At-Home School Enrichment for Elementary Kids

Making sure your kids start off on the right foot in terms of education can seem daunting. But luckily, it only takes a few good books to ignite a child’s love of learning at home. When setting up a little “enrichment corner” for kids, you can simply start by gathering a handful of books on topics they are already curious about.

Those books will, hopefully, in turn, spark endless questions and hands-on projects – and expand at-home learning naturally. At-home enrichment can complement any education style (public, private, homeschooling, etc). The key is to keep it fun, follow your child’s interests, and build gradually. 

Below we’re sharing practical tips and resources – from science experiments to storybooks – that any family can use to gradually enrich an elementary-aged child’s learning at home.

Science & Engineering Exploration

Science and engineering are all about curiosity, logical thinking, and problem-solving. With just a couple of engaging books or kits, you can turn your home into a mini discovery lab. 

Here are some science & engineering resources that worked wonders for our MomBrains families:

• How Things Work: Children are naturally curious about how gadgets and machines operate. A classic like The Way Things Work by David Macaulay is full of hand-drawn illustrations and even features a humorous woolly mammoth character to keep kids engaged. Books or kits on how everyday things work let kids take apart the world (on paper) and understand gears, pulleys, engines, and more – perfect for the budding engineer in your family.
• Great Engineering Disasters: It may sound counterintuitive, but learning about famous engineering failures can be both fascinating and educational for kids. One example is The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters by Sean Connolly, which gives an illustrated tour of historical engineering failures (from the Titanic to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) and pairs each disaster with a simple experiment using household items to demonstrate the science behind it. Exploring why bridges collapsed or designs failed teaches kids critical thinking – and that failure is often a stepping stone to success.
• The Periodic Table: A colorful periodic table book can spark an interest in chemistry. The Period Table by Sean Callery will introduce all 118 elements with fun facts – an easy, visual way to learn the building blocks of the world. It’s a great science addition to your home, and you might find your child randomly quizzing you on element names!
• Earth-Shattering Events: Many elementary-aged kids are fascinated by volcanoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. The book Earth-Shattering Events by Robin Jacobs is an interesting book about natural disasters – geological and meteorological, with chapters on earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, tornadoes, and more. It’s filled with engaging hand-drawn illustrations, diagrams, and maps, presenting facts in bite-sized, non-scary ways.

Reading Adventures for Growing Minds

Fostering a love of reading is one of the best enrichments you can give any child. Through stories, kids expand their vocabulary, knowledge, and empathy – and it’s so easy to start with a library card or a book gift. 

Here are a few book series that elementary kids adore (they certainly hooked ours):

• Warriors (Warrior Cats series): If you have an animal-loving or fantasy-loving kid, the Warriors series by Erin Hunter might captivate them. This epic saga about clans of wild cats is a #1 bestseller among middle-grade readers. Many kids tear through the entire series – and beg for more. The exciting adventures keep kids turning pages (hundreds of them!), building their reading stamina and imagination.
• Magic Tree House: For younger elementary readers (ages ~6–9), Magic Tree House is a gem. This beloved series follows siblings Jack and Annie on time-traveling adventures, blending fiction with real historical and scientific facts. They’re great for introducing kids to history without getting too bogged down in dates and memorized facts. Plus, there are nonfiction companion books if kids want to dive deeper into the real facts behind the stories! 
• The Puppy Place: Sometimes, the key to getting a child to read is finding a topic they adore. For many kids, that’s animals – especially puppies! The Puppy Place series by Ellen Miles features two siblings who foster a new puppy in each book, finding it the perfect “forever home.” The stories are heartwarming and easy to read, ideal for 2nd–4th graders. Expect lots of “aww” moments and maybe repeated requests for a pet dog!

Mathematics Practice Made Fun

Math enrichment at home goes beyond drilling math facts – it’s about making numbers fun and relevant. For families of all education types, adding a bit of math practice into daily life can boost a child’s confidence and skills.

Here are a couple of math resources that can help:

• Humble Math Workbooks: Sometimes, a little practice on paper solidifies what kids learn in class. The Humble Math series offers simple, focused workbooks full of practice problems for basics like addition, subtraction, and multiplication. They’re designed to help students learn their math facts and recall them with fluidity, using 100 days of reproducible practice sheets. These workbooks are inexpensive and straightforward, perfect for a summer bridge or home supplement to get the basics right.
• IXL Math Online: To turn math into an interactive game, consider online platforms like IXL. IXL is an adaptive learning website (also an app) that covers thousands of math skills from pre-K to 12th grade. It generates infinite practice questions and adjusts in difficulty based on your child’s answers. One tip: sit with your child occasionally while they use it, so you can celebrate their progress or help out if they get stuck (the immediate feedback IXL provides is really helpful).

Social & Emotional Learning at Home

Enrichment isn’t only about academics – social and emotional learning (SEL) is equally important for a child’s development. We want our kids to understand their feelings, develop empathy, and practice skills like kindness, patience, and self-control. As a parent, there are some wonderful at-home resources to nurture these qualities. Often it starts with sharing a story or movie together and then talking about it. 

Here are a few that our families and many others have loved:

• “Inside Out”: This animated movie is more than just entertainment; it’s a fantastic tool for teaching kids about emotions. Inside Out personifies a girl’s emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Disgust) and shows that all feelings have value. This movie has opened the door to conversations about tough emotions and how they help us (for example, how Sadness can be an important part of healing). Try watching it with your child and asking afterward: Which little emotion do you think was driving your head today? It’s a gentle, fun way to discuss feelings.
• The Invisible String: This bestselling picture book by Patrice Karst has become a classic for emotional security. In the story, a mother explains to her children that an invisible string made of love connects them to everyone they love, even when they’re apart. This book is highly praised as a tool to help with separation anxiety or big changes; it reassures kids that love keeps us connected even if we’re at school, or mom is on a work trip, or a loved one has passed away. 
• My Mouth Is a Volcano: A much-needed book for any child who has trouble with interrupting, which is most young kids! My Mouth Is a Volcano by Julia Cook uses an amusing story about a boy who can’t keep his words from “erupting” to teach children how to wait their turn to speak. It takes an empathetic approach to the habit of interrupting and even teaches a clever technique for kids to manage their thoughts and words. 
• VeggieTales Podcast (“Very Veggie Silly Stories”): Sometimes learning moral lessons can be as simple as listening to a fun story. The VeggieTales audio podcast led by Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber delivers short, silly episodes packed with positive messages. You don’t have to be religious to enjoy it; the values (like honesty, gratitude, bravery) are universal, and the talking vegetable characters certainly get kids’ attention! 

Hands-On Kits Delivered to Your Door

For busy parents or those who want ready-to-go projects, subscription kits can be a lifesaver. Imagine a box arriving in the mail with all the materials and instructions for a few cool activities – it’s like Christmas morning every time, and it spurs at-home enrichment without you having to plan it all. Two favorites in our household (and many others) are Lovevery and Kiwi Crate, which cater to slightly different age groups, but both bring learning through play right to your doorstep:

• Lovevery Play Kits: Geared towards younger kids (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers up to age 4), Lovevery play kits are a Montessori-inspired subscription. Each kit arrives every 2-3 months and is filled with beautifully crafted toys tailored to your child’s exact developmental stage. The toys emphasize open-ended play, sensory exploration, and skill-building (a wooden coin bank for object permanence, a buckle toy for fine motor skills, etc.). They’re a bit of an investment, but the high quality means the toys last and can be passed down to younger siblings.
• Kiwi Crate (by KiwiCo): For elementary-aged kids (~5–8 years old), Kiwi Crate is a fantastic monthly STEM kit. Each Kiwi Crate comes with materials and instructions to build or create something hands-on – from a miniature pinball machine to a spinning art gadget. The projects blend science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) in such a seamless way that kids just think it’s cool playtime. KiwiCo (the company) actually has crates for all ages, but Kiwi Crate is specifically designed for children ages 5-8 to introduce topics like science and engineering through fun, enriching activities. The convenience is awesome for parents: no special supplies needed beyond what’s in the box, and the instructions are kid-friendly. Plus, when the project is done, they have a toy or creation they’re proud of because they built it.

Conclusion

You don’t need to entirely replicate school at home to give your child enriching educational experiences. Often, it just starts with a few books on the couch, a fun project on the kitchen table, or a heartfelt story at bedtime. Follow your child’s passions – if they love animals, feed that interest with novels and science kits about animals; if they love building, give them engineering challenges and watch them light up. 

By incorporating some of the resources above into your routine, you’ll not only support what they learn in school, but also show them that learning is a lifelong adventure that can happen anywhere, especially in the warmth of your own home. Happy enriching! 📚🏡✨