I believe that learning is a year-round thing and doesn’t stop just because school is out for the summer. JustaBXgirl knows that and has suffered through doing homework all summer long. This mama doesn’t play. You want to have fun? Let me see that homework! Now that we’re about two weeks away from her starting school she has become a bit more resistant on doing her work to earn her fun.
I get it. I’m getting antsy with school being around the corner. I mean, where did the summer go? I feel like we just didn’t do enough. Yet, when I look at my calendar it seems we’ve been a bit busy. No wonder we haven’t made it to the playground or library. We still have two weeks to go though! Anyway, back to the resistance issue.
After spending too much time fussing and fighting from both of us on the subject of homework I’ve decided to be a bit more creative. I’ve decided the best way to get her to learn is by making the learning fun. I know, this isn’t rocket science. But how do you make learning really fun?
I went and checked out the resources I had on hand. I wanted to find a way to make her feel like she’s won something. We already use Education.com’s guided lessons to make learning come to life with songs and games. I wanted to take it a step more into the fun zone.
If you’ve been following me for a while then you know that we love board games. And in case you didn’t know there are so many educational aspects to the games that easily get overlooked. Here are a few games we’ve been playing lately that are making JustaBXgirl happy because I’m playing with her and me happy because she’s using learning skills without realizing it! FYI, you’ve read about some of these games before but we still love them and use them so I’m sharing them again.
Monster Match – We really love North Star Games. While this one doesn’t have us dancing like Happy Salmon and Funky Chicken it does keep us moving to get out Monster Match first. Neither JustaBXgirl nor her cousins have realized that this game has them practicing their math and observation skills. They just know they’re matching monsters and collecting donuts. It was really cool to watch JustaBXgirl add up her donuts the other day and getting all the way to forty-seven. For a little that used to have trouble counting to twenty, this was an awesome thing to see. We also love that North Star Games always finds a fun way to package their games. This one is no different.
Pop Rocket – Who doesn’t love rockets? Especially rockets that are filled with shooting stars! This game has littles recognizing colors. It also allows them to practice counting.
Squirrels Go Nuts – Smart Games come up with great logic games. I can’t lie. When I was a little and sometimes now these types of games would frustrate me so I love watching the patience that JustaBXgirl and her cousins have when it comes to playing them. This is a really cute version where you want to help the squirrel get the nuts. It is a one person game but my little and her cousins enjoy figuring it out together.
Asteroid Escape – This is the same type of game as Squirrels Go Nuts but has a space theme which my nephews love. It makes you feel like you are under attack and must escape the asteroid. When you do you feel a true sense of victory. I love that these games are travel-friendly so you can take them with you on any last minute end of the summer trips and still get the learning in!
Build Or Boom – What’s more fun building or booming? Both! If you’re the first to build you get to BOOM your opponent. I love that this game is quick. And it is great at having littles look at balance and logistics. I’m not the type of parent that allows her little to win just because. JustaBXgirl earns her wins and I love when she gets to boom me!
Bonus: Where in The World Is Carmen San Diego? – Did you just sing the title? If you did, I know you’re around my age. I was so excited to get this in the mail. I plan to play this with my friends at an upcoming adult game night. JustaBXgirl is still too young to really enjoy this one but if you have older littles in the house this is a great game to get them interested in geography and to relive your childhood!
