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Quizzes - A Fun Way
For Children To Learn

With SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) and other testing in the classroom becoming the norm for children at school, quizzes are a fun and stress-free way to help children with their learning at home.

All children have a little bit of competitiveness in them, whether it’s between siblings, classmates or friends. A quiz is a great way to create a healthy competitive environment where everybody gets a say. They are ideal to occupy children’s minds during mundane day-to-day activities and, ultimately, are a fun way to help your children learn.

There are lots of ways to introduce quizzes into your child’s life. New sticker quiz magazine Kerwhizz is packed full of puzzles and quizzes that are based on the National Curriculum. Here, Kerwhizz magazine editor Sara Oldham and children’s educational specialist Stephanie Cooper present five top tips that will help you create your own simple fun quizzes.
 
1) Make the quiz relevant

A quick quiz can make the most mundane tasks both fun and educational, and keep children entertained with something that takes their minds off the task at hand. Any subject matter will do the job, but the more relevant the quiz is to the situation the more fun it can be.
 
At meal times, create a quiz that focuses on the food being eaten. By thinking about where food comes you can help your child to understand the science of food. For example, peas come from pods, carrots and potatoes come from the ground and fish come from the sea. Ask your child to guess what you’re describing when you say something, like, I can see something white and fluffy that used to be round and grows in the ground. Or, I can see something round and green that comes from a pod. Give them the opportunity to put questions to you, too.

Quizzes can help pass the time on car journeys. If heading on a long trip, a little preparation will go a long way. Think about where you’re heading and choose relevant questions, whether it’s to the seaside, the countryside or another city. You could set yourselves a 60 Second Question based on literacy, such as, How many seaside words can we think of together in 60 seconds?

2) Work as a team

Creating a team atmosphere offers valuable learning for later life and will leave children feeling more supported. Family gatherings provide the perfect environment for team-based quizzes. You could create a quiz about your family, with simple questions like, What’s mum’s first name? Or, What’s Grandma’s middle name? Cover history by asking, What was Granddad’s favourite toy when he was a child? Or geography, Where does Aunty Flo live?  

A Quiz Master could host the quiz and give each side something noisy as a buzzer - a squeaky toy, bell or hooter will make it more fun. Give the Quiz Master a hat to wear and take it in turns to take on this role. By having the opportunity to ask the questions, your child will increase their confidence at speaking in front of other people.

3) Quick quizzes are best

You know only too well that your child’s attention span is not going to last through a long quizathon. Make quizzes short, snappy and varied to avoid their minds drifting. Multiple-choice answers make things easier, especially if different age groups are involved.

A quiz doesn’t only have to consist of straight questions and answers. Include an activity round where you have to guess what one member of a team is humming, drawing, miming or moulding out of modelling clay. By doing this you’ll be covering a range of physical and creative skills. You could introduce Extra Tricky Challenges, like a spelling round, or a game of crocodile words. Here, one person says a word, and the next person listens carefully to the letter the word ends with. They then think of a word that begins with this letter (such as glass, and then sea, and then apple). Anything that breaks up the game and introduces a new type of activity will work well.

4) Tricks to remembering

Little anecdotes help remind us of certain things throughout our lives. ‘Naughty Elephants Squirt Water’ is used to represent the compass points North, East, South and West. Or, creating an L-shape between index finger and thumb helps to remember left and right. These ways of remembering can be passed down and can be invaluable to your child’s learning.

Incorporate these ways of remembering when helping children with the answers. Make up songs or rhymes with them, some will stick and they will be with them always – passed on for more generations to come.

5) The fun is in taking part

Winning is important to children, but a lesson in ‘taking part’ is extremely valuable as well. Consider rewards for everyone before you embark on a quiz as this will save tears later. Stickers are a great source of encouragement and work well because they can be swapped around later. Kerwhizz magazine has lots of stickers inside, plus more quizzes based on the National Curriculum for your children to have a go at by themselves.

The quizzes mentioned in this article will be rewarding in other ways for both your child and you. They will give your child confidence in maths, literacy, geography, science, history, creativity and physical activity. You can see how well your child is doing in different areas of their education, something that is often hidden from parents as children do most of their learning at school. And by sharing in your child’s education you will give them more. Children who are used to calling out answers and asking questions will naturally feel more comfortable to speak out in the classroom.

CBeebies Kerwhizz Magazine has been developed for 4-6 year olds and is the only sticker quiz magazine on the preschool market. It aims to build confidence in children through quizzes, puzzles and problem-solving activities that are based on the National Curriculum.

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