by Carolyn Forte

There are days when nothing seems to work.  The children can’t concentrate on math and complain loudly about the writing assignment.  They constantly invent excuses to leave their work.  Even their favorite books and story CDs are met with glazed eyes and whines of discontent.  You can bluster and bully, trying to force some “learning” into their heads – or – you can recognize the obvious:  today is not a day for formal academics.  When faced with this situation, many homeschool moms will dig in their heels and demand compliance, turning the day into a contest of wills of Olympic proportions.  I remember many such days when my blood started to boil with frustration.  I knew I faced a choice:  continue to fight the reality of childish biorhythms, accomplishing nothing more than ruining everyone’s day, or take charge of the situation by changing gears and doing something else. Happily, I learned early to take the second option.

            There are many possibilities for a change of pace: bake some cookies and take them to a friend or neighbor, take an impromptu field trip, go to the park for a while, plan and cook a special dinner for Daddy, or play a game.  Most children love games, and a clever mom can sneak a lot of learning into an otherwise hopeless morning by inserting games and activities into the day.  Often, physical activity is what is needed.  Children need much more activity than adults, a fact which is often overlooked by parents.  A physical activity break is needed at least once every hour until children reach age 12-14.  Simple games like hopscotch, Frisbee, catch, jacks, marbles, juggling, jumping rope, foursquare or shooting baskets are wonderfully refreshing for both mind and body.  Children’s bodies were not designed to sit still for very long; if we try to fight the creator’s design, we’re asking for trouble.  Active games develop both mind and body.  Accurately catching a ball or picking up jacks develops and refines hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills– an important component in penmanship, math and any writing activity.

Games can teach many of the skills practiced in workbooks – without the complaints.  A few minutes spent playing a game with dice or cards can accomplish more than the same amount of time working with flash cards.  This is partly because the game is fun and the child has no trouble paying attention, and partly because the game usually allows a learning curve while the flash cards demand that he already knows the material.  All you accomplish with most flash card activity is speed.  The most useful games allow a child to learn while playing.  Speed comes naturally – in time. 

There is an ancient game called Shut the Box which is played with two dice and a box containing levers labeled 1 through 10.  The player rolls the dice and flips down levers to equal the amount shown on the dice.  He continues rolling the dice and flipping down numbers until he can’t continue.  Whatever is left over is his score.  Then another player takes a turn.  At the end of the game, the lowest score wins.  This game forces children to practice their number facts to sums of 12 without even realizing it. There is a modern version, Double Shutter ($19.95) which has a double row of levers for higher numbers and more interesting play.   You can also devise your own home version with a pair of dice and some playing cards in place of the box and levers.  There is a video showing you how to do this on the homepage of www.excellenceineducationhomeschooling.com.

 This game can be addicting.  If you don’t tell your children that it is educational, they will almost certainly love it.  You may even be able to talk your teen into playing with your six-year-old.  This game will take the place of 50 worksheets.  If you want your children to learn the addition facts to twenty instead of to 12, simply purchase a pair of 10-sided dice to use instead of the normal dice.  For practice with subtraction, allow your players the option of using addition or subtraction when flipping the levers.  If you use Double Shutter with its double row of levers, it is even possible to practice multiplication by having players multiply the numbers on the dice roll.  Again, if you substitute 10-sided dice, you can practice all 10 times tables automatically, just by playing a game.

Actually, any game that uses a pair of number dice (with dots or numbers that you add to see how far you get to move) will teach your children addition facts.  You can play Parchisi or Monopoly or any board game with a path to follow on a dice roll and it will help your children learn (memorize) the math facts.  I’m sure many of you are thinking right now that this method is too slow.  If you are a paperwork loving parent/teacher, playing a board game like Parchisi doesn’t sound educational.    The whole idea of discarding a day’s worth of math worksheets in favor of playing a game sound irresponsible.  Here’s a thought for you.  Which is more educational as defined by learning and remembering the subject matter, a trip to Yellowstone National Park during which your child acts as the family navigator, reading the road maps and telling you where to turn or a few days reading about the geography of the same region and filling in worksheets?  Personal, practical experience will almost always be a more effective learning experience than textbooks and worksheets.