Families can use winter break to keep children curious and to build useful skills without formal homework. Jim Egenrieder, director of the Virginia Tech Thinkabit Labs, advises parents to use everyday tasks to strengthen thinking, planning and independence.
He explains that involving kids in background research—whether outdoors, at a store, or when planning a meal—builds executive function skills, the mental abilities for planning and decision making. Parents can make routine moments into short, hands-on STEM learning.
Practical examples from Egenrieder include measuring and timing steps while baking, tracking day length around the winter solstice, making budgets for shopping or events, identifying trees by winter features, predicting fuel needs for trips, and switching clocks to 24-hour time. He also recommends giving children meaningful roles and rewarding their work to build confidence.
Difficult words
- curious — wanting to learn or know more
- research — careful study to find informationbackground research
- executive function — mental skills for planning and decision makingexecutive function skills
- hands-on — involving active physical practice or participation
- budget — plan for how to spend moneybudgets
- predict — say what will happen in futurepredicting
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which everyday task from the article would you try with a child, and why?
- How can learning to make a budget or measure things help a child in daily life?
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