A Fun Side of Homeschool ~ Toys and Games

                                

                                

This afternoon, two of my kids and I played Dutch Blitz until their sister completed her lessons and we all went on a walk. Not every game we play is intentionally planned out to meet an educational need, but when they have that as an extra bonus it is even better.

We have reviewed a lot of educational toys and games through the years. Some of the ones that we still enjoy include:

Chess -- We play this a lot. It was discussed as an option today, but we decided on a game three people could play together instead.

Art Ditto -- This combines art and memory and is adaptable for multiple ages.

Super Star Games -- A friend from the crew created these downloadable educational games. When I got to meet her at a conference a few years ago, my son thought I was meeting a super star. The Insect Game was his favorite one.

Say Anything -- This is fun for family communication and a way to sneak in handwriting practice with the included dry erase markers and boards. The same company made Wits and Wagers.

Schleich shared these sturdy animal toys. Most of the ones we received have been added to our nativity.

The Scruble Cube -- My daughter still likes this word fun toy.

Notable Novelists -- This game is still requested by my son when it is his turn to choose what we play (if we don't have enough time to play Monopoly.)

My kids have now outgrown The Reading Game, but it was a fun change when my son was learning to read.

The Presidential Game -- We will definitely pull this one out again before the next election.

Sometimes science experiments are as much fun as playing games. Sometimes fun in the kitchen has an educational twist. You might could stretch a bowling outing into "homeschool PE." We enjoyed skating with our homeschool group on Valentine's day, so that would fit there, too.

We have tried so many math games that they deserve their own section. Here ya go!
Captain Jax Math Facts


My son also enjoys our case of play money. A friend recently recommended xtramath.org. It is free and includes an email progress report sent to the registered parent's email. Everyone starts at the same place then progresses at their own level.


Not every game that we play is from a review. Our game shelf was full long before I began reviewing. A few of our favorites (with Amazon affiliate links for your convenience) are: Monopoly, Dutch Blitz, Scrabble and their newer card version Scrabble Slam, Blokus, Skip Bo Card Game, Mancala, Apples to Apples, Money Matters, Life, Rush Hour, Sorry, and Stare. We received Balderdash for Christmas from our cousins last year and always laugh a lot when we play it.

As much as we enjoy games, we also enjoy being outside as a family. I'm adding to this board on Pinterest with fun ideas for outside. One is a huge spray-painted Twister game on the lawn. I want to try that when it warms up again.

Another consideration is online games. We utilize a number of educational apps and programs relevant to what my children are learning. Let me know if you would be interested in me sharing links or more information about more of those. One that we reviewed was Mayan Mysteries.

We recently declared that Tuesday will be "family game night" so tomorrow we will be playing again. What are some of your favorite games to play with your family? Check out what other friends on the crew shared about their favorite games, too, on the round-up at the schoolhouse review crew website.

Disclosure: Some of the links included lead to Amazon. Others take you back to other posts on my own blog.