Gameschooling homeschool is one of the best learning tools to spice up your homeschooling curriculum or school at home learning — whether you need 1 player game ideas, want to encourage learning through play, need resources for gameschool for homeschool families game night, game at school ideas for younger kids, game school online, or even games for learning across multiple ages, we’ve got you covered with this gameschooling 101 guide!
HOW TO DO GAMESCHOOLING HOMESCHOOLING
Tired of searching for the best homeschool curriculum (or trying different theme lessons over and over), only to find out it doesn’t work or, even worse, that the kids aren’t enjoying learning? (Ugh.) ENTER: Game School.
What is gameschooling?
Game schooling is using games to teach, both at home or in school classrooms. You can simply allow kids to choose games, play them, and learn topics naturally, or you can choose games in learning that match with a specific subject or curriculum (math curriculums, board games for history or social studies, etc.) or unit study topic (like animals). Games for school can be silly games, strategy games, a virtual reality game, tabletop games, practice a specific skill (like times tables maths) and more!
Use board games and online games the same way you would use homeschool curriculum or online courses. If you’re working on learning multiplication or homeschool maths, use math games as a supplement or in place of the curricula!
Yes, you really can homeschool gameschool as your entire curriculum and game for school instead of traditional online courses. You can also incorporate game play at different times throughout your homeschool day, mixing it with other learning methods. There is a real educational value to adding a game as a practical application in learning. You’ll be surprised the real life skills kids learn by gameplay.
Whether you’re a secular homeschooler or a want a Bible-based homeschool curriculum, you can find games to add to your at home learning and create a fun game school (and even use them for family game nights!).
Also, if you’re struggling with home school, try adding game learning. It will change the entire atmosphere of your homeschool and a fantastic way to change the mood of your homeschool for the day. (Which is a favorite part for us!)
What is a Gameschooler?
A gameschooler is a student who uses games as a way to learn. It mostly applies to homeschoolers, who use games to learn a specific subject or topic they’re learning or to focus on specific skills. It’s a fun way to learn simply by playing games! (And there are so many different ways to learn with games!) Game schoolers are all ages — from young kids (use easy games) to older kids / high school homeschoolers (and even parents, including this homeschool mom!). The use of games is a valid way to learn, from homeschool families to even classroom use in public school!
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What are some fun educational games?
Here are 12 fun educational games for game school or family game night that are also so much fun:
- Continent Race
- Kanoodle
- Brain Freeze
- Silly Sentences
- The World Geography Card Game
- Guess In 10 States Of America
- Osmo games
- Cat Crimes game
- Boggle
- Mathable Deluxe
- Payday
- Wordplay for Kids
ALSO CHECK OUT:
Math Games That Are Cool For Kids To Play And Learn Mathematics! (Maths Gameschool)
What is the importance of games in education?
Game-based learning (GBL), or using games in school, helps inspire learners to develop a lifelong love of learning. The benefits of gameschooling not only helps students learn the subject or topic (like math skills, parts of speech, money skills, reading, science, spelling, or any academic subject) in a fun way that encourages lifelong learning.
Also, game school helps kids practice communication skills, teamwork, social skills / social interactions, critical thinking skills, get extra practice for tough topics and more (which are also super important skill sets that can be practiced with cooperative games)! Game play is also a safe space for kids to practice new skills and new concepts because playing takes the pressure off and makes it fun.
MORE GAME SCHOOL RESOURCES AND GAMER LEARNING FUN:
Games In Learning: How to Use Game Based Learning Effectively
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One Of The Best Learning Games We’ve Ever Used!
Free Typing Games to Learn Typing At Home
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO GAMES: Best Board Games Recommended By Parents
Interactive Writing Games (perfect for Homeschool Language Arts Program)
Get a Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Celebrate Mario Day
How To Use Dominoes For Learning
Best Gamer Gifts For Kids (When You’re On A Budget!)
How To Free Game School (or Find Cheap Games!)
Trying to build your library of games can get costly. (Some board games can cost $50 and up!) So, adding schooling games for learning can easily stretch a budget. That’s why you’ll want to get creative when building your own home school academy games for game play in school and adding gameschool to your homeschool routine.
Good news, though! There are plenty of places to find inexpensive games for game schooling!
Where to find free games and cheap games for game school:
- Search app stores like Apple (iOS) learning apps and learning apps for Kindle / Kindle Fire apps for kids (even Kindle games for toddlers!)
- Check educational websites like museums, Smithsonian, and NatGeo that often have a kids area with learning games online
- Shop secondhand and thrift store games for cheap board games and card games (there are always lots of games at Goodwill!)
- Keep your eye on library sales, which often includes educational games and puzzles
- Make your own games out of items you find around the house
- Shop garage sales and yard sales for deals on games (One of the best ways to get cheaper board games! We’ve found new games still sealed and never played this way!)
- Let your friends know you’re looking for new board games when they’re decluttering
- Search for school game websites because many will offer free or limited time free games
- Buy basic items, like dice and a deck of cards, and use it for multiple different games or to make your own favorite games (kids love to be game creators!)
- Search online for a free board game printable or printable game cards (see our gameschooling pack below that includes free board game printables!)
Looking for a free board games printable and want to learn more about using game school in your home school or classroom?
Check out our HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE GAMES IN LEARNING pack that includes TWO FREE printable board games to make up your own games!
CLICK HERE TO GRAB THE LEARNING PRINTABLE
What games do you play in school?
With gameschooling, you play anything that helps with learning which, honestly, is most any / all board games, card games, video games, or online games! It’s a great way to make learning fun… and what is more fun than being game schooled and becoming lifelong learners because of it?! It’s one of the best part of this unique way of learning. Great things will come out of it because you can also play with family members for fun family time activities.
1 Player Games for Learning
If you parent / homeschool a single child, you know that playing games quickly gets exhausting because your child is looking to you to entertain them at all times. So, it’s important to find some one player games that best fit your child.
Some of the best 1-player games are found online, where your kid can control their learning and still have fun with games even when you’re not involved. There are tabletop one player games for learning. (Try the Dinosaur Sudoku Puzzle Game).
Some of the best games for one player we’ve found are those through the Osmo system. There are a wide variety of learning games like maths / STEM, geography, coding, music, spelling, and more!
READ WHY I CALLED OSMO ONE OF THE BEST LEARNING TOOLS WE’VE EVER HAD!
Gameschooling Preschool
You don’t need a printable game board or expensive boxed games to gameschool preschool.
This age is all about getting up and moving and working on things like fine motor skills and gross motor skills.
You can also search online apps and Kindle for kids app. There are fun options for this age range for apps and free online games.
Try these preschool games:
Gameschooling Kindergarten
If you’re looking for a free curriculum for kindergarten, game school is definitely the way to go because your kids can learn so much from games (and items) you probably already have at home.
For example, the dice games Tenzi helps kids practice numbers and counting (and it’s a fun family game for all ages!). (Or, you can even create your own Tenzi math game!)
A game board printable works well for this age because they can do a lot of creative and imaginary play.
There are also good online apps and Kindle apps for kindergartners, so don’t forget about those.
Try these kindergarten games:
- Feed My Pets
- Pete The Cat Cool Cat Math Game
- Outfoxed Cooperative Board Game
- Monkey Balance Math
- Little Treasures Matching Letter Game
Gameschooling Middle School and Elementary Schoolers
If you’re looking for best homeschool math curriculum for struggling students (or other subjects your kids are struggling with), definitely add math games like Prime Climb and Clumsy Thief .
Also try games like the Ticket To Ride Game and Explore the World game for geography games and The Night Zoo Keeper online for grammar and writing.
If you want a board game about history try The Oregon Trail board game to pair up with your US history curriculum and courses.
To work on language arts, try Rory’s Story Cubes.
Want to add critical thinking and strategy? Try the award-winning strategy game Story Time Chess.
Gameschooling High School
High school games need to be more challenging and engaging.
For high school game ideas, try games like:
- Merge Cube
- Catan
- Cranium Brain
- Wit’s End
- Science Games like Cytology (perfect way to learn difficult biology / science topics!)
Almost any game can be used for homeschool board games learning!
For this age range, using online game school is a great idea because your high school students probably already play games online, so add those to your game homeschooling.
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CLICK TO GET THE GUIDE TO PARENTING GAMERS
