Learning with Games
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There are so many ways families choose to homeschool their children. Often, parents settle on a mixture of things that work best for their family. Today, I’m going to talk about a method I don’t hear much of, though I believe it is worth it: Game schooling!
What is “game schooling”?
Exactly what it sounds like! Learning through playing games, typically board game style games. Many of us are familiar with the classic board games and may even have a regular family game night! Games are loads of fun and there is a game for everyone out there. Some games incorporate a lot of reading, others require different types of math skills. Other games explore different science, nature, or cultural themes. When families decide to incorporate games into their child’s homeschool experience, they consider the educational topics they want to cover and find games that help children practice these skills. Below, I have compiled a collection of games I use, as well as games recommended to me. Jump to Math games, Language Arts Games, or Science games!
Math Games
A classic game from my own childhood, and that my own kids enjoy, is The Allowance Game. Players move around the board, collecting allowance, spending money, saving money, and maybe even owning a lemonade stand. Players learn how much coins are worth, how to add money, and how to make change.
To help kids learn their fractions, Fracto is a fun and easy game. With multiple ways to play, your kids are more likely to want to keep playing– and keep practicing their fractions!
So, we have not actually played this game, but it has been on my wishlist for a while now! Target is a game where players need to reach their target by using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. With so many options, it is a suitable game for multiple age groups.
Another favorite math game: Tiny Polka Dot. This game has been great because it is not one single game. There are over a dozen games to play for kids ranging from three to eight+. All the games use the included number cards, some of which have numerals and others which use dots and blocks.
Finally, recommended to me by another family, is Real World Math: Unexpected Events. This is a math game for older kids that helps them practice their math skills applied to personal finances, similar to the real world.
Language Arts Games
One of my favorite games growing up- and that I’ve shared with my kids- was Boggle, Jr. This is a fun way to practice letter matching and spelling. Boggle, Jr has a set of cards with words on the bottom. Depending on the child’s ability, they can either match the word or practice spelling the word with the letter cubes. For older kids, Boggle can be a lot of fun, too! Boggle is a simple word search game that can be played independently or with a partner.
Learning parts of speech has been described as boring to many people I’ve spoken with over the years. How do you make parts of speech fun? With Silly Sentences! Kids love making silly sentences with this game. Children use color coded puzzle pieces to build sentences as silly (or tame) as they please.
There are so many games where reading is an important part of the game, but one of our favorites is Apples to Apples, Junior edition. Designed with kids 9 and up in mind, children practice reading, make comparisons, and build their vocabulary. We have a lot of laughs playing both the “junior” and the “classic” editions of the game.
Of course, no language arts game would be complete without mentioning the classic game, Scrabble. If you are unfamiliar, this is a fun crossword style game where players build words to earn points. Children can practice spelling, learn new vocabulary, and practice using a dictionary.
Science Games
I’m sure many of you have built a marble run before, but maybe not one like this! Gravitrax is like no other marble run I’ve seen. Like others, gravity is a big component of this marble run. But with this, children also get to experiment with things like magnetism. Plus, there are some really interesting expansion sets you can get – such as a trampoline! The link below will bring you to a smaller starter set, but there are larger ones as well as many expansion sets to explore!
Are your kids interested in engineering? Or maybe you want a fun way to teach simple machines to your kids. This kit is a lot of fun because it comes with materials and instructions to build simple machines (things such as inclined plane, levers, screws, etc). After your child builds a simple machine, he/she can play with them to see how they work!
A final option is the Botley 2.0 Robot. My oldest is interested in robotics and this little robot was a fun way to let her explore robotics and coding. Botley comes with a booklet that explains how the programming works, has suggested activities, and your child set up his/her own programs. I think this is a great first step into learning how programming works.
Geography
Ticket to Ride is a family favorite; I actually got it as a gift for my husband and we all fell in love with it! We have the original version, in which players seek to build train routes across the US and some Canadian cities. There are other versions that take place in other areas of the world.
Have you ever heard of Continent Race? While we haven’t played this yet, it was a game recommended to me by followers. This is a game designed to teach children world geography and flags. My favorite part though, is that this game was designed by a six-year-old!
What games would you add?
This is just a handful of games that exist. What are your favorite games? Let me know in the comments!
