In the Car, At Home or At School: Fun and Educational Games for Kids

Kids tend to absorb new knowledge quickly like sponges. Parents and teachers should take advantage of this stage in their learning to impart foundational information on various academic subjects. Since kids love to play and participate in games and group activities, using these as methods in teaching is a great way to teach useful lessons.

Using games will enable students of all levels and abilities to participate, engage, and learn. Another great thing about educational games is that they come in many forms. This allows for them to be modified and played in a variety of convenient situations like on the drive to school, during playtime, at home, or during recess breaks.

There are plenty of online games and game instructions targeted at teaching various school subjects and life skills, including everything from mathematics to personal hygiene.

Money Games

Fortunately, younger kids do not have the same dislike for math that some older students and adults may develop. Keep things that way by incorporating fun games and activities when teaching them about basic mathematical concepts and processes.

You can let them play online money games which involve activities such as them identifying the value of bills and coins while learning how to add or subtract. Of course, you can also play these games using actual money while at home.

Older children can learn about more complex banking and investment concepts, including how interest works and how to invest in the stock market.

It is important to let kids know the importance of math in real life, so they will understand the importance of the subject and how to manage money.

Resources:

• PBS: Money games for kids
• Economics Arkansas: Stock market game program

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Math Games

Constant practice and exposure to math problems will help kids learn and apply their lessons faster. Answering endless math drills or division tables may work, but they can get old and boring pretty fast. Besides, not all students learn at the same pace. Some may get concepts easily while others need further exposure to the concepts. To help you teach students in the at different stages of learning, consider math games that fit each individual student’s abilities and needs.

Resources:

• Education Development Center: 5 math games to inspire young minds
• Davidson Institute: Math games for kids: A listing of resources

Word Games

Make language learning fun for kids by incorporating various non-textbook activities and exercises in your discussions.

For younger students, you can add drawing and coloring sessions to your lessons to help them envision the new vocabulary that they are learning in class. Meanwhile, older students may enjoy games like charades more, as they require more participation and physical activity. If you’re I the car, incorporate reading road signs into your activities. Online games can also help to expand and reinforce vocabulary and word usage.

Resources:

• Bridge TEFL: 5 fun EFL games for kids
• Concordia University-Portland: 6 fun ways to teach vocabulary words in your classroom

Geography Games

Geography is a topic that interests many kids. But this does not mean that teaching it will be a walk in the park. Luckily, there are plenty of free online games that can help you cement geography lessons in your students’ minds using creative methods. Most of these games uses images and even pictures of actual places to quiz students on a variety of locations from American states to foreign countries.

Kids can also learn about maps and identifying locations in real time while in the car.

Resources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Name that state

Library of Congress: What in the world? A new game from the geography and map division

Central Intelligence Agency: World exploration

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Health Games

Educating kids about health topics early on will help them become more independent with their hygiene, understand the value of nutrition and fitness, and become familiar with basic safety concepts. You can even get an extra lesson in by incorporating science lessons with health topics. For example, a lesson on personal hygiene can also be about germs and how the immune system functions.

Resources:

Dairy Council of California: Kids games and activities

Healthy Harford: Nutrition games for kids

American Council on Exercise: Fitness games for kids

History Games

History is a very interesting and important subject, but not many students enjoy having to memorize pages and pages of dry facts and names. History and social science teachers find it useful to employ a variety of fun games and exercises that will help young students retain the facts they are studying in class. Bringing history to life goes a long way towards getting children interested in the subject.

Resources:

• Colonial Williamsburg: Games and activities
• Common Sense Media: Games that teach history

Playground / Recess Games

Continue the learning process outside the classroom by utilizing break time for important lessons like social skills. By encouraging kids to play certain games and watching over how they behave, teachers can help them learn about the value of socializing and develop conflict resolution skills in real-world settings.

Recess is also a great time to get kids involved in physical activity, so make sure that some of the games you choose include movement.

Resources:

• Playworks: 6 way to improve social skills at recess
• Voice of Play: Playground games from around the world

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Outdoor Games

With childhood and adult obesity becoming a nationwide problem, getting kids interested in outdoor games and activities may mean the difference between them being affected by the epidemic or not.

Outdoor games can include traditional sports like baseball or soccer, water games such as Marco Polo, or involve explorations into nature such as scavenger hunts or identifying trees and birds.

Resources:

• Twin Eagles: Great outdoor games for kids
• Appalachian Mountain Club: Trail games: Activities to keep kids moving and motivated while hiking

Game Ideas for Parents and Educators

Coming up with new ideas for educational games constantly can get exhausting, but do not worry. You can find plenty of guides, ready-made activities, and free online games on the internet. Modify or use them according to the educational needs and interests of the children you are teaching, and the result will be kids who are engaged in learning.

Resources:

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Teaching activities and resources
• Whitby School: 9 classic preschool games that secretly teach life skills
• Rasmussen College: 15 fun & free online educational games for Kids

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