Playing games in the classroom

It's been nearly 2 weeks since I've been on summer holidays and I've been enjoying every minute!

We have been out and about nearly every day.  One thing on my "To-Do List" was to give my blog a little makeover.  So what do you think?  I just love the new look!

 

I don't know about your classrooms, but in our kindergarten rooms we clean the last few weeks of school.  And by cleaning, I mean emptying out all the bins, containers, buckets - washing them and the stuff that was inside.  Every toy gets fully washed and put away.

 

Well, that means that there becomes less and less centres and activities to do in the classroom.  So we ask that students bring in a small toy or activity to play with.  I also like providing some fun activities for the children....and they all love it when I pull out a board game!

 

I think board games are so educational...rolling and reading a die, counting the number or squares you need to move, reading a card and finding a match....and it's not only about that.  Co-operation, sharing and waiting turns is so important too!

 

Here are a few of my favourite (and my students' favourite!) games to play:

 

Boggle Jr:  Students cover the 3- or 4-letter word and use the dice to spell it.  They can work individually or with a partner.

 

Hi Ho Cherry-o!:  I think this is THE most requested game!  Choose a colour, spin the spinner and either add or take away that many cherries from your basket.

 

Go Diego Go 123:  I found this game my first year teaching at a discount toy store.  It was $6 - wish I bought 2!  Such a great game.  Students get a game board and reach into the bag, pull out a card and see if it matches their game board.  Each card has a certain number of animals to make it a little easier (and they are colour-coded).

 

Jumbolino:  This is a cute game and really easy!  You roll the die and find the matching piece to place in your puzzle.  Once your puzzle is done, you win!  A great game for learning to read a die.

 

Johnny Tractor's Apple Adventure:  Sorry this picture is a little hard to see.  Place all the trees into the slots and each player starts at a corner.  You move one spot at a time and pull out a tree.  You either keep it or lose your points.  No reading required!

 

I Spy:  This is a twist on a classic matching game.  You have to find the same object on 2 cards in order to get the point.

 

Farm Counting Fun:  I used this game back in May when we were learning about simple addition and subtraction skills.  Choose a card - it will tell you to either add or take away that many cards on your game board.  Try to fill the game board to 12.

 

Scrabble Junior:  This game is great for any primary class because it has 2 sides to the game board.  The side we use already has the words on it.  The other side is blank so you can make your own words.

 

Dr. Seuss ABC:  These next 2 games are well worth the money (if you can find them!).  This ABC game is played like a matching game.  Choose a card and find the letter that matches. 

 

Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham:  Spin the spinner and choose a card to match the word family.  Great for rhyming!

 

So there you have it - my top 10 favourite games to play in the classroom!

Do you play games in your class?  What are your favourites?