| Home school parents, especially those just | | | | learning math facts. Dice can be purchased with |
| beginning, sometimes want to bring 'school' home. | | | | 10 sides, 0 through 9. Depending on the skills being |
| This seldom works. As a homeschooling method, | | | | learned, the 0 can be 0 or can be used to be a |
| it is usually disastrous. Schooling at home should | | | | 10. There are also 20 sided dice available that can |
| be about learning at home, not necessarily the | | | | take the game to higher levels. Students enjoy |
| same way students at school learn. While some | | | | these games, and several age students can play |
| 'book learning' is vital, there is more to home | | | | at the same time. Older students do multiplication |
| schooling than doing workbook pages or reading a | | | | or division, while the younger students do addition |
| book. | | | | or subtraction. Passing the dice around to each |
| One teaching method that works well is using | | | | student in turn, the student throws the dice then |
| games to teach or reinforce lessons. Some home | | | | answers the question posed by the dice. If the |
| school parents play Yahtzee with their children | | | | answer is correct, the student earns 5 points. The |
| several times each week. The game helps children | | | | first student to get to 50 or 100 wins the right to |
| learn their addition and multiplication facts. Another | | | | choose the main dish for dinner, or some other |
| game some home school parents use is Where in | | | | prize that works well for the family. |
| the World is Carmen Santiago? One home school | | | | For very small children who need to learn their |
| mother stated that her son learned more | | | | colors, a small bag of Skittles or M&Ms |
| geography playing that game than she learned in a | | | | works well. The children take turns drawing one |
| college geography class. Where in Time is Carmen | | | | candy and identifying the color. If they are right, |
| Santiago? is a great game for helping students | | | | they get to eat it, if not, the parent or older child |
| learn ancient history. A Google search for the | | | | working with them gets to eat it. While this is not |
| phrase "educational games for children" will bring | | | | a game you want to play every day due to |
| up a long list of possibilities from home school | | | | calories and sugar, it is one that small children |
| parents can review and select. | | | | enjoy. |
| Monopoly or The Game of Life help children to | | | | These games help students learn, and give respite |
| learn about money and also teaches or reinforces | | | | to the beleaguered home school parent who is |
| math skills. Battleship helps students learn how to | | | | trying to juggle the education of several children |
| think and reason. Chess helps students learn | | | | of differing ages. Home school is difficult to |
| strategies and thinking skills. Go Fish or Old Maid | | | | manage if you are trying to do exactly what the |
| help children learn how to match and how to think | | | | public school does. A much more natural approach |
| through winning strategies. Even checkers is a | | | | is to alternate 'book learning' with activities that |
| learning game, since students have to think and | | | | help cement that learning in the minds of the |
| plan in order to win. | | | | children. Games not only provide that benefit, |
| A dice game, where dice are throw and children | | | | they also help bond families together. After all, |
| have to either multiply, add, or subtract the | | | | playing together is a great way to enjoy each |
| numbers that land face up, is also helpful with | | | | other and build lasting happy memories. |