Learning Through Play: Board Games Style

Sportsmanship. Communication. Turn taking. Problem solving. Rule following. Maintaining focus. All of these life skills can be taught to children through the use of board games. Whether you are a parent that wants to reduce screen time and increase family collaboration or you are a teacher trying to integrate more partner work and games into your daily routine- board games are an excellent resource. Board games teach far more than the social skills already discussed through. Take a look at these popular children’s board games and discover the wonderful academic skills that are linked to each game.

Hi Ho Cherry Oh- Counting, Subtraction

Guess Who? – Inferences, Comprehension, Problem Solving

Operation- Fine motor

Chutes & Ladders- Counting, number lines

Zingo- Matching, Memory

Twister- Gross Motor, Following Directions, Color Awareness, Body Awareness

Candy Land- Shape Recognition

Connect Four- Strategy, Sequencing, Counting

Hedbanz- Comprehension, Communication

Monopoly- Money Concepts, Logic, Reasoning

Boggle Junior- Letter Recognition, Spelling, Matching

Scrabble Junior- Vocabulary, Language, Logic

Hit or Miss- Categorizing, Creative Thinking

Super WHY ABC Letter Game- Letter Awareness, Rhyming, Sentence Structure

Uno- Sequencing, Color Recognition, Categorizing

What’s Gnu? – Spelling, Reading

Need more suggestions or questions on how to use games to teach these skills? Feel free to email Natasha Babbitt at natasha@playfulbydesign.com with comments.