There’s never enough time to do all that we want to do during our homeschool days, am I right? I have so many ideas that never come to fruition, so many things that I want to expose my girls to, but much of it never seems to happen. And the days go by. And then the weeks and the months and, well you get the picture. That’s why you should incorporate educational games in your homeschool.
Natural Learning
You know that I am a big fan of child-led, natural learning. Games are one way that provide children with information, but in a fun way that either relates to the real-world, or to something else that they are learning about; this is why unit studies are great!
Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner identified seven different intelligences among students. Educational games speak to many of these intelligences. If you haven’t read Gardner’s work, make it a priority.
Interpersonal
Playing games is a great way to teach interpersonal skills. Whether it is a cooperative game such as Wildcraft! (listed below), or a very competitive game such as chess, we can learn so much about ourselves and others simply by playing games together!
Touch on the Subjects You Don’t Have Time For
In our homeschool, we love the arts and sciences. Art History is a favorite as is Classical music. We love the sciences, especially experimenting. We also love learning about natural medicines and holistic living. I have found that the way to “sneak” these subjects in is to find games that nurture our love for such things. I’ve linked and listed our favorites for these subject areas below.
Family Game Night
I can testify from experience that family game night is even more fun as your kids get older. When the games are geared toward the things you love as a family, they’re even more fun. Spending time and learning together is a win for everyone!
What a great blog! I homeschooled my oldest and I’m thinking of doing it with my youngest. Such joys!
I spent 20 years teaching in an elementary school before resigning. Makes me a big fan of homeschooling!
Both of my boys went to public school and have graduated but still, you made me smile as I read this. Even though I did not homeschool them we played games at dinner every night. My youngest learned how to count to 100 before he started kindergarten by playing UNO. We ruined so many games by getting food on them. Thank you for helping me see that I homeschooled my boys and didn’t even know it.
We love family game nights! Each game creates a different kind of learning experience. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the reminder! My boys are 11 and 12 now and prefer playing video games with dad. Once in awhile they will give me some board game time or we would play UNO together. Sometimes you have to meet your children where they are. Both of my boys are hearing impaired so they are visual and prefer to work with their hands. In addition, they love working with technology!
I can’t wait for a family game night! Mine are 4 and 1, so we’re not quite there yet, ha.
We enjoyed family game night all the time when the boys were little. They remember those fondly and never realized all the great things they were learning.
I want to play wildcraft with you and your girls right now. Instead of writing. A good nudge toward enriching games Terri.
Verla, I would love that, too!
Play time is so important to learning. Thank you.
I think games should be a part of all education, not just homeschool. But great article.