Blog — Games for Young Minds

The Fold-and-Cut Challenge

When parents think about math, they tend to focus on numbers and operations. But there are so many other important aspects of mathematical thinking that need your attention as well. Geometric reasoning, spatial visualization, pattern recognition, sorting by attributes.

Fortunately, many of these domains of math are extremely fun to play with! Take today's game for example: The Fold-and-Cut Challenge!

This is actually a pair of games, one for young kids and one for upper-elementary and older. In either case, your kids will do some fantastic spatial reasoning.

Free Games, Other ActivitiesKent HainesApril 1, 2020Comment

6 Free Addition and Subtraction Games!

Ok, so first the bad news:

Child care here at the Haines household is going to get more complicated for the next week or two. Meanwhile, online teaching at my university is really in full swing. So I don't know that I'll be able to get a newsletter out as often this week.

So I better make this a good one! Below you'll find a bunch of really fun addition and subtraction games for different age bands. I broke them into grade levels, but those designations are somewhat arbitrary. So if the game sounds fun, try it with your kids!

Puzzles, Free GamesKent HainesMarch 31, 2020 Comment

Math for Love Lessons

In just a minute I'm going to share an amazing set of lessons from Math for Love. But first, a bit of a rant.

This has been a weird and, for many of us, terrible week or two. Please don't focus on all the ways in which you are "falling short" in helping your kids with homeschooling. There are things that schools can do that you simply don't have the time, experience, and supplies to achieve.

BUT ALSO

There is so much you can do at home that a school simply cannot do. You can give your kids tons of individual attention. You can turn lectures into conversations. You can follow their interests and take a wild left turn into anything they want to learn about!

And most importantly, you can have fun spending time with your kids. In fact, that's the most important thing any of us can be doing right now. We might be cooped up with our kids for a long time, and it's going to be easier if those kids still like seeing us in the morning. Even if that means that the (hastily assembled) packet of worksheets from your kids' school doesn't get finished on time.

Ok, rant over. If you remain unconvinced, I have good news - I'm about to share a bunch of lessons that you can try out with your kids.

But I reserve the right to rant again next week...

Other Activities, Free Games, PuzzlesKent HainesMarch 27, 2020Comment

Tiny Polka Dot - Games for Every Grade Level!

Ok, so you've bought or made your Tiny Polka Dot cards from yesterday's newsletter, and you're ready to play a game. Let's do it!

Below you will find a game recommendation for every grade level. But don't feel constrained by my recommendation - try out any game that sounds fun! And you can find a ton of other ideas at the Tiny Polka Dot site.

Free Games, Board GamesKent HainesMarch 25, 2020Comment

Tiny Polka Dot - Make Your Own Cards!

As I mentioned yesterday, this week is Math for Love week here at Games for Young Minds

Yesterday, I shared Prime Climb, one of my favorite board games for older elementary kids (and teenagers and adults, too!). Today, I'm going to share a different game that is ideally suited for early childhood and young elementary kid:

Tiny Polka Dot.

Free Games, Board Games, Other ActivitiesKent HainesMarch 24, 2020Comment

How Many?

Alright, y'all. One more day and then it's the weekend.

Yes, the weekend will technically be pretty similar. No playdates, no visits, but at least you won't be "working from home" right? No, you'll just be trying to get through all the work email that piled up while you were dealing with the real emergencies.

Ok, so your weekend won't be that different. Mine neither. But we'll get through it together.

Perhaps with a game!

Books, Free Games, Other ActivitiesKent HainesMarch 20, 2020Comment

#MathArtChallenge

Ok, it's Thursday, and by now you're probably realizing: Homeschool will not, and cannot, feel exactly like school-school.

And that's ok! Seriously. If your child is doing some reading, writing, and engaging with meaningful mathematical ideas, you're doing a great job. Most homeschool parents spend months preparing for the new school year. You got 48 hours.

So today's recommendation won't be "academic" but it will be extremely mathematical. It's from one of my favorite people on Math Twitter, Annie Perkins.

Annie is a teacher and mathematical artist in Minnesota, and she has taken up a new project while we are under quarantine: #MathArtChallenge

Other Activities, Free GamesKent HainesMarch 18, 2020Comment

Three Fantastic Multiplication Games

I've heard from a bunch of you, and one consistent theme is that parents want games that help kids practice multiplying, addition/subtraction, and fractions.

Message received! I'm working on the other two categories, but I'm ready to go with three fantastic recommendations for multiplication games.

One thing to note: I firmly believe that a game is most fun when it doesn't feel like math class. I don't want to play a game that feels like a worksheet, and neither do your kids. So if I recommend a game, it's because I firmly believe is a great activity that just happens to use math as a gateway to the fun. And these three recommendations, particularly the last one, totally fit that bill.

Board Games, Free Games, Digital GamesKent HainesMarch 17, 2020Comment

The Three Best Math Questions to Ask Your Kids

For many of you, today is Day 2 of the Coronavirus Homeschool Experiment. And my guess is that it's starting to get real.

You scoured the internet for great ideas all weekend, and then somehow you used them all on Monday and now it's Tuesday morning and your kids are finishing breakfast and the reality is sinking in...how the $*^&# do teachers do this every day?

Well, I have good news! You don't have to have a lesson plan in order to help your kids think about math. In fact, there are a few easy questions that you can use to guide your kids' conversations into fertile mathematical territory in almost any situation.

Free Games, Other ActivitiesKent HainesMarch 17, 2020Comment

DreamBox Learning

Time for some fun math ideas for your quarantined children!

I'm going to aim for three newsletters a week, varying ideas so that you'll find interesting activities and games for your preschooler, 2nd grader, or 5th grader. I'm already collecting all sorts of art projects, card games, and other activities to use.

But let's get real: If we are going to get through these weeks, we are going to need some screen time. So wouldn't it be nice to have a math app that was actually great? One that could be played on a computer or an iPad while you make lunch?

Well, I've got a great recommendation: DreamBox Learning. In fact, the only reason I hadn't recommended it in the past is the hefty monthly subscription fee. But DreamBox has announced that they are creating a free 90-day trial for their program, which should take your kids all the way through the spring and into June. They're doing the right thing to help out families like ours.

But even better: The game is really good at helping kids learn math!

Free Games, Digital GamesKent HainesMarch 14, 2020 Comment

Shikaku

There is a whole category of grid-based puzzle games that folks love. Sudoku is the most popular of course, but there are all sorts of other games that play around with the form in interesting ways.

There is one variation I've found that combines the fun and challenge of solving a sudoku with other vital mathematical ideas that kid should interact with often. If I could wave a wand, I'd replace every Sudoku book in every airport with a book of these puzzles.

They're called Shikaku.

Free GamesKent HainesFebruary 27, 2020 Comments

Seven Up - A Great, Free Card Game!

This week's free game comes courtesy of Marilyn Burns.

If you don't know Marilyn, she is a legend in math teaching circles, and a decades-long advocate of games in math class. She wrote an article a while back about some of her favorite math games.

I picked Seven Up from that article because it's extremely easy to learn and fun to play, and it also helps kids practice a vitally important math skill. Let's check it out!

Free GamesKent HainesJanuary 31, 2020Comment

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