Make it a Game

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There are TONS of reasons to play board games at home! Children learn good sportsmanship, following directions, cooperation, colors, numbers, counting, one-to-one correspondence, concentration, strategizing, recognizing social cues, and talking and laughing together with NO electronic devices (my personal favorite!)

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AND did you know you can take a game you already have on your shelf and turn it into an educational game to review trick words or math facts?! 

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Memory is the first game we play in school. I keep it to 10-15 minutes and we work on learning/following the rules, having fun and being a good sport. Write your sight words/trick words on index cards (2 cards per word or cut the cards in half) so you have the same word on 2 cards. Turn them all upside down and read the card you flip over. If they match you keep the pair then it is the next player's turn.

Maybe your child spells the word you read aloud to them before they move their pawn. Or maybe your child does a simple addition sentence before they roll the dice. Here are some more ideas of how to turn games MORE educational.  Just don't forget at the end of a game to shake hands and say “good game”.

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