Over the past day, I’ve gotten a number of texts from friends about what to do with their kids over the next couple weeks while we self-quarantine. I hope to write more posts over the coming days with lots of tips for long days at home, but I figured I’d start with some of my favorite family games to play so you can order them and breathe a little easier this weekend knowing you have some activities on the way.
Feel free to share this post with others if you think they’ll find it useful.
Firstly, there is a real thing called gameschooling, where you educate your kids entirely (and effectively!) through games – essentially play-based learning. The games that are out there are endless, but here are some of my top faves. And if you have any of your own favorites, feel free to comment or share below. I’m always looking for awesome new additions to my game collection.
Ticket to Ride – This is our favorite lazy day afternoon game to play with the whole family. It usually takes about an hour and all my kids, ranging in age from 6-11, love it. It’s a great game to teach American geography, though there are tons of variations (Ticket to Ride Europe, for example, which we own also) if you want to focus on somewhere different.
Mastermind – I played this game as a kid and remember loving it, so I got it for my kids. They love it too! One player secretly makes a pattern with 4 pegs, and the other player guesses the pattern, getting progressively closer and closer to the selected pattern.
Spot-It – So many variations, so much fun to play for all ages. You probably even have this one already because it’s so popular, but in case you don’t…
Code Names – My older kids love this one. Great for practicing word association, synonyms, and your communication skills.
Monopoly – A classic favorite, this is an amazing game to teach math, money, strategy, all about real estate…the list goes on…
Boggle – This is probably my favorite game to play with my kids during the week. My kindergartener and my 5th grader enjoy it equally, and it can be as short or as long as you want, since you can keep playing new rounds.
Bananagrams – Also enjoyed by the whole family, you can scale this up or down for various ages. The regular way allows you to make your own crossword puzzle, forming words that connect with each other. Or your younger children can just practice making words on their own. Another variation is called anagrams, in which each player forms words and then can steal from other players to form new words. (I’m terrible at this version, which of course makes my children more eager to play!)
Sleeping Queens – Another favorite for my 6 and 8 year olds! Sleeping Queens is a great game to review basic math facts for little kids. They can get rid of more cards if they can find cards among their own that make up easy math facts. (For example, if they have a 2, 3, and 5, they can put down all three cards since 2 +3 = 5.)
Blokus – Another math favorite in my family, this game involves looking at shapes from different angles in your head (an important math skill) and strategy. Great for future engineers, architects, and mathematicians or any other kid.
Traffic Jam – This one is great for when a kid needs alone time. 🙂 We all have one of those occasionally….or a bit more than occasionally…
It’s a one-player game where the player sets up a “traffic jam” and has to get a designated car out of the jam by moving certain cars out of the way. The catch is that the game board is small, so sometimes it takes several moves back and forth to get a car out. It’s AWESOME.
Set – Yet another math game! Kids have to look for patterns among cards. My kids love this, but honestly, it’s hard even for me!
Finally, the pic at the top of this blog post is my actual game cabinet, so if you have any questions about specific games, ask away!
Remember, all game-playing teaches important skills – taking turns, communication, working together, losing graciously, etc. Whatever game time is happening in your house is valuable time. And don’t feel guilty if they’re playing by themselves either. Mama needs recess too, right? You got this, mamas! You got this!
If you have any questions about this homeschooling thing, feel free to comment below. I’m happy to write a post answering as best as I can.
**I earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from Mama Needs Recess.**