Children from the ages of 5-8 years old are full of wonder and enthusiasm for fun activities that keep them engaged and entertained. As parents, we want our children to learn as they play as well. Camp Australia offers a range of activities that are well suited to children in this age range.
We understand that children in their first years of primary school have different developmental and social needs than older school children. That’s why the team at Camp Australia have a range of activities for children aged from 5-8 years old that are fun while being beneficial to their development in so many ways. Let’s look at these in more detail.
Camp Australia’s Range of Activities for Young Children
From puzzle and brain games to arts and crafts, Camp Australia has before and after-school care and holiday activities that will keep both children and parents satisfied. Here are some of our favourite activities for children between the ages of 5-8 years old and the benefits of each:
1. Creative Arts and Crafts
Activities: Children are encouraged to get involved in arts and crafts because it’s fun and offers a range of benefits all within a creative and hands-on experience. Best of all, children can take their masterpieces home with them.
Activities including finger painting, creative collages and even simple knitting or crochet projects become a source of inspiration and pride, where children can see the results of their efforts. They get to experiment with different colours and textures while expressing their creativity through different mediums. Arts and crafts are perfect for seasonal gifts including Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, Christmas and Diwali.
Benefits: Arts and crafts are great ways for children at this age to develop patience, concentration and mindfulness, by being in the moment of creating their art pieces. Cutting and pasting physical collages may help with their motor skills and dexterity using tools such as age-appropriate scissors and glue. Completing art and craft pieces can give children a sense of achievement and pride in the crafts they’ve created.
2. Puzzles and Brain Games
Activities: Puzzles and memory games such as Guess Who are a wonderful way for children to have fun and flex their brain muscles at the same time. Puzzles, for example, let children visualise how each piece they connect comes to form the final complete image. Even basic card games like Snap enhance memory recognition and focus in a fast-paced and entertaining way.
Benefits: Puzzles and brain games can help children sharpen their focus, concentration and problem-solving skills, all in the name of fun. Puzzles teach children patience as they try different solutions to get the right pieces to match up. It also encourages open-mindedness as they try various options to make sure the correct pieces are connected to fit.
3. Story Time and Reading
Activities: Reading is a special time for children to explore stories that ignite their imagination. They can enter fantastical worlds with colourful characters and tales that they love to explore further. Whether they’re humorous, full of action or magical adventures, children can get lost in the stories, and storytime can involve asking them what they think will happen next.
Benefits: Apart from being entertaining for your children, reading and story time helps improve their vocabulary and communication skills. Stories can also help children develop a love of storytelling and reading, encouraging them to become life-long readers and learners. It is also a great way to introduce quiet time to add some balance to their day.
4. Building Activities
Activities: Using building blocks and LEGO bricks is a fantastic way for children to get hands-on in their creative pursuit to build objects that experiment with design, balance, and structure. Children at this age love building towers, houses and bridges using their imagination to create structures found in their immediate environment, or sometimes building things that are purely fantastical.
Benefits: Building and construction activities help children with their problem-solving skills, while examining concepts including balance, symmetry and support disguised as play. An interest in building and construction at an early age may be useful in learning STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) subjects in more senior study years.
Benefits of Kids Completing Activities With Other Kids Their Age
Particularly in this age group, children benefit greatly from completing activities together with their peers, including building their social skills, developing their communication skills and others. Here are some of these benefits in more detail:
Social Skills benefits: Children develop and build on their basic social skills at this age, so group activities are a wonderful way to learn taking turns, sharing and listening to others. This can build on their friendship group structures as well.
Boosting Self-Confidence: Accomplishing group activities like completing puzzles together helps boost their self-confidence. Children get to experience the satisfaction of teamwork in a fun and productive way.
Communication Skills benefit: Activities such as building or story time help children discuss their point of view, letting them express themselves as well as listening to what their peers are expressing. This helps children express their inner feelings outwardly and also builds their vocabulary and sense of understanding one another.