Saturday, September 5, 2020

Board Games Teach Math!

 Board games - math?


Math worksheets are tough. Many kids cry over math, as do many parents. If only there was a better way? Guess What? There is! 

Gameschooling


Using board games to learn, practice and build skills in a no-pressure way will open up your math world and bring you joy. If the game does not go the way you want, you can always start over and try again. Not ready to buy? Try different board games at local board game cafes before buying.


In BC, Canada, Lower mainland area: Boardwalk Cafe (Abbotsford), Warcraft Games (Mission), The Raving Gamer Bistro (Langley) Rain City Games (New West and Vancouver) Bastion Games (Chilliwack)


Get rid of the math power struggles and create bonding between family members and friends. I’ve created a wonderful list of games to get you started with all the math concepts written down for you, so you can pick and choose what skills you want to work on. 

If you're already a “Gameschooler,” feel free to add your favourite games and the math skills that apply to them. Have fun and keep gaming!

A starter math board list with suggested ages. If you want to add your favourite game and how it helped with math skills, please feel free to add it. 


In general when ALL GAMES are played with others you will learn and develop:

  • Social emotional

  • Reflective Thinking

  • Turn taking

  • Social Skills (Listening, Speaking, Turn Taking)

  • Planning

  • Problem Solving

  • Decision Making

  • Logical Thinking

  • Healthy competition

  • How to Deal with Mistakes

  • Delayed Gratification

  • Emotional Intelligence

  • Cooperation

  • Resilience

 

 

 

Catan - ages 10+ or jr 7+

  • Resource management

  • Probability (where best place your settlements before game begins)

  • Negotiation

  • Trading

  • Values

  • Chance (dice)

  • Analysis (current environment on how it impacts your chances of winning)

  • Tracking and Planning (observing other players and how to interfere with their goals)


Sushi Go - ages 8+

  • pattern work

  • times tables

  • Addition

  • Grouping

  • Algebra

 

Fish Stix - ages 4+

  • Pattern work

  • Adding to 10

  • Grouping

  • Sorting

  • Organizational skills

  • Counting 

  • strategy


Money Bags -ages 7+

  • Money math

  • Grouping

  • Adding

  • Subtracting

  • Estimating

  • Chance (dice)

 

Chess - ages 7+

  • Focus

  • Attention

  • Concentration

  • Predictability

  • Probability

  • Logical thinking

  • Planning

  • Foresight

 

Monopoly (note) theme games allows you to learn more

Bug-Opoly  insect facts

Dino-Opoly dinosaur facts

Etc…

Monopoly - ages 8+, or monopoly jr 5+

  • Invest

  • Grow savings

  • Relestate concepts

  • Allowance / payday

  • Savings for setbacks

  • Decision making

  • Goal setting

  • Chance (dice)

  • (with monopoly jr, you can ‘act out’ the toll booths)

 

Pandemic - ages 8+

  • Geography

  • Cooperative skills

  • Coordinate with others

  • Strategy

  • Sorting

  • Pattern

  • Chance (cards)

  • Learning about scientists 

  • Diseases and chance to research real diseases and vaccines and scientists who develop them

 

Mastermind - ages 6+

  • Computing

  • Psychology

  • Design

  • Hypothesis-testing

  • Interpretation of results

  • Critical thinking

  • coding

 

Robot Turtles - ages 4+

  • Coding

  • Rotation

  • Multi-step problem solving

  • Computational thinking

  • programming fundamentals

  • Listening

  • Follow direction

  • Strategy

 

Ticket to Ride - ages 8+

  • Geography

  • Judge

  • Predict

  • Probability

  • Strategy

  • Tracking

  • Planning

  • Chance (cards)

  • Analysis

  • Resource management

  • Patterns

  • Problem solving

  • Grouping

  • Adding

  • Times Tables

 

Laser Maze - ages 8+ or jr 6+

  • Coding

  • Rotation

  • Angles 

  • Reflection

  • refraction 

  • multi-step problem solving

 

Sum Swamp - ages 5+

  • mental math

  • recall

  • speed drills if wanted

  • turn taking

  • subtracting

  • addition

  • evens and odds

  • Chance (dice)

 

Minecraft Board Game - ages 10+

  • Resource management

  • Probability (where best place your build structures for max gain)

  • Negotiation

  • Strategy

  • Values and counting

  • Analysis (what action to do - how it impacts your chances of winning)

  • Tracking and Planning (choose mob, weapons, build or structure -see what is available or how to mess up other players)

  • Turn taking

  • Social Studies - resources

 

High Seas Adventure - ages 5+

  • Addition to 10

  • Counting

  • Symbols

  • Waiting and following directions

  • Symbols

  • Chance (dice)

 

Race Around the Clock - ages 7+

  • Time on clock readings

  • Problem solving

  • Time elapsed scenarios

  • Calendar skills

  • Chance (spinner)

 

Place Value Safari - ages 5+

  • Place value for 1’s, 10’s, 100’s

  • Make Change

  • Chance (dice)

 

Batman - ages - 8+

  • Collect evidence

  • Follow directions

  • Counting

  • Chance (dice)

  • Addition

  • Subtraction

  • Symbols

  • Organization

  • Clockwise and counterclockwise directions

  • Reading

  • Collecting and Sorting

 

Frog Pond Fractions - ages 5+

  • Basic fraction beginner skills

  • Reduce fraction to simplest form

  • Identify fractions

  • Equivalent fractions

  • Strategy thinking

  • Spatial recall

  • Group dynamics

  • Cognitive and development skills

 

Pickles to Penguins - ages 8+

  • This linking picture game thinks outside the box. (literally)

  • make connections between picture cards

  • Colour matching

  • Pattern likeness

  • Compare and contrast

  • Sorting

  • Building vocabulary with over 900 new words

  • Compound words

  • Colours, shapes and comparative values

  • Following directions and rules

  • Social Skills

  • Abstract thinking and explanations of through process


Forbidden "Island" / "Desert" / "Sky" - 10+
(3 different games)
(join the team to do or die on a mission to capture 4 treasures and leave the island, or dig in the desert, or create a machine to reach the sky)
  • Strategic thinking

  • Share cards or information

  • Problem solve together

  • Cooperate to complete your mission

  • Chance

  • Probability

  • Analysis (current environment on how it impacts your chances of winning)

  • Tracking and Planning

  • Observation Skills


 

 

Feel free to add your favourites and the math concepts you learn from them. 


Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Game Schooling - Pickles to Penguins

My boys are learning math all the time without worksheets... and here are some ideas on how games can support this:

In the game Pickles to Penguins https://www.amazon.ca/Outset-Media-10210-Pickles-Penguins/dp/B001R0XPUO

This linking picture game thinks outside the box. (literally)

Concepts:

-make connections between cards
-color matching
-pattern likeness
-a roof and water - for example - the water of rain or hail or snow falls on top of a roof
-find connections
-building vocabulary with over 900 new words
-compare and contrast concepts with numerous items and explaining how they relate to others
-learning compound words
-math concepts like patterns, colours, shapes and comparative values.
-following directions and rules
-listening and speaking skills
-abstract thinking and explanations of though process

Send me your favourite game and how you teach with it.