matching pages, tracing, cut-and-paste activities, Farm Animals (and their babies) Montessori 3-part cards, as well as interactive notebook (lapbook) pieces. It is FREE to download through Oct. 10, 2025! These days, it seems like hands-on homeschool is a buzzword of sorts. What’s all the fuss about? It’s best to define hands-on first because I think its over...

You See, Hands-on Learning Can Actually Mean Several Things. Most

You see, hands-on learning can actually mean several things. Most obviously, hands-on means “touching” things during lessons. For instance, rather than reading about simple machines, you actually use simple machines to learn about their characteristics. Or, when learning about the rock cycle, you make your own rocks by taking them through a rock cycle simulation. Similar to the definition above, h...

As Are Cooking Or Baking. Hands-on Can Also Mean Connecting

As are cooking or baking. Hands-on can also mean connecting somewhat abstract ideas to experiences that build concrete understanding. In other words, real-life experiences become building blocks in the brain, allowing more complex concepts to make sense. For example, using snap cubes to help a child “see” the formulas for calculating perimeter, area, and volume. Or, using beans to teach how scient...

If You're New To Homeschooling, You’ve Probably Heard The Phrase

If you're new to homeschooling, you’ve probably heard the phrase "hands-on learning," but what does that really mean? Think about how kids naturally learn when they play—they touch, build, and explore. Hands-on learning taps into that curiosity by letting kids engage with materials and activities instead of just listening to explanations or filling out worksheets. Let me give you an example. Imagi...