Games to Play at Home

  • Looking for some learning games to play at
     
    home with your little ones?

    Here are some ideas...


    Math Games:

    Compare- Using a deck of cards (take out the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers), divide them into two piles (or more depending on the number of players).  Each player takes a card from the top of the pile and says the number.  The person with the highest number says "Me!" and sets the cards aside.  Continue to play until all the cards are gone.  You can make the game more challenging by having each player draw 2 cards and add them up.  The player with the higher sum says, "Me!".

    Stinky Feet- Using Popsicle sticks (the tongue depressors work better but sticks will work too), write number 0-30.  On 3 of the sticks draw a foot and write "Stinky Feet".  Put the sticks in a can, a bag, or some sort of container that you can't see through.  Take turns drawing the sticks and saying the number on the stick.  If someone gets the number wrong, correct them, and then put it back into the can.  If they get it right, they keep the stick.  If someone gets "Stinky Feet" that have to put all of the sticks they have collected back into the can.  You can use this game with a lot of different Math strategies, like: addition, subtraction, shapes, etc.

    Language Arts:

    Stinky Feet- Play the same way as described above, but instead of writing numbers write things like the alphabet (upper and lower case) and sight words.

    Playdough- Practice making letters, words, or numbers.

    Memory-  You can purchase Alphabet cards games from many places like The Dollar Store, Meijer, and Wal-Mart.  Or you can save some money and make your own using index cards.  Write the letters of the alphabet on the cards.  You can do 2 sets up uppercase, or upper and lowercase.  Turn the cards over and take turns trying to match the letters.  You can do this with sight words too!

    Go Fish- Using the same cards from Memory, you can play a game of Go Fish.  Pass out 5-7 cards to each player.  Put the extra cards in a pile in front of the group.  Take turns asking players for a match to a card you have in your hand.  If they don't have the card, they say "Go Fish" and you draw a card from the draw pile. 

    Rhyming Games-
    -Play words games like; "Can you tell me a word that rhymes with cat?"
    - Read nursery rhymes and poems leaving out a word that rhymes with another to see if your child can give the word (e.g. Jack and Jill went up the  ___.")
    -Take a name and think of silly nonsense words that rhyme with that name.
    -Write a rhyming poem.
    -Read nursery rhymes and other books of rhyme with your child.

    Beginning Sounds-
    -Play word games like:  "I see something that starts with a "b" sound (saying letter sound not the letter name) and see if your child can identify the object.  Or ask, "What sound do you hear at the beginning of ___?"  Have your child say the sound, not the letter name.  Or ask, "Give me a word that starts with the same sound as ____."
    -Make up alliterative sentences (where each word begins with the same letter sound, for example, "Smiling Sam sometimes sneak spaghetti."

    Blending Onsets and Rimes-
    -Play word games like, "What word would I have if i add the "p" sound (say the sound not the letter name) to ink?" (pink) "...the "b" sound to -at?"
    -Use magnetic letters and build word families, (i.e. make the word "at" and read it to your child.  Then add the letter "c" to the "at" and read "cat".  Now change the "c" to and "s" and ask your child what the new word would be [sat].)

    Segmenting Onsets and Rimes-
    -Use magnetic letter and build a word like hat, read the word and then ask your child what it would say if you took the "h' away?

    Phoneme Blending
    -Play word games like, "When I say the sounds "b" "a" "t" what word would they make?"

    ...more ideas to come!