Through the years we have had a number of foster children. Most of these children were at least one grade behind, that is, they had either repeated a grade or started school later than usual.
All of those kids had learning difficulties of one sort or another, most caused by emotional problems; altogether, either catching them up to grade level or helping them keep up with assigned work was one of our primary goals.
We weren’t always successful, but through trial and error we did learn some important strategies.
The first strategy we developed was to turn off the television set during the week. Television time became a Friday and/or Saturday family movie night thing.
It was the most liberating move, for all of us, we ever made. Suddenly, without TV, there was lots of time for homework, for reading, and for games. It was the games, especially, that became the focus of our efforts at remediating and teaching kids the skills they needed for school success.
Schools are beginning to incorporate educational games into classrooms and research supports using only instructional games to teach math in the early grades. Any effort to make learning more fun is bound to produce successful learning, and games are a better way than worksheets, drills, nagging, yelling, or threats.
In addition to specific skills such as math or spelling, games teach important social skills such as turn-taking, sportsmanship, and problem-solving skills as children learn to develop strategies for playing. Children also develop greater vocabulary and better communication skills in an interactive setting.
So, what sort of games are good?
Cards and board games have been around for years, and some of the oldest and most fun are great teaching games. Old Maid, Go Fish, and Concentration are good choices for younger kids because they learn valuable visual discrimination and matching skills. Battle is a great math game, and any board games using dice (Parcheesi is an excellent one) are sure to teach counting (moving spaces), addition, and other math skills. Word games like Scrabble and Boggle build vocabulary and spelling skills.
A bonus of most of these games is that all ages of players can have good time playing together at any level of ability. A great strategy-teaching game for older children is chess, and you don’t have to be a whiz yourself to play. Learn together: kids like to be with and to do things with parents.
Playing games is learning in a relaxing and non-stressful way. If you don’t know or have forgotten how to play these games, check in with the public library. There are books full of rules and suggestions for more learning games.
Your time will never be better spent.
Darby Kethan has a master's degree in child development, and has experience as a social worker, educator of young children, educational consultant, and as a professional trainer for a national educational foundation providing professional development to teachers. Visit her website at darbykethan.com.
