There are a lot of resources available on running a homeschool classroom well. You have organizers, schedules, lesson plans and a whole bunch of other stuff that tells you what all you need to do, how you need to do it and how much time you should do it in.
Now breathe a deep breath and ask yourself, do you really want to keep hopping from one educational activity to the other all day long with your homeschool students? If you answered no, read on. Games are just as important in the homeschool classroom as the actual grade wise syllabus that you are trying to get through.
Building Stronger Bonds
Playing games allows you to build a better relationship with your homeschool students. No one will remember how you made them memorize the twelve times multiplication table fondly. However they will remember the time you made them play “Simon Says” and got them to do small tasks. Yes, since you are in the homeschool classroom the tasks can be educational. That way you won’t feel like you are completely wasting time.
Connect With Your Children
As you have the homeschool students compete in a game involving a multitude of school related skills like writing, reading and math, you will connect with them better. You will be able to get direct feedback about which child shows promise on certain subjects, but may need help with others. Make sure you have a physical trophy or reward for the homeschool student who wins the competition. Do ensure that the questions are appropriate for all grade levels playing the game.
Make Fun Memories
Keep a rolling trophy for the weekly event. That way the homeschool students come to expect all the fun and games that they associate with the competition each week. You can take pictures as they perform specific tasks. Have a page on the notice board tallying the number of overall wins the children have in a month. Treat the champ of the month to something he loves. It will get the others that much more determined to win the next time.
