Play Games, Keep School Knowledge Intact

BACK TO BASICS | by KAVITA VARMA-WHITE

WORRIED ABOUT SUMMER BRAIN DRAIN (the age-old idea that if your kids don’t keep their minds active, they’ll forget what they learned in the previous school year)?

There’s an easy (and fun) way to avoid it: Play games with your kids! Here’s how to make it happen:

Make sure your game closet is updated with both classic games and newer ones. This is a great job for the kids: Assign each a couple of game boxes and task them with making sure it has all the pieces and is neatly organized. (There is nothing more annoying than opening Monopoly and seeing the money all mixed up!)

Establish one night of the week as family game night. Games are more fun to play with more people. Invite your neighbors or the grandparents to join in the fun.

Choose games that are fun and challenging for all ages. Depending on the ages of your kids, games will have different challenges, but you can make adjustments so it works for everyone.

Here are some of the games our family likes to play and the educational benefit they provide:

• Scrabble: Obviously this is great for spelling and vocabulary skills. If you are playing with younger kids, make a rule that everyone can use only three-letter words. (Have an iPhone? Download Scrabble for word fun wherever you are.) A great variation of Scrabble is the hugely-popular Bananagrams.
• Yahtzee: Everyone loves to roll the dice, and what better way to keep those math skills alive?
• Monopoly: Make sure everyone gets a turn at being banker, and everyone reads his or her own cards. Math and reading, check!
• Apples to Apples: This is our new family fave, and it’s a great way to work on vocabulary.