Games for Learning

While browsing the Christian Home Educators of Kentucky Convention last year, I came across a booth with several games that looked exciting.  The company, HL Games Limited, allowed me the opportunity to review three of those games.

All of them are appropriate for middle elementary children and older.

Amuse Amaze happens to be our favorite of the three, although all of them are fun.  Your job is to meander your way through the game board collecting three of four target cards and reach the finish line before your opponents.  In order to make a move, you have to go from space to space spelling words.

Even my slightly spelling challenged child enjoyed the game because being able to spell long words doesn’t necessarily get you any farther than steadily spelling smaller words.

The game is different every time you play since the board comes in squares that are put together in different orders each time you set up.  Couple that with the removable white tiles (in the picture) changing each new game and you’ll never experience the same words twice.  We love this game!

My 13 year old daughter and I have really enjoyed Beadecked.  My son, although entirely capable of playing, feels like it’s too “girly” since beads are the topic.  I disagree and don’t find it to be “girly” at all, but I can’t convince him otherwise.

There are six different ways to use the deck of cards, all of which enhance logical/mathematical thinking.  Essentially, each of the game options require you to make bead matches of some type from card to card.  That sounds easy, but the beads each have varying characteristics of shape, color and pattern – and you usually have to match two or more of the characteristics in order to complete the play.

For those of you who have played SET, this game is similar in that you have to really think through corresponding characteristics.  Critical thinking can be very fun!

And finally, Go Mental SacraMental is a trivia game for learning and reviewing Bible knowledge.

Players take turns reading game cards to one another.  On each game card there are four phrases having to do with something from the Bible.  One of the phrases doesn’t belong.  The player whose turn it is gets to move one space on the board if they can tell which phrase doesn’t belong.  They get to move three more spaces if they can tell how the other three phrases are connected.

There is a Bible reference on the answer card if you wish to give your child an opportunity to answer the question with help from the Bible.  Players can also give and take questions to move their playing piece ahead or send opponents backward on the board.

With 1,ooo questions, we won’t be repeating cards for quite some time!

What games are you playing?

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3.  You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and learn about her nature study curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.