Monday, March 24, 2014

Board Games to Teach Children Math

Board games can be used to teach children many skills, and they’re entertaining enough to engage kids while they’re learning. Children can learn verbal skills, creativity, cognitive thinking, and math skills from a variety of board games. Almost any game will teach these skills to some degree or another. However, if you’re looking for games that will help your children understand math and apply to their daily lives, there are five games you should consider investing in: Aggravation, Candyland, The Game of Life, Math Animals Game, and Monopoly.

On the surface, Aggravation may not seem to teach math skills beyond the average board game. However, this game, featuring marbles, requires that the values of the dice are added together, teaching addition and counting. In some cases, subtraction is also involved. Aggravation also teaches some strategic thinking, which is an important problem solving and math skill. This game appeals to all ages (and parents will love it too), so it’s a great game for the entire family.

Candlyland is generally a game for younger children. It teaches simple skills such as taking turns and basic counting. It is an excellent game to start with and can be fun for parents and children. Try enjoying this game with your young children and see how much they learn from such a simple game.

The Game of Life teaches many skills that are necessary in real life. It involves spinning a spinner, counting spaces, and dealing with money. This exciting game is good for the whole family and introduces children to concepts such as addition and subtraction, counting, and simple money management. There is even some basic multiplication involved in The Game of Life.

Math Animals Game is designed for children over the age of 5, but younger children often enjoy it as well, with a little help. This game involves rolling the die, moving around the board according to the number displayed, and landing on the highest number. All of this teaches children basic math skills such as addition, subtraction, and even multiplication.

Of all the board games involving mathematics, Monopoly is by far the best. There are few math skills that Monopoly doesn’t teach, and it’s a great game for any age, not simply for children. Younger children will learn to count and even add as they roll the dice and move around the board. Money management is the key focus of this game and helps children learn to deal with money is a straightforward and responsible way. Even multiplication is frequently introduced as players land on utilities and have to calculate rent. Problem solving is also an integral part of the game and will help children develop cognitive strategic thinking. In sort, Monopoly is a great game for teaching many mathematical skills.

There are many other games that will teach basic math skills to children. In fact, most games involve some math, even if it’s only simple counting. It is important to make board games a regular in your household to promote the development of many of the skills your children will need later in life.