Top 10 Resources for Hands-On Learning

Hands-on learning doesn't have to cost a fortune - it's often at your fingertips!

When it comes to helping children learn through play, expensive resources and fancy gadgets aren't necessary. In fact, you probably already have everything you need right at home! Hands-on learning is all about making education fun, interactive and memorable. Whether you're a teacher, home educator or tutor looking to level up learning time, these 10 simple and affordable resources can transform lessons from boring to brilliant!

My Top 10 Resources for Hands-On Learning:

1. Dice

Dice are perfect for maths games, decision making, creating number sentences and practising subitising! Why not grab your FREE Roll and Solve Addition and Subtraction Activity now!

2. Scissors and Glue

Cutting and sticking isn’t just for art and crafts time - it’s great for sorting and matching activities too! Adding a cut-and-stick element to a printable sheet makes it more engaging and builds fine motor skills. This FREE Subitising Cut and Stick Activity is guaranteed to be a hit with little ones!

3. Bingo Dabbers

Bingo dabbers (also known as daubers or dot markers) are great for letter or number recognition, shape and counting activities. Use them with printables or make your own dot-to-dot learning games. Here's a FREE Shape Bingo Dabber Download to get you started!

4. Playdough

Playdough isn’t just for sculpting—it can be used to form letters, numbers, the hands of a clock and more! It's a great sensory experience, not to mention good for strengthening little hands. Here's some FREE O'Clock and Half Past Playdough Mats to try out.

5. Manipulatives

From counting gems to buttons, conkers to shells, manipulatives are any small items that children can move, group and explore. They're perfect for hands-on maths, sorting, measuring and creating patterns. These FREE Loose Parts Pattern Mats are perfect for developing hand-eye coordination.

6. Pegs

Pegs (clothes pegs or mini plastic ones) are amazing for building fine motor skills. Clip them to number cards or colour matching strips. You can even write letters or numbers on them for sequencing games! Here are some FREE Addition and Subtraction Clip Cards to show you how great pegs can be!

7. Fly Swatters or Toy Hammers

Turn learning into a high-energy game with fly swatters or toy hammers. Call out a letter, number or word and ask your child to swat or whack it. It’s a great way to engage even the most reluctant learners! This FREE Swat that Fly Phase 3 Tricky Word Activity will definitely be a hit!

8. Small Toys

Your child's favourite toys should definitely be incorporated into their learning - think mini dinosaurs, cars, animals or action figures. These toys can be sorted, counted and even used to help your child learn to blend in phonics. They’re a fantastic, free resource you already have lying around! Try sending a small toy down these FREE Phase 2 Phonics Slides!

9. Homemade Spinner

Use a paper plate, a split pin and a paper clip to create a simple spinner you can customise for endless learning games. Your child could spin a number and add it, or spin a letter and say a word that starts with it. Grab these FREE Phase 2 Phonics Sound Spinners now!

10. My Printable Games & Activities

Of course, my hands-on printables are a great way to make learning fun and engaging without buying new materials! I’ve created a huge variety of hands-on printable games and activities designed to be used with everything listed above! Whether you're reinforcing phonics, reading, writing or maths skills, there's something for every learner.

Have I missed anything off the list? What are your go-to hands-on learning resources - let me know in the comments below!