How and Why to Use Educational Games in Your Homeschool
I was raised in a family that loved games. We spent hours and hours playing a variety of both board and card games including poker, dominoes, Trivial Pursuit {I’m an 80’s kid,} Tripoley, canasta, Monopoly, Pictionary, Scrabble and more. Loads of great family memories were made during those game nights…along with some ugly ones too, of course, but I still cherish them today. I mean, what’s a game of Monopoly if it doesn’t include a handful of tossed paper money and some choice words? Right? I would not change anything about those special hours sitting around the kitchen table with my annoying brother, perfectionist father and sweet-as-pie mom.
So, when our son was old enough, my husband and I introduced him to our little version of family game night. It started with the Star Wars edition of Trouble, moved on to Sorry, then Battleship and eventually progressed to Risk. With only three players, the structure of game night can be a wee bit tricky so, as my husband and son started to really bond over their love of, what I consider to be the most boring things in the world, strategy games, I spent more time as an observer than a player. I adored the fact that they shared such a bond and I also appreciated that I could go to bed at midnight while they were still playing. Seriously. Not only are those games boring to me, but they are also looooooooooooong!
But, no worries, my son and I had our own game thing going on. Somewhere early on in our homeschool journey, I started collecting EDUCATIONAL GAMES. It started with a need to work on multiplication facts so, on the recommendation of a friend, I bought Speed. We had so much fun with it, that I started searching for EDUCATIONAL GAMES in other subjects. Before I knew it, we had shelves and shelves of EDUCATIONAL GAMES designed to teach and/or review history, spelling, geography, science and math. We weren’t quite gameschooling, but close!
And though he is now 15 and in high school, we still play loads of EDUCATIONAL GAMES together and I think your family might love playing them too! Keep reading to see how and why to use educational games in your homeschool. And, if you are wanting to read some game reviews, click on the pink links!
ONE: FUN for the WHOLE FAMILY
Though many husbands and some kids won’t find all EDUCATIONAL GAMES fun enough to choose for Family Game Night, there are plenty that are loads of fun for multiple ages and skill levels. This makes them perfect for Friday afternoons, snow days, slow mornings and “I’m bored” moments during the summer. My son and I got in the habit of playing four EDUCATIONAL GAMES each week; two of his choosing and two of mine. He usually chose EDUCATIONAL GAMES based on his favorite subjects, science and history, and I chose them based on areas in which he needed to work, math and spelling. But, no matter what we played, we both had fun! And, sometimes we enjoyed a particular game so much that we were able to talk my husband into playing. It was extra fun to see my kid kick my husband’s booty in Valence! EDUCATIONAL GAMES are FUN for the WHOLE FAMILY!
TWO: PERFECT for NEW and REVIEW
When I started collecting EDUCATIONAL GAMES, it was not with the intention of offering different options for Family Game Night or for creating a special bonding time, though both of those perks occurred too! I started collecting EDUCATIONAL GAMES in hopes of finding fun ways to work on my son’s lacking skills. In addition to flashcards and worksheets, I wanted to give my son a fun way to practice his multiplication facts. And EDUCATIONAL GAMES were perfect for just that! Turns out there are loads of EDUCATIONAL GAMES that focus on multiplication facts, but there are also EDUCATIONAL GAMES that teach about state geography, provide spelling practice, introduce fun science concepts and so much more! EDUCATIONAL GAMES are PERFECT for BOTH NEW MATERIAL and REVIEW WORK!
THREE: IDEAL for MULTI-SENSORY LEARNING
It’s no secret that there is much value in the multi-sensory approach to learning. The more parts of your body that are engaged while learning equates to more parts of your brain processing that information which results in a more thoroughly cemented learning experience. Or more simply put, hands-on = engaged brain = more learned. And EDUCATIONAL GAMES are ideal for that approach! Whether it’s flipping cards fast in Flip It, moving a crazy buzzer in After Words or moving plastic trucks in Game of the States, the physical actions result in information gained and retained! But, even just the simple act of holding cards and reading aloud with any of the dozen Professor Noggin’s games helps cement information firmer than when simply read from a book. EDUCATIONAL GAMES are IDEAL for MULTI-SENSORY LEARNING!
So, now that you know how and why to use educational games in your homeschool, check out some of our game reviews by clicking on a category below!
