Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Educational Children’s Games


One of the most fun ways a child can develop and grow is through playing board games that have educational value. This engages the child; they are both having a good time with family and friends and learning about various things, depending on the game which they are playing.

One of the best and most enjoyable examples of an educational children’s game is Apples to Apples Junior. This game uses wild card comparisons which are fantastic at improving a child's creative thinking skills and vocabulary. 

Essentially, there is a category each round, and the child must simply pick the card out of their stack that they think best represents the category. This game is not only easy to play but is fast paced and will keep everyone on their toes.

Another award winning game that is also a favorite with the kids is Cranium Cadoo. With this game, kids either work on their own or within a group doing all sorts of various outrageous and fun filled activities. The kids draw, sculpt, and solve puzzles, and act, all the while using a "secret decoder mask" to discover hidden answers. The first kid to get four answers in a row wins.

Another game with educational value for preschool aged children is Boggle Jr. This game will help teach children both reading and spelling in a fun, affective way. It also teaches word recognition, grouping, sorting, and even sharing with friends.

There are also the more classic adult thinking games that have now been converted into children’s games, such as Pictionary Jr. and Scrabble Jr. Pictionary Jr. teaches children to think on their feet. It also strongly teaches communication skills and teamwork. Scrabble Jr. has the ability to greatly expand your child's vocabulary. With Scrabble Jr. your child will be forming long words while competing and having fun doing it.

One newer children’s game that has come out has to do with trivia. It is called Beat the Parents and is great for not only parent child bonding, but learning about pop culture and other historical events from a different age. Essentially, the children quiz parents about things in their day and time and vice versa for the parents. The game has had great reviews from both parents and kids.  

Educational Children’s Games are important for making learning fun and engaging for all kids.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Educational Toys: Making Learning Fun for Children

Making learning fun has been a topic of discussion within the educational field for many years. Children seem to be less focused on learning tasks, leading to case studies for learning disabilities, as well as showing more interest in video games and sources that provide very little in the way of educational purposes. However, learning centers are a teaching method that has found a way to make learning fun for children by using educational toys .

Learning centers vary based upon grade level, student needs, teaching styles and other factors. It is very likely that no two centers look the same, but will typically focus on similar goals. Centers are designed to reinforce prior learning in the classroom, challenge students with new ideas or skills and to allow student interaction and fun. Learning centers take a holistic approach to teaching.

Teachers likely take varying approached to implementing learning centers in their classroom, but they will typically include a few key elements. There should be 3 to 4 centers throughout the classroom, students will work in groups at each center, at least one center should include educational toys and students should be working on prior and new skill sets. How these centers will look more specifically, depends on how the teacher evaluates their students.

Educational toys are a great resource for making learning fun. They work great for classroom settings, as well as continuing learning at home. Because there are educational toys that really are fun, children will enjoy playing with them on a regular basis.