Unique Learning Games
One of our favorite homeschooling activities is playing games. Mostly we play games because they’re fun. But, there are a lot of educational games available which offer a fun way to sneak in some learning. Here are some of our family’s favorites:
Hail to the Chief:
Hail to the Chief:
This is a great game for learning U.S. history as well as the process of electing the president. You begin by moving your piece around the board and answering questions about U.S. history. Each card contains four questions of varying levels so young players can answer easier questions and older players can answer more advanced questions. Once you have enough delegate points you can move to the inside of the board which is a map of the United States with each state’s electoral votes shown. To win and become president, you have to earn enough electoral votes by answering another set of questions that are focused on state geography and history. With the varying level of difficulty of the questions, this is a game that can grow with your kids.
Flags Around the World:
Flags Around the World:
This game consists of a playing board and cards each of which contains a different country’s flag on one side and questions on the other side. To advance around the board, you need to correctly identify the country’s flag and then answer one of the questions. As you move around the board, you place a game piece for each country flag you correctly identify on the continent where that country is located. The continents pictured on the inner part of the game board do not have borders, but it still helps players learn where each country is. Many of the questions ask about a country’s capital or largest city, so kids can learn several good geographical lessons as they play this game.
Flower Families:
Flower Families:
This is a variation on Go Fish but with flowers. There are 52 beautifully illustrated playing cards each of which shows a specific flower, its common and scientific name, and the flower family to which it belongs. There are 13 families each of which contains 4 flowers. It’s a fun version of Go Fish that can help your child learn about taxonomy, how flowers are related to each other, and how to identify them.
Bard Cards:
Bard Cards:
Are you looking for a fun way to introduce Shakespeare to your kids? Bard Cards can help. There are 400 cards each of which contains a quote with a word or phrase missing. Players have to guess the missing word or phrase, identify the character who said the quote and name the play that the quote is from. With so many cards to choose from, you can find many famous and easy to identify quotes as well as more obscure ones to deepen your child’s knowledge of the Bard.
Ouisi:
Ouisi:
This card game is all about making connections. There are 210 cards each of which contains a picture. Some of the pictures are easily identifiable objects and others are less clear. The premise of the game is to make connections. Play begins with one card being placed on the table and each player is dealt five cards. For a player’s turn, they need to connect one of the cards in their hand to the cards already on the table. Connections can be made based on any number of factors such as color, shape, function, or idea. If you can explain the connection it’s valid. The game also contains a small booklet with several other ways to play the game some of which are competitive and others are cooperative. It’s a great game for fostering creativity as well as critical thinking.
Blots:
Blots:
This game is based on Hermann Rorschach’s Inkblots. The game contains 3 decks of cards which include 30 blot cards, 30 choice cards, and 24 number cards, The object of the game is to try to guess what your opponents see in each blot card based on the choices provided on the choice cards. It’s an interesting game of perceptions. You have to consider not only what you see in each blot, but what others might see as well. So, not only is it fun to play but it introduces a lot of interesting psychological ideas to kids including how people can have radically different impressions of the same thing.
Games are a great way to have fun and connect as a family. And, as these games illustrate, they can also be used to introduce some learning into your family activities. Whether you homeschool or not, these games could be a good addition to your family's entertainment.
This article contain links to products on Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Games are a great way to have fun and connect as a family. And, as these games illustrate, they can also be used to introduce some learning into your family activities. Whether you homeschool or not, these games could be a good addition to your family's entertainment.
This article contain links to products on Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.