How to Beat Post-Holiday Blues with Engaging Winter Activities

 The holiday season brings joy, celebrations, and cherished family moments. But as the festivities wind down, many of us face the dreaded post-holiday blues. For children, the transition back to daily routines can feel especially challenging. Engaging winter activities can be the perfect antidote to keep their spirits high while encouraging creativity and learning. Here’s a list of fun and educational winter activities that can turn the chilly months into a productive and enjoyable season!

1. Warm Up with Creative Indoor Crafts

Crafting is a great way to keep kids entertained and encourage their creativity during winter. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to teach valuable lessons in measurement and precision.

• DIY Winter Decorations
  Set up a crafting station with materials like paper, glitter, and markers to make snowflakes, paper snowmen, or holiday keepsakes. Not only does this keep kids engaged, but it also helps them develop fine motor skills.

• Educational Spin on Crafting
  Incorporate lessons into the crafts. For instance, while cutting snowflakes, ask kids to calculate the symmetry or count the number of cuts made. Crafting projects can easily be paired with mental math worksheets to reinforce learning in a fun way.

• Statistics on Creative Activities
  Studies show that creative activities improve children’s focus by 60% and help reduce stress, making them an ideal way to combat post-holiday blues.

2. Energize with Indoor Fitness Challenges

Keeping kids physically active is essential during winter, especially when outdoor play is limited. Indoor fitness challenges can be both fun and beneficial for their health.

• Winter Olympics at Home
  Organize mini-games like indoor snowball tosses, obstacle courses, or a balance beam challenge. Award points and keep score to make it competitive and exciting.

• Math Meets Fitness
  Combine physical activity with math by asking kids to count repetitions, time their activities, or calculate their scores. For example, how many steps can they climb in 5 minutes? This approach blends learning with movement.

• The Science of Fitness
  Research suggests that kids who engage in daily physical activity perform 20% better academically. Add abacus online exercises to their routine for a well-rounded brain-body workout.

3. Dive into Winter-Themed Math Games

Winter is the perfect season to bring out the math enthusiast in your child. From mental math worksheets to interactive games, there are countless ways to make learning math enjoyable.

• Snowman Math Challenge
  Host a snowman-building contest where kids must calculate dimensions, area, or volume for the perfect snowman. This can be done indoors with playdough or outdoors if weather permits.

• Santa Math Workshop
  Create a workshop scenario where kids act as Santa’s helpers. They can calculate the number of toys needed, the time required for delivery, or the cost of supplies. This engaging activity brings math to life.

• Numbers That Matter
  Did you know that kids who practice math regularly using games or worksheets improve their problem-solving skills by up to 45%? Mental math worksheets are a great addition to these activities.

4. Engage Minds with Storytelling and Reading

Winter evenings are perfect for cozying up with a good story. Storytelling and reading aren’t just relaxing—they’re also powerful tools for learning.

• Winter Story Creations
  Encourage your child to write their own winter tale. They can create characters, plot twists, and even use illustrations. This boosts their imagination and improves their writing skills.

• Interactive Storytime
  Turn storytime into a discussion. Ask questions about the plot or characters to enhance critical thinking. For younger kids, include counting or measuring exercises in the stories to introduce math concepts.

• Reading Statistics
  Children who engage in daily reading activities are 68% more likely to score higher in language and comprehension skills, making this a vital winter activity.

5. Bake and Learn in the Kitchen

Cooking and baking are excellent ways to teach kids practical math and science skills while enjoying delicious treats.

• Winter Cookie Math
  Have kids help measure ingredients for cookies or hot chocolate. Ask them to double or halve recipes, which is a great way to teach fractions and ratios.

• Kitchen Experiments
  Turn the kitchen into a lab by explaining chemical reactions, like how baking soda works. This keeps kids curious while reinforcing STEM concepts.

• Adding Technology
  Combine baking with abacus online programs to show kids how to calculate grocery costs or plan recipes for larger groups. UCMAS programs excel in making math relevant to everyday life.

6. Build Business Skills with a Winter Project

Winter activities can also introduce kids to entrepreneurial skills, sparking their interest in running a business.

• Host a Winter Sale
  Encourage kids to create winter crafts or baked goods to sell at a small family sale. They can calculate costs, set prices, and keep track of profits.

• The Best Education Franchise
  Talk about how successful franchises like UCMAS Canada combine creativity, education, and entrepreneurial spirit. Show them the possibilities of combining learning with real-world applications.

• Entrepreneurial Impact
  Kids who engage in entrepreneurial activities develop better decision-making skills and are 30% more likely to excel in leadership roles as adults.

Make Winter Learning Memorable with UCMAS Canada

Winter doesn’t have to be a time of stagnation. With activities like mental math worksheets, abacus online exercises, and interactive challenges like Santa Math Workshop, your child can beat the post-holiday blues and stay engaged all season long.

At UCMAS Canada, we’re dedicated to nurturing young minds with proven programs that combine fun and education. Our Abacus and Mental Math program for kids aged 5-13 enhances brain capabilities, visualization, and accurate calculations, making learning enjoyable and effective.

Transform this winter into a season of growth and discovery! Enroll today and explore how we can help your child achieve their full potential.

The Power of Visual Learning: Building Stronger Math & Visualization Skills

 In today's fast-paced world, where screens and technology dominate, children are increasingly reliant on visual reminds for learning. Visual learning has emerged as a game-changer, especially in building stronger math and visualization skills. From understanding complex mathematical concepts to visualizing problems in their minds, kids can benefit immensely from this approach. One of the most effective tools in visual learning is Abacus Math, a method that has been used for centuries to teach children mental arithmetic. But how exactly does visual learning help in math? Let's explore!

What is Visual Learning?

Visual learning is a teaching and learning style that heavily relies on images, diagrams, and spatial understanding. The human brain processes visual information much faster than text, making this approach particularly effective for kids. When children use visual aids, such as an abacus, to solve math problems, they develop a mental picture of numbers and calculations, which strengthens their understanding and retention.

For instance, when a child learns math through the Abacus, they can physically move the beads to represent numbers. Over time, this tactile and visual interaction allows them to perform calculations in their heads, often faster than their peers who rely solely on traditional methods. Research shows that nearly 65% of people are visual learners, meaning they grasp concepts better through images and visualizing data. For children, who are just beginning to build their foundational skills in math, visual learning can be a tremendous advantage.

Why Visualization is Key to Strong Math Skills

Visualization in math helps children build stronger connections between numbers, patterns, and mathematical operations. For example, when kids visualize numbers as objects or shapes, it becomes easier for them to understand abstract concepts. This is where Abacus Math shines, as it encourages children to think in images, not just numbers.

Studies suggest that students who engage in visualization techniques are 15-20% more likely to excel in subjects like math. For instance, when children use mental math worksheets to practice their arithmetic, they begin to visualize the abacus beads in their minds, which enhances their ability to solve complex problems quickly. This form of mental visualization leads to better memory retention and concentration, skills that are critical not just in math but across all academic areas.

In fact, children who regularly practice abacus math for kids develop higher spatial awareness, which contributes to improved geometry and problem-solving skills. This strong visualization ability becomes an asset as they advance into more complex mathematical topics such as algebra and calculus.

Building Concentration and Memory Power Through Visual Learning

One of the most significant benefits of visual learning is its ability to boost concentration and memory power. When children visualize mathematical problems, they engage multiple senses, including sight, touch, and sometimes even sound. This multi-sensory engagement stimulates the brain, helping kids stay focused for more extended periods.

Abacus classes near me have reported that students who participate in regular mental arithmetic training demonstrate noticeable improvements in their ability to concentrate and retain information. This is because the process of visualizing calculations on an abacus forces children to pay close attention to the placement and movement of beads. Over time, their memory of these placements becomes ingrained, enabling them to recall complex calculations with ease.

Visual learning also encourages the brain to create stronger neural pathways, which further enhances a child’s cognitive abilities. This is why mental math worksheets and abacus training are so effective in not only teaching math but also improving a child's overall academic performance.

Abacus Math: A Bridge Between Visual Learning and Mental Arithmetic

Abacus Math is not just about numbers—it's about building a bridge between visual learning and mental arithmetic. By using the abacus, children learn how to visualize the movement of beads to perform calculations. This process helps to improve their understanding of numbers and develop stronger math skills.

The abacus works as a powerful visual tool that trains children to see math as something tangible. Over time, children can visualize the abacus in their minds, allowing them to perform mental calculations without any physical tools. This transition from physical to mental arithmetic is what makes Abacus Math for kids such a unique and valuable learning tool.

Recent studies have shown that children who learn math using the abacus can perform mental calculations up to 4 times faster than their peers who use traditional methods. This ability to perform rapid mental math is a direct result of their visual learning experiences with the abacus.

How Mental Math Worksheets Enhance Visualization Skills

Mental math worksheets are essential tools that complement visual learning by offering children opportunities to practice and strengthen their mental arithmetic skills. These worksheets often contain problems that challenge children to visualize calculations in their minds without any physical aids.

When kids work on mental math worksheets, they are practicing the visualization techniques they’ve developed through abacus training. This consistent practice helps them reinforce their mental images of numbers and operations, further improving their math skills.

Research indicates that students who regularly use mental math worksheets as part of their study routine show a 20% improvement in their test scores compared to those who do not. This improvement can be directly attributed to the enhanced visualization and cognitive abilities that come from regular practice.

Finding Abacus Classes Near You: A Step Toward Stronger Math Skills

If you’re a parent or educator looking to improve your child's math skills, finding abacus classes near me is an excellent first step. These classes offer structured training in Abacus Math, helping kids develop their visualization and mental arithmetic abilities.

UCMAS Canada is one such program that has been at the forefront of teaching abacus-based mental math for over 20 years. UCMAS offers abacus math for kids aged 5-13, using a structured program that strengthens not just math skills but also concentration, memory power, and overall academic performance.

With locations across the country, UCMAS makes it easy to find abacus classes near me. These classes are designed to cater to children of all skill levels, ensuring that each student receives personalized attention and support as they build their math and visualization skills.

Unlock Your Child's Potential with UCMAS Canada

At UCMAS, we understand that every child learns differently through a dominant and a secondary learning style. Our Abacus math program is designed to develop these learning styles in every class children attend at UCMAS. 

Even the UCMAS National Competitions are thoughtfully designed having different categories to help children further enhance their learning skills. In the listening competition category, students have to focus and listen to high-speed math problems being called out. In the visual competition category, they see math problems on a big screen and solve them quickly. All the above math problems are solved by touching and moving the beads of the Abacus with their fingertips, which helps them enhance their kinesthetic learning ability.

The UCMAS abacus math program is crafted to foster a genuine enthusiasm toward math and overall learning for kids. Your child is presented with opportunities to experiment with different learning styles that activate both logical and creative thinking.

Introduce your child to the thrilling world of the abacus math program with UCMAS. Their math adventure awaits, enroll now!

TRENDS THAT WILL SHAPE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN 2019

Gone are the days of traditional education where students were only taught from books. The ever-changing landscape of early age education has given rise to much better & practical concepts that result in the development of students at a young age.

Parents are increasingly understanding the importance of after school programs in shaping their child’s future. The engaging & hands-on activities prepare children to achieve academic & co-curricular success where they might struggle in absence of proper training. With the help of early childhood education, children can understand their strengths and gain an early victory over their weaknesses.

Trends that will make early childhood education better

Early childhood education has evolved twofold in recent years. Changes in the teaching methodology, focus on experiential learning & technologically oriented curriculum, among several others, have emerged as significant contributors in providing children with a positive learning experience. Here are a few other early age education trends that you should look forward to in 2019 for your child’s lifelong success –

1. Play-based learning
   The books have been kept aside and tools like the abacus, play-doh, building blocks, educational toys, and instruments have taken their place. Active playing is now a part of every after-school curriculum as they strengthen the connections in the brain, increase flexibility & allow children to realize their potential.
2. Robotics learning
   STEM learning not only provides programming skills but expands a child’s brain through creative problem-solving. Robotics is the future of technology and STEM education at an early age will stimulate children to choose a career in this field.
3. Physical fitness
   Afterschool programs are continuously focusing on developing the physical health of children in an environment where the opportunities to play outside are rare. Sports activities like running, swimming, dancing, and martial arts are included in the curriculum to keep children fit & stimulate their brain power. Practicing these activities develops confidence, self-discipline & drives them towards greater pursuits in life.
4. Outdoor Exploration
   Outdoor activities are increasingly gaining relevancy in early age education. Afterschool programs are now focusing on introducing children to the world with enjoyable activities like basic gardening, taking care of pets, bird watching, outdoor games & much more.

Early education has touched stellar heights with an increasing focus on providing children with an experiential learning environment. In today’s dynamic & competitive world, afterschool programs boost a child’s chances of success by guiding them in the right direction for advancing their career. UCMAS is a holistic brain development and an afterschool program that contributes to the cognitive development of children and provides them a path towards lifelong success.