In this set of activities adaptable for grades K-3, parents and educators will find ideas for teaching about homes. These activities are designed to complement the BrainPOP Jr. Homes topic page, which includes a movie, quizzes, online games, printable activities, and more.

Classroom Activities for Teaching About Homes

Home Sweet Home

Have your students draw pictures or make models of their homes by using paint, crayons, cartons, construction paper, clay, blocks, craft sticks, or other items. Encourage them to be creative and use different materials. Then have students share their drawings or models with the class. Make sure students point out different features of their homes. Then discuss how students’ homes are alike and different. How are their real homes alike and different?

Whose Home?

Have students or pairs research different animals. You may wish to assign students different animals or have them pick randomly from a hat. Have students learn about where the animals live and how they build their homes. Some animals are nomadic and do not have homes at all. Have students make models of their animal’s home and share them with the class.

Home Life

Invite students to discuss and describe the people and animals they live with. Some students might live with parents and grandparents, while others might live with aunts and uncles. Some might have brothers and sisters, while other students may not. Some may even live with many pets! You may want to make a bar graph to keep track of the people who live in students’ homes. Encourage students to think about their families and how families can change. What happens when someone moves their home? What changes? What stays the same?

Family and Homeschool Activities for Teaching About Homes

Address Book

Have your child create his or her own address book. Be sure to include important contact information of family members, doctors, and caretakers, as well as addresses of their friends and cool places they like to visit, such as a park or a museum. Help your child write down each address. Have your child carry the address book in their backpacks and add more addresses of friends they make at school.

Walk Around the Neighborhood

Take your child on a walk around your neighborhood. Point out different homes and have your child describe or sketch them. How are the homes alike and different? What other buildings are in the neighborhood? You may want to walk with your child to a park or a community center. Discuss who lives and works in your neighborhood, such as friends, family members, police officers, firefighters, and postal carriers. Help your child understand that people who live in a neighborhood help each other.

Filed as:  Homes, Social Studies