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The Natural Learning Home typography; wooden home-shaped frame surrounded by illustrated flowers and twice dice inside the frame shape
by Kay Chance
digital illustration of flowers
Game On!
J

ust when I thought we were almost finished, the arrow inevitably landed on the “spill the bucket” space. The boys would laugh. Sometimes I would, too… and other times, I must admit I just wanted it to end!

You know that classic game of counting—Hi Ho! Cherry-O. Perfect for little ones, but maybe not too exciting for adults. And yet, it was so worth it.

Those “boys” are twenty-seven and twenty-four years old now. As they were growing up, we always enjoyed playing board games, and game night remains one of our favorite family activities! It’s not unusual for them to be excited about a new game they want to introduce us to.

We all have our favorites, but one thing I’ve noticed about both my sons is how much the games grew with them. Now, the complexity, amount of strategy, and the number of rules involved in their games overwhelms me. I grew up on games like Monopoly and Pay Day and Life, after all! (We make compromises on our family game nights and opt for the more middle-of-the-road ones.)

To think it all began with a board full of little, red plastic cherries, a spinner, and giggles galore.

Games Are Everywhere!
  • There are pick-up games & organized sports.
  • There are “playground” games & ones kids just make up.
  • There are party games, board games, cards, & dice.
  • There are competitive games & cooperative ones & those you can even play by yourself.
  • There are video and computer games & game shows on television.

Some games are literally designed for kids to learn about a topic, while others teach kids in a more subtle way. But all games are ultimately educational.

This is a bigger topic than we can cover in one article. So let’s narrow the focus to board games (which include cards and dice in this category), as well as how you can “gamify” topics in your homeschool.

dice, bouncing rubber balls, and game pieces
Natural Learning and Games
I think we underestimate just how much children and teens learn from playing board games. Of course, little ones learn how to take turns and to recognize colors, count, and do simple math like addition and subtraction. But there are soft skills they learn that are just as important—or maybe even more.

Games require us to be patient, waiting our turn. We have to learn to follow directions. Games give us an opportunity to learn how to both lose and win graciously. Playing them gives us a chance to laugh and connect with one another. They provide a way to strengthen family relationships as well as those among peers.

Some games require negotiation skills, others are based on quickness and dexterity. Many require abilities to strategize, problem solve, and communicate effectively. When we discovered cooperative board games, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities—compromising, persuading, and ultimately working together.

Activities like playing a game is what natural learning is all about. It isn’t trying to set up an artificial educational experience, but leaning into those things that kids enjoy.

I think there’s a strong case for incorporating board games into the “school day.” So whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly—know that playing them will teach your kids as much (or more!) than what’s laid out in the curriculum.

“Activities like playing a game is what natural learning is all about. It isn’t trying to set up an artificial educational experience, but leaning into those things that kids enjoy.”
digital illustration of flowers
Recommended Board Games
I’m sharing some of our family’s personal favorites from our homeschooling years. I’m sure your family has some, too! Just think through what they are learning from each and you’ll feel more confident to make playing them a regular part of your homeschool routine.
Here’s our top ten, starting with a couple of games for your youngest learners.
  1. Hi Ho! Cherry-O (Ages 3+). As I shared, my kids found this hilarious. Just when someone was almost done collecting cherries, they inevitably had to dump their entire bucket. This classic game helps kids with counting, addition, and subtraction skills. It’s also a great way to practice patience and perseverance and develop fine motor skills.
  2. Don’t Wake Daddy (Ages 3+). I think we all held our breath as we would hit “daddy’s alarm button.” It made all of us jump when he woke up, sitting straight up in bed. Your children will recognize colors and numbers, count, and giggle their way through it all.
  3. Guess Who? (Ages 6+). Asking revealing yes and no questions, using deductive reasoning, and the process of elimination—when children play Guess Who, they’ll have fun while developing these important skills.
I grew up on these games that tackle the things of adulthood. Decision making takes center stage along with the element of surprise throughout both.
  1. Pay Day (Ages 6+). This is one I was especially fond of while growing up. My sister and I played it often! Your kids will learn about making money, paying bills, making investments, selling property, and the consequences of going into debt.
  2. Life (Ages 8+). Children go through “life” and hone decision making skills as they draw cards with choices they need to make. What will my career be? Where will I go on vacation? There are twists and turns along the way… just like real-life.
Dice games are perfect for taking on vacation or when you just want to play a quicker game.
digital illustration of flowers
  1. Farkle (Ages 8+). Do you have risk takers in your family? If so, they’ll love this game. Great for practicing grouping of numbers, this game works from a variety of ages because it is fast-paced and fun! We’ve graduated to Spicy Farkle in our homeschool moms group since we are such wild and crazy women. Scores can double, but you stand to lose more, too!
  2. Yahtzee (Ages 8+). Yahtzee is another classic game, and for good reason! Strategy and decision making, with a little luck thrown in, keeps this game of dice a favorite among families. Recognizing the different ways numbers can be grouped is a great math skill for kids from elementary through high school.
With these next three games, your kids will learn about geography as you play!
  1. Ticket to Ride (Ages 8+). There are many different versions of Ticket to Ride, including a “First Journey” version for ages 6 and up. This is a great game to transition from more classic games like Life and Pay Day to those requiring more strategy. As kids connect routes to different cities by trains, they’ll need to make decisions along the way and watch out for the other players who might block them.
  2. Trekking the World (Ages 10+). Another one of my personal favorites, Trekking the World adds another dimension of strategy each round as cards change that affect play. As your children claim destinations, they’ll learn about fascinating places around the world.
  3. Pandemic (Ages 8+). This was the first cooperative game we played as a family and yes, it was before 2020! (Though my son came home from college and lived with us for six months when everything shut down… and insisted we play this game.) I love how you work together as a team with cooperative games. I always laugh that my husband and boys enter into a lot more negotiating than I do; I’m usually there for the snacks. But working together and strategizing take center stage with this one!
Creating Games for Learning
“Gamifying” learning and reviewing information makes it more fun and memorable. Through the years, we often made our own games for our co-op and personal study. Here are some you can easily make and play over-and-over.
Create a Jeopardy-type game board. Playing a game like Jeopardy can help your students review information they’ve been learning in a variety of subjects. All you need is:
  • Poster or foam board
  • Envelopes
  • Marker
  • Index cards
  • Tape or glue
  • Poster or foam board
  • Envelopes
  • Marker
  • Index cards
  • Tape or glue
We often used this in our co-op to review subjects. We included five categories with five dollar amounts under each. We wrote the amount the question was worth on the envelope and put the answer on the index card. In true jeopardy fashion, our kids would have to state their answer in the form of a question.

Add a physical element to reciting facts. Whether it’s the names of states and capitals, addition or multiplication—memorizing facts can be more fun and literally “memorable” when we add movement. Have them jump on a mini-trampoline, hop on hopscotch-type squares, jump rope… whatever they can do while reciting what they’ve been memorizing.

pink, peach, and orange flowers
Make a concentration type game to learn about topics. Use index cards to make pairs from a topic. For example, it could be

  • Animal name and picture
  • Animal picture and interesting fact
  • Element name and symbol
  • Addition problem and answer
  • Science equations and name or example
  • Historical event and date
  • Grammar term and definition
  • Vocabulary word and definition

Place the cards face down and have students flip over two at a time. When they find a match, they can keep that pair of cards. If they don’t find a match, it’s the next person’s turn. Whoever has the most pairs in the end, wins.

Go on a grammar treasure hunt. Have your children learned about nouns or verbs or adjectives recently? Challenge them to find as many as they can from a page in a book they are reading. Set a timer and see how many they can list.

Use a game as a springboard for learning more. Find an example about how to do this on our Homeschooling Today blog: The Best Learning Activities for the Game Ticket to Ride!

Summer is a great time to play games, but don’t stop there. Make them a regular part of your school day and enjoy learning naturally!
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Kay Chance
K

ay Chance homeschooled her children for fifteen years. While teaching them, she discovered a passion for writing and developing curriculum resources. She loves sharing natural learning methods and creative lesson ideas with other homeschooling parents. Kay is the co-executive editor of Homeschooling Today magazine and the author of the older extensions for the Trail Guide to Learning series. She makes her home in Texas with her husband Brian.