There is an entire movement of parents who actively use games in their homeschool, its called GameSchooling. Maybe you have played a game or two during your homeschool day, maybe you have only played occasionally on family game night, or not at all.
The GameSchooling movement may not be for you, and that's okay! But that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun and add a little gaming in to break up the mundane!
There are some great reasons to include board games in your homeschool! Children learn valuable skills by playing with others, and it often encourages activity and critical thinking.
It is truly a pleasurable experience by nearly all involved. At this point, what would be stopping you from joining the fun?
At the end of this post, I have a list of some of the best board games for homeschooling!
Six Reasons to Include Board Games in Your Homeschool
Christian Book Giveaway BELOW!
Family Bonding
One of your reasons for homeschooling is probably more family time, right? Playing board games gives you one on one family time with no interruptions and plenty of interaction.
It doesn’t even have to be a long game, just start by incorporating a game once or twice a week. Take turns choosing the game, even letting the littlest have their chance.
Start with your children and even your teens will look forward to it. One day they may repeat the same tradition with their children.
Children Learn to Win and Lose Gracefully
This is an important lesson for people to learn and it's much better learned earlier rather than later Playing games often give children a chance to win and lose and the chance to learn the correct graceful response to both.
With you at the helm, they'll learn how to cheer on others and win without gloating.
Reduces Technology Use
If your kids are engaged in a lively game of Checkers or Trivial Pursuit they are not going to be plugged into devices, video games, or the TV. Yes, you can just limit it, but giving them a healthy positive alternative is an effective distraction that ends in far fewer tears and less arguments.
Technology has it's advantages, and it can be a great addition to your homeschool. But the physical, active play of board games, especially as a group, is revolutionary to developmental milestones.
Try not to make it a punishment, but rather a reward for hard work. When it becomes a normal activity, they will likely not even realize that they are learning valuable lessons while they play.
The Educational Benefits are Endless
There are so many skills to be learned from different board games. Skills like strategy, logic, language skills, memory, cognitive skills, critical thinking, spatial reasoning, concentration, teamwork, following directions, cooperation, and increased focus are some of the wonderful side effects of board gameplay.
Board games are more than just entertainment. Nowadays, they teach everything from color recognition to geography. You can work on math skills and science while racing around a gameboard.
Stress Reducer
Playing board games will be a welcome distraction. It can be a relaxing experience as it reduces blood pressure, and the laughs that will come during the game time will release those feel-good endorphins.
How pleasant to pass homeschool time with a laugh and a little friendly competition- all while learning valuable skills! These are benefits that the entire family can enjoy.
If you're personally looking for a reason to include board games in your homeschool, here's your sign.
Both Parents Take Part in Learning
If your husband isn’t part of the more formal teaching, or if dad teaches and you work, board gameplay gives both parents a chance to be immersed and spent quality time with the kids.
Remember, homeschool is the opportunity to be flexible. Learning doesn't only have to happen during daylight hours, and these games do not have to be played during the day.
Homeschool gaming can take place at any time that works for your family.
ChristianBook.com GIVEAWAY!!
It’s Back to (Home) School time!! If games aren't in your homeschool budget right now, don't miss out on this opportunity!
More and more families are joining the ranks of homeschoolers this year. With all of the uncertainty surrounding what public school will look like this fall, it's no wonder parents are adding the role of educator to their list of parental duties.
One of the scary and overwhelming things about making the leap into homeschooling is the financial aspect of it. Curriculum can be expensive (although it doesn't have to be) and one of the parents might have to quit their job or cut their hours to help make homeschooling a reality for their family. While working and homeschooling or being a one-income family is totally doable, it does require some sacrifice and sometimes that means tightening the budget.
I've teamed up with a great group of homeschool bloggers that would like to bless a few homeschool families this year and help lighten the financial load, even if it's just a little. We wish we could bless more, but we will be able to give THREE families $200 to spend at Christianbook.com to buy curriculum, resources, and supplies for their homeschools.
To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Now I know this is quite a few entries, but each of these bloggers has generously chipped in their own money to make this giveaway possible, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries. And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning!
Giveaway ends August 14, 2020, at 11:59 pm ET. Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a resident of U.S. or Canada to enter. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers (see the Terms & Conditions on the Rafflecopter form for the complete list).
Board Games to Add to Your Homeschool Supplies
Here are 23 great board games to add to your homeschool shopping list, if you don’t already own them, because they work across a pretty good age spectrum as they can be easily adapted to allow all age groups to play.
Don't forget, you can make almost any activity a learning activity with a little bit of imagination! Almost any board game can become an educational experience if you throw in Math, Science, History, Geography questions, or critical thinking in the mix!
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Cat Crimes, Single Player, Deductive Reasoning Game
Tangled yarn and a missing bird.which of the six furry fiends was responsible for each Cat Crime? With a little problem solving you'll be able to use paw prints, toy placement and other clues to figure out exactly where each Cat was sitting at the time of the crime. Recommended for ages 8 years and older; 1 player game. |
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The Game of Life: Classic Edition
Everything you adored about the original 1960 game can be found inside this game. It has the 3-d Mountains and the famous spinner. The artwork is all the original art style that we remember. Includes the oversized game board. Good fortune is always around the corner. Recommended for ages 10+. |
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Tile Lock Scrabble
Now you can play the classic game Scrabble with this convenient new edition from Winning Moves Games, Tile Lock Scrabble! Designed for ages 8 years and older, this special board locks tiles in place---making it perfect for travel and on the go fun! |
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Classic Yahtzee
This is the game you played with your grandmother. Comes with all the original art style and contents the original aluminum rimmed and bottom dice cup, the sound that will bring back many memories. In addition it comes with high quality five dice, score pad and the original bonus chips. Recommended for ages 8+. |
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Mad Libs Word-Play Board Game
Now you can play your favorite word story activity in a game with the Mad Libs Game from Schylling Toys. Designed for ages 10 years and older, this game captures all the unexpected silliness of the classic Mad Libs! Play word cards from your hand to complete the sentence card in the most appropriately inappropriate way possible---the funniest sentence wins the round. The first player to win 3 rounds, wins the game! For 3 to 8 players; approximately 20-40 minutes play time. |
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Ticket To Ride
Build the longest interstate route with this Ticket to Ride board game. Its 225 colored train cars let two to five players construct railway routes on the North American board map, and the 144 illustrated cards provide drawing options for claiming routes and setting secret destinations. This strategic Ticket to Ride board game is fun for ages 8 and up. |
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Catan: Cities & Knights 5-6 Player Extension
You can settle Catan and use knights to defend your cities against barbarians with up to 6 players. This expansion pack cannot be played alone and requires the Catan base game as well as other extensions. Recommended for ages 12 years and older; 5-6 players; 120-150 minutes. Please note: You will need The Settlers of Catan Base Game, the Cities & Knights expansion, and both the Base Game 5-6 players extension and this Cities & Knights 5-6 players extension --- a total of four game boxes. |
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Pictionary
The Pictionary Game from Mattel is a fun way to get people talking at a party! Designed for ages 8 years and older, this game features 2 levels of clues with 1200 adult and 800 junior clues, plus 2 erasable markers, boards for drawing, and an updated Pop Culture category of clues. Get your card, make a quick sketch and try and get your team to guess the answer! For 2 to 4 players (or play in teams). |
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Dino Math Tracks: A Place Value Math Game
Prehistoric pals make learning math skills fun! Roll the dice and move your dinosaurs the appropriate ones-, tens-, hundreds-, and thousands-places to race toward safety---but watch out for other monsters on the path! Includes game board, 16 playing pieces, 72 game cards, 5 numbered dice, and instructions for three levels of play. Two to four players, ages 6 and up. |
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Jumbo Sequence Game in a Tube Pack
Easy enough for children, challenging enough for adults! Play a card from your hand, place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board...when you have five in a row, it's a SEQUENCE. Learn to block your opponents - remove their chips. Watch out for the Jacks - THEY'RE WILD! With a little strategy and a little luck - you're a winner! Ages 7 through Adult. |
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Where in the World? Board Game
Go way beyond basic geography facts with "Where in the World?" The six included games include card and board game variations that teach the names/locations of countries, country facts, locating countries & regions, facts about countries in a region, comparing facts about countries, and current events. 2-6 players; Ages 8 & up. This Game Includes:
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Trivial Pursuit, The Scrambled States of America, Monopoly, Sorry, Uno, Clue, Phase 10, Trouble, Racko, Boggle, Jacks- all great games too!
