Learning is important for children of all ages, and one of the most

effective methods is whole child education. Instead of focusing only on academics, you can help your children learn by promoting play, creativity, and exploration. With a game night, you can use whole child education while having fun and spending time with your kids. Here are some fun game night ideas that can help children learn and grow.

A Paper Plane Contest

This game is easy and fun to play with nothing but some extra sheets of paper. Kids can learn about aerodynamics and how real planes stay in the air by folding their own paper airplanes. Then, they can have a contest to see who can get their paper plane to fly the longest distance. After the first series of test flights, everyone can improve their designs, create new planes, and try again.

Paper Telephone

This game is a combination of Telephone and Pictionary. The first person writes down a phrase, like “kid riding a bike,” on a piece of paper. Then, they pass it to the next participant. The new person tries to draw the phrase and gives the drawing to the next person in the game. They keep the original phrase, and the new person writes a new phrase describing the drawing. They pass along the words they created while holding the picture, and the process repeats itself until everyone has a turn. 

At the end of the game, everyone can see the original phrase and the other phrases and drawings. Paper Telephone teaches kids how ideas can often change over time. It can also improve their reading comprehension and their drawing and communication skills.

UNO

UNO is a card game with a specialized deck of cards. They have numbers or symbols, and they come in red, yellow, green, and blue. Each player starts with seven cards, and the goal is getting rid of all your cards as soon as possible. A player can lay a card on the table if it’s the same color, number, or symbol as the card placed there last. 

There are also a few cards with phrases instead of numbers or symbols. They can direct people to reverse the order of play, skip a turn, or draw additional cards. When a game lasts for more than one round, the winner of the hand receives points according to the numbers on the cards others still hold. This game is great for teaching kids about matching colors, numbers, and symbols. It can also improve math skills and help children learn how to wait patiently for their turn.

Monopoly

Monopoly is a classic game about capitalism and the economy. Players roll two dice to move their pieces around a board. They also pick from a pile of special cards. Some cards can make players richer, and others can send them to jail. Everyone starts with an equal amount of colorful artificial currency, and the goal is gaining a monopoly. 

A monopoly is a business with total or almost total control over an industry. Monopoly helps children learn how the economy works and the basics about how to handle money and make financial transactions. Kids can also improve their math skills and learn more about many elements of society.

Scrabble

Scrabble is a fun crossword puzzle game that’s been around since the 1930s. It comes with 100 wooden tiles with letters on them, a board with lots of squares, and a wooden tile holder for each player. Players compete to form words with the letters they draw. Each letter is worth a certain number of points. Less common letters like X are usually worth more, and you can get double or triple the normal amount of points by placing a letter on some squares. 

Playing Scrabble with kids helps expand their vocabularies. It can also improve math skills and teach children to think about strategy and plan their actions. 

Jenga

With a game of Jenga, you and your kids can build a tower from 54 wood blocks. Then, everyone takes turns to make the tower taller by removing a block and placing it on top of the tower. The loser is the person who makes the tower fall. This game teaches kids about building and structural engineering. It also helps them improve their hand-eye coordination and observation skills. The game comes with a loading tray to help you create the initial tower.

A Trivia Game

Many trivia games and free trivia questions for kids are available. When you ask a question, call on the first child who raises their hand or rings a bell. If their answer is correct, they get a point. The player with the most points wins. There are several variations of this type of game with different rules. Kids can learn more by listening to questions and answers from fellow players. They can also develop their reflexes by trying to be the first person to answer.

Marbles

Marbles is one of the world’s oldest games, and some archeologists believe it started with people living in caves and using pebbles or clay. Modern marbles use colored glass, and players try to knock them out of a circle made of string. They use a larger marble called a shooter. You keep the marbles you push out of the circle, but the turn ends if the shooter exits the circle. The winner is the person with the most marbles after they go out of the circle. This game is great for teaching kids about physics and improving their hand-eye coordination.

With Kids’ Game Night, You Can Promote Whole Child Development

These educational games are lots of fun, and playing some of them on your next family game night can help your kids learn more while enjoying themselves. You can also help your children develop with Creme de la Creme’s whole child development programs. We help kids learn about many different subjects and have great times. To find out more about our unique curriculum and our many locations, contact us.  

paper plane by Dmitry Krendelev is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0