Fun and Educational Placemats
I heard a young person recently say, “I wish my family had meals together.” I don’t think some people realize what a bonding experience it is for children to have meals with their family. It also creates lasting memories and sets a pattern your children will want to share with their family later on. Children are like little sponges absorbing everything around them. There are so many fun ways for children to learn these days and they may not even be aware that you are helping them to learn when you use fun and educational place mats.
* Place mats with a map of the United States – These can be used several ways to teach children of all ages. Talk about what is happening in the news and ask the children to find the state or states that are in the news. If relatives are coming for a visit ask the children to find the state the relatives live in and how many states they will have to cross to get to your house.
* Place mats with State Flags – In addition to using these place mats at mealtime they can be used in the car on vacation. As you are leaving one state and entering another you can ask the children what the colors of the next state are and to describe the flag of that state. They may even see a state flag while going through the area.
* Place mats with Water Cycle – Children will never look at their glass of water at the dinner table the same way again after learning about the water cycle. It is such an interesting topic for children to study as these place mats show the full cycle of what happens to water as it is recycled through the environment. It is done in a child-friendly way so they will enjoy it as they learn.
* Place mats with the Solar System – Whether you have a future astronaut at your table or not there are many discussions you can inspire by these place mats with the Solar System shown on them. The discussion can go on into the evening as you sit outside and gaze into the sky and look for star formations like the Big Dipper.
* Place mats with Shapes, Alphabet and Numbers are great learning tools for younger children. If there are older children at the table they can be instrumental in guiding the younger ones in learning the basics since younger children look up to their older siblings. As the older children say, “That’s right!” you can witness the beaming smiles on the younger ones faces. Using a variety of place mats according to age allows all children to utilize their brain power to its best advantage.
* Place mats with Fractions – These place mats give children an easy visual way of learning fractions, making learning fun. You can use fun foods like pizza, pie, cake and more to teach fractions.
* Place mats with Road Signs – These place mats can be very beneficial in teaching children safety on the road. It may even help save a life if the person they are riding with is preoccupied and doesn’t notice a Yield, Rail Road Crossing or Stop Sign. You can also take these in the car when traveling and have children circle them each time they see these signs.
* Place mats with Animal Friends – These place mats teach children to recognize a variety of different animals and can encourage discussions about the differences between the animals like which ones would make good pets or where you would find these animals in their natural habitat.
* Brainy Mats to the Rescue – These place mats teach children to recognize vehicles that can help people in an emergency situation and can induce discussions on the purpose of each different vehicle. These discussions may also instill a desire for them to go into a life-saving profession.
* Sports Place mats – These place mats are sure to be a hit with the sports lovers in the family as they showcase a variety of different sports fields. Family members can discuss their experiences they’ve had as they played each sport and encourage younger children to venture out and try one or more of them. It’s a well-known fact that children who are active in sports have less time or desire to get into trouble (with gangs, etc).
