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Let’s chat about how to homeschool and gameschool- a gameschooling 101, if you will. Today, I am sharing the benefits of gameschooling, the best board games for your homeschool, gameschooling supplies, and the reasons why you should consider gameschooling both fun and educational!

A few years ago, my daughter was struggling to understand coin value and identification. When she cried over her math book, we set up a play store. It helped a little bit, but still, she struggled.

I knew that gameschooling would help- it always does!

I went to the game closet and pulled out a game called Money Bags. Its box was well-loved, worn and tattered. We had purchased it second-hand from a local thrift store. I had played it with my older son so many times.

I sat down with my daughter, explained the rules, and we started to play.

And then her younger brother joined in the fun.

Yes, fun. My daughter was no longer frustrated. Her eyes were dry and she was smiling. Not only that, she was learning.

Within a week my daughter had not only mastered coin identification and value, but she had also learned how to make change. And do you know what else happened in the process? My youngest son had learned to skip count by 5s and 10s.

All thanks to an old, tattered game.

Table of Contents

Would you like to add more stealth learning (and FUN!) to your homeschool day?

Gameschooling 101: How to Homeschool with Fantastic Educational Games

Gameschooling 101: What is gameschooling, and what are the benefits to gameschooling?

Put simply, gameschooling is homeschooling with games.

Gameschoolers use games as part of their homeschool curriculum. In fact, some gameschoolers abandon curriculum entirely!

Games are an important part of our homeschool curriculum and family culture. I have always loved games, but since homeschooling, I have become a huge advocate for game-based learning… because I’ve seen it work again and again!

Gameschooling is educational and fun because board games provide a safe space to learn new skills

Games do not:

Judge
Correct or critique
Leave red marks
Give homework

Put simply: Games give children a safe space to learn, to fail, and to try again.

Gameplay offers children a chance to practice and build skills in a no-pressure, non-judgmental way. If the game doesn’t go the way you wanted it to, you can start over and try again.

Gameschooling has so many benefits

Children learn how to navigate their world through play, When parents play alongside their children, they have the opportunity to work on a host of skills… while having fun and making memories!

Board games can help children develop the following skills:

Verbal communication
Self-regulation
Turn-taking
Sharing
Listening
Cooperation
Focus and attention
Following directions
Creativity
Social skills
Learning to lose – and win- with grace
Logic skills
Critical thinking
Problem-solving
Strategy and planning

When you gameschool, you work on academic skills through play

There are some fantastic games on the market today. Is your child struggling with reading? Does your kiddo cry over his math workbook? Guess what? There’s a game for that, and I can guarantee you’ll have fewer power struggles when you swap out the workbook for the game board.

How to choose the perfect game for your family

Every family is unique and you know your family best. Here are some things to consider when choosing a game:

1. Number of players

We are a family of five and many games are created for a maximum of four players. Make sure you have a game that will match your family size.

2. Age recommendations

This is essential when playing with younger kids. Make sure the game you pick is something that can be enjoyed by all members of the family.

3. Time required

Nowadays, this is usually stated on the box. If your children are young, or if you have limited time for playing, be sure to check the time required.

4. Ease of use

In my opinion, the very best family games are those that can be explained in under ten minutes but played again and again and again.

5. Fun factor

All games are not created equal and some are more fun than others. If you are new to family game night and/or gameschooling, focus on fun first.

6. Challenge

This is especially important with gameschooling. I am a firm believer that all games are educational, but some offer more challenge than others. If you are relying heavily on games in your homeschool, you’ll want to have some challenging games in your closet!

7. Longevity

Games are not cheap. If you are making an investment, try to find games that will grow with your family.

The best gameschooling games for homeschool, by academic subject

As a lifelong game addict and now gameschooler, here are my favorite games organized by category:

Gameschooling supplies: How to build your game closet on a budget

Readers always want to see my game collection. I’ll admit it: I have a lot of games.

But the thing is… I’ve been collecting games for decades.

Some of the games in my closet are from my own childhood. Others were purchased while I was in college and graduate school. Some were hand-me-downs. Many were gifts.

I want you to know that I rarely pay full-price for a game. You don’t have to, either.

Tips for building your game closet on a budget

Do your research. You know your unique family best. Try to pick the perfect game for your family.
Start small and focus on what your family can play now. Yes, there are amazing games for older children on the market… but if your children are toddlers, you are going to want to start small and keep your eye on the prize.
Buy second-hand games. Do you know how many people buy games without doing their research? Do you know how many people receive games as gifts and never find the time to play? I buy many of our games second-hand. If you know what you are looking for, you’ll save money.
Start a game-giving tradition. Games make fantastic gifts. Why not start a family tradition and give a game on each birthday or major holiday? You’ll build your game closet in no time at all! Here’s another idea: Buy a game while you are on vacation. It would be a great memento from your trip- so much better than a t-shirt!

Where to find inexpensive games

I rarely buy my games new. All you need is a second-hand game and Google. Double-check to make sure you have all necessary pieces and you will save heaps of cash! Here are some great places to look:

Yard sales
Second-hand stores
eBay

Here’s another tip:
I create an Amazon wishlist of games I’d like to add to our collection. When I find one of these games at Goodwill or a yard sale, I go to my wishlist, click on the game, and make sure the second-hand game is not missing any crucial pieces. I have saved a lot of money this way!

Many gameschoolers also keep game lists on BoardGameGeek.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask friends and family. Many people have unused games sitting around collecting dust!

Organizing the Game Collection

I am often asked the following questions:

Where do you store games?
How do you organize games?
How do you know what you have?

These questions are tricky because what works for one family will not work for another. So much is dependent upon your family’s current game collection and space availability.

How you organize your game closet organization depends:

Your family
The game collection involved
Space

Every family is unique, and your game organization needs to work for your family’s needs.

Organizing the Game Closet Step 1: Know What You Have

You can’t organize it until you know what you have.

This is the hard part, moms and dads, but it is necessary.

A post shared by MyLittlePoppies (@my_little_poppies) on Nov 13, 2017 at 4:27pm PST

Take a moment, and assess your game closet.

Take inventory. You will thank yourself later.

Organizing the Game Closet Step 2: Create a “Game Menu”

I have a unique situation because I am a blogger who writes about games regularly. Therefore, I have many lists on my site, organized by subject, detailing the games that we have… and I refer to these lists all the time!

I can, however, tell you what I would do if I didn’t have a blog.

Here’s my advice:

Make a list of all the games you own in the following categories:
- Travel games
- One-player games
- Games you can play in under 30 minutes (These make wonderful “go-to games” and I’ll be talking about them very soon!)
- Games that take more than 30 minutes
- Feel free to add more categories here based on your gaming interests.
If you are a gameschooler, I would recommend listing games by academic subject/skill. (If you are a fan of stealth learning, keep this list hidden!)
Photocopy your list and keep one copy with your homeschool planning paraphernalia.
Laminate the other copy (for durability) and keep it IN your game closet. Tape it to the inside of the door so it is easy to find. That way, when someone wants to play something, they have a “menu” to choose from!

Organizing the Game Closet Step 3: Once you have a Game Menu, you can tweak your storage situation.

Again, this depends on your collection and your space…

…but here are some ideas:

A closet (this is what we use)
Bookshelves
Tupperware containers
Open shelving in a playroom or basement

If you need inspiration, head over to Pinterest. You’ll be overwhelmed with ideas!

Organizing the Game Closet Step 4: If You Don’t Play It, Purge It

I know it’s hard. You are trying to build your game closet and the last thing you want to do is to get rid of the games you actually own but…

… if you don’t play it, you should purge it.

When in doubt, purge

Today, I am giving you permission to purge the following:

Games you loathe
The games you never, ever play
Games that make your children fight nonstop
Games you have outgrown

That last one is tricky for me. I recently gave two boxes of games to my nieces. I was happy to give them to kids who will play them but I won’t lie: it was emotional letting go of those games and all of the memories associated with them.

Here’s the thing: you still have the memories. And now you have space for those games on your wish list!

Gameschooling 101: Game rules

It has taken me a long time to build my game closet. In fact, my closet houses many games from my childhood.

If you want free reign of my game closet, you need to follow some ground rules:

You can only play one game at a time and therefore you should only take out one game at a time.
If you can’t reach a game, come get me and I will help you.
Do not sit in or stand on game boxes.
When you finish playing, do a double-check to make sure you got everything.
Make sure the box is actually closed before putting it away.
Don’t put boxes in the closet sideways. (I know that so many of you store sideways and I adore the look and function of this system, but my three always manage to lose pieces so we are not quite there yet.)

Creating these Game Ground Rules will make playing games an easier process.

You will lose fewer pieces and instructions, plus you will be teaching your children to be responsible gamers. It’s a beautiful thing when your children are old enough to play a game together, without you. Rules will help you get to that point!

My children are currently 10, 8, and 6-years-old and, while it has taken some time to get here, they are usually fantastic about playing and cleaning up games.

Check out an example of game ground rules here:

Game Ground Rules Example

Now, give yourself permission to play

As an educator, I understand the importance of play. It is through play that children learn to interact with the world around them and with each other.

Gameschooling is a form of play-based learning. Play helps the child discover his or her unique interests, likes, and dislikes. These are discoveries that no one else can make for you.

Do you feel guilty when you play?

Does it seem like gameschooling shouldn’t count? Do you struggle with doubt and second-guessing? Is the ghost of public school past whispering in your ear that you should be doing more?

You are not alone.

Here are two posts I wrote for Simple Homeschool that I hope will help:

Figure out your “Go-To Games”

The easiest way to add more games to your family’s routine is to know your go-to games.

So what are go-to games?

Games are fun to play
They can be explained in under 10 minutes
Go-to games can be played in 15-20 minutes
Kids are always excited to play go-to games

Our family’s go-to games are usually card games or funny games.

Go-to games make gaming easy. When it is easy to play, you’ll play more!

Keep games accessible

We like to play a variety of games throughout the week. One way I make sure this happens is to sneak a peek in our game closet on Sunday afternoons. I’ll take a moment and pick a few games that I’d like to play during the week.

Sometimes, I pick one we adore.
Other times, I pick a couple we haven’t played in a while.
If we’ve been slacking on a certain subject, geography, for example, I’ll make sure to throw in some great geography games.

Then, I take this pile and plunk in on our kitchen counter or coffee table and try to get to all or most of the games during the week.

A post shared by MyLittlePoppies (@my_little_poppies) on Jul 24, 2017 at 8:09am PDT

I refer to this as our Game Plan.

But this Game Plan is not meant to be a looming to-do. It’s not supposed to be stressful. If we get to them, super! If we don’t, there’s always next week.

Want to see an example of a Game Plan?

Example Game Plan

Lunchtime learning for the win!

Sometimes, it can be challenging to find time to play educational games

One super-simple way to add more games to your family routine is to play during meals. In our home, we call this lunchtime learning. There are oodles of games that can be played over meals.

Adding a game to breakfast, lunch, or dinner can create memories, improve communication, and spread joy.

Here are some ideas:

Play while you prep! On an episode of The Homeschool Sisters Podcast, Kara talked about playing Hedbanz with her daughter while they prepped dinner!
Create a basket of Go-To Games and leave it on the kitchen table so that you remember to play before, during, or after a meal.
Designate one night each week for dinner games

Here’s another idea:

I have a friend who plays a game every night after dinner. She said this helps her family to calm down, refocus, and reconnect after a hectic day. She usually plays a simple card game, like UNO or Cardline.

Keep games accessible on the road

It’s the absolute worst when you find yourself stuck somewhere with bored, whining children.

Waiting rooms
Airports
Car trouble
Road trips
Restaurants
Traffic
Urgent care/ ER (Hey, it happens!)

Keeping games accessible while you are out and about can be a lifesaver!

Here are some ideas:

Keep games in your purse
Stash a few in the glove box or console of your car
Why not add one more thing to your diaper bag?

There are so many fantastic travel-sized games on the market today. Don’t have travel games in your closet just yet? No worries! Just grab a deck of cards!

Here are some resources for fantastic travel games:

Still struggling? Schedule your gameschooling

Let’s face it- homeschooling has seasons and some are harder than others.

Here is my best advice: start your day with the easiest thing.

This is how our beloved Coffee and Books was born. It wasn’t planned. It was born out of desperation.

And it became our most favorite thing.

A post shared by MyLittlePoppies (@my_little_poppies) on Apr 28, 2018 at 5:28am PDT

Do you know what happens when you start with the easiest thing?

You start the day with a connection
Connecting makes everyone happier
Happy kids tend to be more cooperative

Coffee and Books could easily be applied to gameschooling!

Common gameschool hurdles: CANDYLAND

Are you sick of Candyland? You aren’t alone, but I have good news for you: It gets better!

The next time you are sitting through a painful round of Candyland, or Chutes and Ladders, or Memory, or Hungry Hungry Hippos, I want you to remember this:

These are gateway games
You are building something bigger

You are growing a gameschooler.

This is kind of like having an early reader. That first time your kid reads you a sentence? You are over-the-moon excited. It’s a big deal! Yay, she can read! Wahoo!!

Cut to those nights when your kids are exhausted, you are dog tired, and it’s past bedtime.

And your little darling wants to read the bedtime story.

You know what you are supposed to say, and so you say yes, but inside you cringe because you know how long and painful the story will be tonight.

Beginner games are like early readers. It’s exciting and fun and memorable… and sometimes extremely painful.

It’s okay to say that, but do not let them know you are struggling. You are building something bigger.

This “Candyland phase” is important. You are making memories, building connections, and fostering a love of gaming.

And, truly, you will miss it. I promise you. I was sad when we outgrew Candyland.

But I want you to know that Candyland is NOT your only option. Here are some other fantastic “Gateway Games”:

How to Grow Gamers with Amazing Gateway Games

Common gameschool hurdles: TODDLERS UNDERFOOT

When you are juggling babies, toddlers, little kids, and big kids… gaming can seem like an impossibility.

How do you feed the baby, keep the toddler off the kitchen table, and play Catan with your big kids?

I’ll be honest: You are in a hard season for gaming.

Hosting a family game night is tricky enough as it is and adding different ages and developmental stages to the mix make it even trickier!

Here are some articles to help you muddle through this tricky gameschool season:

It is important to remind yourself that it won’t always be this challenging. You are in it, deep in the throes.

Keep your eye on the prize, mamas, and do what you need to do until you don’t need to do it anymore.

Common gameschool hurdles: SIBLING SQUABBLES AND BOARD FLIPPING

Do you want to know one of the most common questions I am asked when it comes to playing games with children?

“How do you get your kids to play games without fighting?”

Here’s what I want you to remember:

Yes, I love board games
And, yes, I enjoy playing games with my children
Yes, my children love to play, too

But…

When you “see” us on the internet, whether on Facebook or Instagram or in a blog post, you are seeing one split-second snapshot of our life, often with one of those snazzy filters applied to brighten things up a bit.
You are not getting the noise.
My kids fight, too. All the time.

When we sit down to play a game, it is not perfect.

But, do you know what? I’m not expecting it to be.

When we play, I try to keep my eye on the prize and thinking Big Picture, not perfection.

A post shared by MyLittlePoppies (@my_little_poppies) on Nov 21, 2017 at 5:43pm PST

Common gameschool hurdles: YOUR KID IS TOO COMPETITIVE… OR NOT AT ALL COMPETITIVE

You can learn a lot about a person when you play a game. Some people are ultra-competitive, while others shy away from any form of competition.

My oldest son loves to compete.

He’s the kid that is always giving rule updates. And unsolicited gaming advice. And frequent score updates.

“Hey, Mum! Did you know I’m beating you by 47 points right now? Woohoo!”

This same kiddo can dissolve into a mushy mess of a child when he loses. He’ll swear off a certain game, declaring it to be “so dumb!!” and storm off to his bedroom.

He’s a work in progress, that one. We are working to teach him to reel it in a little bit and to win … and lose… with grace.

My daughter, on the other hand, loathes competition.

(And when your older brother is uber-competitive, can you blame her?)

Before beginning a game, she’ll often ask if it is a “winning game” and sometimes she’ll opt out if we are keeping score.

Cooperative games are wonderful for both competitive children and those who shy away from competition.

We rely heavily on cooperative games in our homeschool. My daughter loves them… and they help my oldest learn to practice being a team player.

Common gameschool hurdles: YOU JUST NEED A MINUTE

You are a busy homeschool parent and you just need a minute.

Let me tell you this- One-player games are magical.

Here are just a few ways I include one-player games in our homeschool routine:

Quiet time activity (as an introverted homeschool mama, I need a chunk of quiet time each day and one-player games help)
Great activity for kids who have almost, but not quite, dropped naps
A wonderful way to include a child who does not want to play a board game that everyone else is playing. They can play beside you!
Excellent diversion for when you need to work 1:1 with a different child
Fantastic way to work on logic skills
Our family will often turn one-player logic games into two-player games by taking turns and adding a timer to see who can complete challenges fastest!
Many one-player games are travel-sized and can be used on road trips, on vacations, in waiting rooms, and in restaurants

Common gameschool hurdles: DECIPHERING GAME INSTRUCTIONS

Learning a new game can be unbelievably stressful.

There, I said it. It’s true. As much as I love board games and playing with my children, sometimes a new board game can make my head spin.

Why?

Because so many game instructions are horrendous.

I’m not going to name games or anything, but I want you to know that there are many popular games on the market today with absolutely terrible instructions.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m breaking a code when all I really want to do is to play with my kids.

Add an excited kid or two into that mix and it’s a recipe for disaster!

So, what’s a parent to do? How do you figure out game directions when they don’t seem to make any sense at all?

Watch it played online. Go to YouTube and see if you can find someone who has already figured it out.

Here are some resources [that I used when I couldn’t figure out how to play Sushi Go]:

House Rules: It’s okay to break the rules!

Now that we’ve talked about deciphering those game instructions, I’d like to chat about Gameschooling House Rules.

Some rules are made to be broken.

Do you want an example? Here’s a very common rule that has resulted in meltdowns across the globe:

“Youngest player goes first.”

Did you just cringe when you read those words?

Did they give you a flashback that included whining and tears?

Yeah, me too.

When you are faced with a rule that does not work for your family, bend it. Break it. Ignore it. Change it entirely.

Games are supposed to be fun and if a certain rule (“Players must roll a 6 to start”) is ruining your play, make a better rule.

Creating your own Gameschooling House Rules can add more fun to your play!

Tips for a memorable family game night

When you sit down to play a game with your family, you are building relationships, making space for important conversations, practicing all-important social skills, working on academic skills… and you’re making memories.

Click here to read 10 Tips for a Successful Family Game Night.

Or, click here to download the tips!

Now that we’ve covered the gameschooling nitty-gritty…

It’s time for the fun!

I’d now like to dive deeper and share my favorite ways to use educational games in our homeschool routine.

In a nutshell, it boils down to this: books and games.

Some days, I honestly can’t believe that I get to play games and read books all day. (Some kids never grow up!)

In our homeschool, my favorite thing to do is to read a fantastic book and then follow up with a related game or activity.

I have witnessed amazing learning happen in this way… and we are building connections, making memories, and having fun in the process.

Do you want to learn about pairing books and games? This will help:

100 Games and Picture Books for Play-Based Learning

Do we completely ditch homeschool curriculum and gameschool exclusively?

Nope.

Our homeschool curriculum choices, by year

I get a lot of questions about our curriculum choices. You can read more here:

Our favorite homeschool curriculum resources, by subject

I don’t know about you guys, but I love to find fantastic homeschool resources. I love when I find a new resource that I just cannot put down.

Our family’s favorite homeschool curriculum resources, by subject:

Are you a family of game lovers?

I am starting a new series – and it was inspired by all the amazing photos and stories that you have been sharing in our Gameschool Community Facebook Group.

The series will be called “Gameschool Voices” … the rest is up to you!

I want to see how you do this gameschooling thing, and I know others do, too!

What does gameschooling look like in your world? (You do not need to be a blogger to submit.)

Interested? Click here for more info. If you have questions, just ask. I can’t wait to hear from you!

If you want to see what our homeschool and gameschool looks like each day, follow us on Instagram

This year, I have switched from a traditional year-end homeschool portfolio to an electronic portfolio and I love it. If you love to see those ‘homeschool day-in-the-life’ posts (I sure do!), be sure to follow us on Instagram.

I record our homeschool days via Instagram stories and then I upload our daily story to a free app called Seesaw.

You can read more about what that looks like here:

How to Make a Digital Portfolio with the Seesaw App

Check out our homeschool “day in the life” posts

If you’d like to see an actual day in our homeschool life, check out these Simple Homeschool posts:

Do you want to see our homeschool in action?

Be sure to follow My Little Poppies because we share snapshots of our homeschool day… and all of our favorite resources!

Do you love to homeschool with books?

You are invited to join the {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a private Facebook Group for parents who love to read fantastic books to their children… and chat about them!

Do you love to homeschool with games?

You are also invited to join the My Little Poppies Gameschool Community, a private Facebook Group for parents who wish to add more play to their family and/or homeschool routine.

Now, it’s your turn. Tell us: Are you a gameschooling family? What is your favorite educational board game for homeschooling? Share here.

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I started incorporating games when I first started homeschooling my son, not to help him learn academics, but sportsmanship. He is fiercely competitive and had a really hard time with losing. So we play a game every day, and I don’t let him win, but try to help him learn that it’s just a game and you can have fun even if you don’t win. It has been really good for him and he’s grown a lot through our time together playing games. I consider games an essential part of our homeschool. Using them to teach concepts is genius! I love it. Thank you.

[…] All the Games (check out My Little Poppies gameschooling) […]

Thank you for all of these great resources! We use games often in our homeschool – I didn’t even know it was called gameschooling. The kids really do learn things better when they’re having fun.

Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley says:

January 29, 2019 at 7:49 pm

You’re welcome, Erin! I hope your kids enjoy them!