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Welcome to my 10 day series on game schooling with preschoolers! I’m excited to continue learning with my kiddos through the summer months, but wanted to change up how we learn. And what’s more fun than playing games!? There are so many awesome game schooling benefits to enjoy!
Each day over the next two weeks (not including the weekend) I’ll be posting our favorite games to play for each subject. If you’re already signed up you’ll continue to receive our newsletter each week that will include links to the posts as I publish. If you’d like to follow daily, I’d suggest checking us out on Facebook and/or Instagram. You can visit the home page for this series here.
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By way of introducing this series, I’d like to share some game schooling benefits and a few tips.
1. Social skills.
Obviously with games, kids will need to learn to take turns. Allowing each player to finish before the next can begin was a major challenge for Little Dude to adjust to at first. To make this as smooth as possible, I suggest introducing new games after nap and snack time, so there are as few triggers for impatience as possible. Better yet, you might even include snack time while you play. Something that won’t get your game all messy (maybe popcorn or crackers), but that will keep younger players occupied while they practice waiting for their turn.
2. Good sportsmanship.
Nope, sorry, we do not live in a world where everyone wins all the time. Learning to lose gracefully is a skill some adults even struggle with. Game schooling is a great way to practice losing! As Winston Churchill said “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” We set our kiddos up for success when we teach them that losing is a part of life and not the end of the world. I like to point out how happy the winner is too. How satisfying it is to see someone we love succeed and win! We congratulate the winner and then try again next time.
3. Organizational skills.
Most games will require the players to keep track of game pieces, cards, tokens, etc. You can’t play the game easily if your pieces are all mixed together or dumped on the floor. Keeping cards neatly stacked and game pieces in their proper places will help the game move smoothly. I suggest giving younger players a small tray to keep their own game pieces in. We like to recycle the little wooden trays that Melissa and Doug toys sometimes come in, but an art tray or even a toddler plate (you know the ones with the raised edges) would work well too.
4. Learning and/or reinforcing new concepts.
As you’ll see over the next ten posts, there are so many games available to help kids practice skills like counting, spelling, and even coding (so excited to share that one!). Games for learning colors, practicing fine and gross motor skills, Bible games, and games for learning about shapes. There’s endless ways to incorporate playing games into learning new skills. It’s exciting to watch even my 23 month old Flash pick things up as he tries to participate (with mom’s help). I’ve quoted it before, but it’s worth repeating, “Play is the highest form of research.” -Albert Einstein
5. Bonding.
This may be my favorite of all the game schooling benefits. Siblings helping each other count to the next space on the board, laughing at ourselves when we’re in last place, and celebrating together when someone accomplishes a particularly tricky task. We’re making memories! My littlest will have fond memories of being allowed to sit on top of the dining table in order to reach the game board, getting loud together in excited play, or simply sitting on my lap and “explaining” the game to me. Lol!
Tomorrow we’ll start with using game schooling to practice the alphabet. I’m excited to share our favorite board game and even some printable alphabet games with you. I’ve got to say, the only down side I’ve found to game schooling has been trying to find storage for them all!
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A few more tips:
For some reason, nearly every single kids game on the market instructs that the youngest child start the game and go first. If you play multiple games, or even one a day, this could get pretty irritating to your older kiddos. After awhile I’d suggest finding a new fun way to decide who goes first. Who has the most letters in their name? Who can jump up and down ten times the fastest? You get the idea.
I also highly suggest you read instructions before even letting the kids know you’re going to play. It is not easy to try and set up a brand new game, unwrapping cards, counting pieces, etc, with little hands excited to play grabbing at things.
Don’t feel like you need to stick very strictly to the rules at first. As long as the intended purpose (learning and having fun) is being accomplished, there is no reason to be too strict with younger players. Once they’ve played a few times, or as they get older, yes absolutely follow the rules. That’s an important habit to form. But when younger ones are playing, or it’s the first time playing a new game, just enjoy the experience! As we go through this series I’ll be sure to share how I applied this last tip.
Visit my Game Schooling Series page here!
Mallory says
I don’t really have a tip since we’re just starting, but I’d say to give yourself and your little ones grace as you embark on this journey!
Kristen says
Definitely good advice. Thank you, Mallory!