Do you want to incorporate more games into your homeschool but have a hard time finding games that interest your children? Homemade games are the perfect solution! In this post you’ll learn how to make homemade games and why homemade games are the perfect learning tool for your homeschool!
My son is a hands-on learner and loves playing games, but he is also incredibly perceptive and can smell an educational game coming from a mile away! Combine that with his performance anxiety and he often shuts down at the suggestion of playing a learning game. I’ve successfully got around this obstacle by making our own games!
Why homemade games are perfect for your homeschool!
Homemade games are perfect for your homeschool because you can tailor it to your children’s interests and abilities.
Have a child obsessed with monster trucks? Make a simple yet fun Monster Truck Race Math Game for them! Is another child interested in My Little Ponies? Learn how to make a simple grid math game using stickers! With a little creativity, time and basic craft supplies you can make a game for just about any interest that teaches any subject!
Check out our landing page of homemade games for ideas!
Homemade games are also incredible affordable.
All that you need are some basic craft supplies and game pieces or small toys that can be used as game pieces. My favorite objects to use for homemade games are those little toys that come with kids’ meals! They are always collecting in a pile somewhere, so why not put them to good use? Below is a list of items you’ll need to get started making homemade games! This post contains affiliate links.
Supplies Needed to Make Homemade Games
- poster board
- brown craft paper
- printer paper
- construction paper
- markers
- crayons
- stickers
- small toys or math manipulatives
- number dice
- math operations dice
How to Make Homemade Games
There are many different types of homemade games that can be added to your homeschool. We’ve had so much fun learning with homemade board games, sensory bin games and gross motor games! Below you will learn the basics for how to make each type of homemade game.
Grid Board Games
I first learned about making simple math games for preschoolers from the book More than Counting by Sally Moomaw. In this book she describes two simple math games and how they can be used for teaching preschoolers and kindergarteners early math skills. One game she describes is called a grid game. This is a simple game that uses a grid, some math manipulatives and a simple 3 dot die to teach preschoolers counting and one-to-one correspondence. This is the perfect simple game for young preschoolers to play!
Path Board Games
The other type of game Moomaw describes in her book is called a path game. It can be made very simply with two straight paths were players race to the finish line. Candy Land is another version of a path game but with one winding path instead of two straight paths. Both of these types of games can be made to fit any theme or interest. I’ve made several for my son which can be seen on our landing page of homemade game ideas!
Sensory Bin Games
Another type of game we like to make and play are sensory bin games! For these types of games I put together a simple sensory bin and then add game pieces such as dice and have my son roll the dice and dig through the sensory bin to find that number of objects. This is great for learning to count as well as for tactile sensory input. And again these can be tailored to your child’s interests or learning theme.
Gross Motor Games
Gross motor or movement games are great for wiggly kids who need to get up and move in order to really learn! These types of games are great for learning outside as well! We have incorporated sorting colors and also learning letter recognition with gross motor games! We always have so much fun playing gross motor games!
If you are interested in learning more about how to use games in your homeschool check out the Gameschool Resources page by my friend Cait of My Little Poppies!
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