There are many ways by which learning can be a fun experience for young children. Parents need not be limited to the pen and paper structure because learning doesn’t just happen in the four corners of the classroom, says Kristine Tria, a tutor at AHEAD Tutorial and Review Center.

Learning experiences may be incorporated into everyday activities like the following:

• Eating snacks: When giving your children cookies or fruits for snacks, take the opportunity to enhance their addition and subtraction skills. Have them count the cookies in their plate. Ask them: “How many cookies will be left on the plate if you eat one?” Do the same for fruit snacks. Use grapes or other small fruits, so that your kids will have plenty of items to count.

• Grocery math: When doing your grocery shopping, give your children a small amount of money for them to shop for their favorite foods. This will not only teach them how to add and subtract, it will also orient them about the basics of budgeting.

• Doing puzzles: Encourage your children to solve brain-stimulating puzzles like Sudoku. Sit with them while they figure out these brain teasers. Give clues as well as words of encouragement. If they hit a dead end, steer them towards the right direction. But don’t hurry them up. Allow them to solve the puzzles at their own pace.

• Playing board games: Playing board games helps children improve their math skills especially those that have them moving forward or sliding backwards for a particular number of steps. Some board games also enhance children’s reading comprehension especially those involving cards with instructions.

It’s easy to make learning a fun activity and a time to bond with your children as well. All it takes is time and a little imagination.