We are putting workbooks away and learning by play! For a fun approach to learning check out our 4 favorite educational games for preschoolers.
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As a new homeschooling mom it’s safe to say we are still learning what works. I’m willing to bet the “trial and error” is still a thing for even the most experienced homeschooling families.
This year I wanted to try out a curriculum for the first time and decided to go with “The Good And The Beautiful.” I really loved their language arts curriculum and thought it would be a great fit for my 4 year old son. You can read more about our experience HERE but just to give a quick overview it didn’t go as smoothly as I planned.
Wyatt really seemed to enjoy it at first but quickly became overwhelmed and almost felt pressured to know everything the book was going over. He became frustrated when he didn’t grasp it immediately. Although he struggled with reading he very much enjoyed the games and activities within the course.
Because Wyatt had so much fun playing them I decided to give “gameschooling” a try for the rest of his preschool year. The purpose of gameschooling is exactly what you’d think. Instead of working out of a book we are simply playing educational games every day!
Guess what?
It works!!!
After only a few weeks of playing games it’s obvious just how far Wyatt has came. He is learning words I wouldn’t begin to imagine he’d know back in December. The best part is that he doesn’t even realize that he is doing school. He comes to me and begs to play these games and not once have I ever noticed his frustration. That’s worth more to me than anything.
Without further ado, here are our favorites!
Favorite Educational Games Video
Our Top 4 Favorite Educational Games
1.) Ukloo Early Reader Treasure Hunt
Ukloo was the first game we bought this year! After reading a few reviews I decided that Wyatt would be obsessed and I think even obsessed is an understatement.
Ukloo was invented by a mom who’s child had difficulty reading. The game is like a reading treasure hunt and the goal is to find the surprise at the end. For surprises I’ve used candy, money, soda, and Wyatt’s favorite is new games to play. It comes with a “picture helper” chart, 3 levels of clue cards, a “write your own clue” card set and surprise cards.
A few examples of what the clues say are “Look in the cup beside the sink” and “Find it under the couch.” We typically play with about 5 cards. After finding a card you need to match each word to the picture helper chart to reveal what the sentence says.
Spot It! 123
Each card has random numbers (1-10) and basic shapes in a variety of colors. Although every card is different there will always be one common number or shape. For example, I may pull out 2 cards and each card will have a green rectangle in common. Another set may have a red 2 as the common number.
The first person to shout out the color AND the number/shape gets a point. This is the basic way to play and the only way we have tried so far but there are many other ways to play!
3.) Zingo! Sight Words
Zingo! is a pretty popular game for preschoolers and for a good reason. It’s so much fun and quick to learn. There’s a few different versions of this game but because we are focusing on reading I decided to go with sight words.
This game is very similar to the way the classic game of Bingo works but of course has it’s own spin. There are several cards to choose from and are double sided. The green side is for beginners and the red is advanced. The goal of the game is to make 3 in a row or the way we play is whoever fills their card up completely first wins.
The way to play is simple. The kiddos love the little red slider and fight over who gets to slide the pieces out. The slider pops out 2 playing pieces and the first one to shout out the word gets to place it on their card. Since Wyatt is still learning the words I let him take his time and he doesn’t always shout out the word but that’s okay!
Tiny Polka Dot
Tiny Polka Dot is an incredible game and probably one of the most versatile I’ve come across. Not only are there multiple ways to play but also for a variety of ages. When you first open the box you’ll find several cards with multiple games and instructions on how to play. In the top right hand corner of each card it will say what age it’s geared toward. There are options for 3+ all the way to 7+.
Tiny Polka Dot comes with several colors of cards, each a set from numbers 0-10. Each color has the numbers represented in a different way. For example, the purple has actual numbers on it where as orange is represented as a dice.
Wyatt’s really into adding right now so of course his favorite game involves “making 10.” I really love Tiny Polka Dot because we could play it multiple times a day and still not run out of ideas.
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