| Looking to liven up your centers? Let your students | | | | discrimination and deductive reasoning |
| play games! | | | | 7. Checkers / Chessrelies heavily on analytical skills |
| That’s right, games have educational value. They | | | | and strategic calculations, improves critical thinking |
| provide opportunities for students to develop both | | | | skills and self-discipline, expands pattern development |
| social and academic skills. Just like working on a | | | | 8. Jenga / Operationfosters coordination and manual |
| project in cooperative groups, interactive games | | | | dexterity |
| require that students communicate, stay on task, | | | | Customize: You can create a study guide game by |
| take turns, and rely on higher-level thinking skills. | | | | writing numbers on the blocks. Numbers correspond |
| Games can also be used in the classroom as a | | | | to study guide questions. A team's turn isn’t |
| behavior incentive. Students are motivated to earn a | | | | over until the player or team answers the question |
| “Fun Friday” afternoon of game playing by | | | | correctly. If they can’t answer the question the |
| listening and following directions all week. The best | | | | other team or player would have the option to steal |
| benefit is that they are having fun and learning at the | | | | the block by answering the question correctly. The |
| same time. Here are twelve classic games and | | | | winner is the player or team that has the most |
| reasons to incorporate them into your curriculum: | | | | blocks when the tower falls. |
| Organized from youngest to oldest skill level | | | | 9. Yahtzeeprovides practice with quick addition skills |
| 1. Candy Landbuilds color recognition and counting | | | | and visual perception |
| skills, supports turn-taking and patience | | | | 10. Scattegoriescultivates classification skills and word |
| 2. Chutes and Laddersaids in counting, number | | | | recall |
| recognition, and handling disappointment | | | | Customize: Use subject-specific categories to |
| 3. Red Light, Green Light / Simon Saysenhances | | | | personalize to your curriculum. |
| communication skills such as listening and following | | | | 11. Monopolypromotes math skills including money |
| directions, bolsters impulse control | | | | management, requires reading and reasoning, |
| 4. Twisterboosts gross motor skills and balance, | | | | emphasizes social skills |
| strengthens directionality (right/left) and color | | | | Customize: Econ classes can have students justify |
| identification skills, elevates auditory memory | | | | their moves based on economic principles for extra |
| 5. Boggle / Hangman / Scrabble / Upwardsdevelops | | | | credit. |
| and reinforces literacy skills such as ability to learn | | | | 12. Trivial Pursuitassesses general knowledge, |
| new words and their definitions, learn word | | | | increases quick recall of information |
| combinations, and spelling. | | | | Customize: Create your own trivia or jeopardy |
| Customize: You can even offer bonus points to | | | | questions for a review game. Want to lesson the |
| students who use spelling or unit vocabulary words. | | | | workload? Have your students create the game |
| 6. Clueadvances attention to visual detail, visual | | | | questions to challenge the opposing team. |