It’s no secret that children learn while at play, possibly better so than at other times. We take advantage of this by incorporating the Learning Game into our lessons.
The object of the game is to collect as many tokens as possible. On his turn, each player rolls the dice, adds the digits, and moves according to the total. If they land on a circle, they get a token, plus a question, depending on the color of the circle. Each colored circle represents a different subject. The kids have a hand at helping to write the questions, which are based on anything we have studied. My older son likes to stump me by including questions about the periodic table, which works out great, because it means I don’t necessarily know all the answers! They soon catch on that they would need to think up some really hard questions (mostly from what they have learned on their own) if they want to even out the odds. We also throw in some free points — if you land on a circle of your own color, you get an extra token. When all the tokens have been collected, the game ends and the player with the most wins. This is also a wonderful way to gauge the length of the game — the more tokens you start with, the longer the game play. Conversely, if you’re short on time, just use less tokens.
To make the game more inclusive, we have a special set of questions for our youngest player, who is 3. Her set includes questions about numbers, letters, shapes, colors, and even simple words, such as her name.
Our game is ever evolving, with new rules and cards added with each play. We currently have questions in math, science, and history, as well as wildcards with instructions that must be followed. These are mixed into the other cards and offer opportunities to earn quick points or even steal a few from our opponents:
Answer a question for 3 tokens
Or
Do 10 jumping jacks for 1 token
Whether you tweak an old game board or make a new one from scratch, this game is a fun way of reviewing information. One of the best part is making up the questions and challenges!
Amida can be found writing at Journey Into Unschooling.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve never seen this! Thanks for sharing!!
Melissa´s last blog ..Reading Resolutions
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I’ve made up games in the past. I love how you combined subjects. Thanks for sharing the idea!
Dana♥´s last blog ..ROLLER COASTER Physics PT 1
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love this idea! I need to start my kids on this.
Ticia´s last blog ..Cookies!
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I agree with Dana that I like how you’ve combined subjects. I would’ve never considered that. But it makes perfect sense.
I also love how you let the children help choose/write questions. That’s wonderful! We love to use games — and homemade games– in learning too.
Jimmie´s last blog ..New Year, New Calendar, New Art
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