Hobbies And Interests
Mental Alertness Game
One of the most important skills for a child to retain as they grow up is the ability to keep their minds focused and sharp when need be. The game Simon Says is a great tool for practising mental alertness and to listen actively and focus intensely. In the game, the person designated as "Simon" instructs other participants to do something by saying "Simon says..." She may intersperse her orders without the prefix of "Simon says," and any participant who follows her orders anyway will be eliminated from the game.
Communication Game
The necessity of working with others will be a reality in your child's life from the time she enters school. Games that teach kids to work together are amongst the best games for kids because they demonstrate first-hand that when individuals are required to do something together, each person must pull his own weight or the project will not be realized. A classic game that involves working together is the three-legged race, which is great because it is a game that can be played in virtually any setting. Once tied together, the kids must work as one three-legged person to reach their destination before others by communicating with each other. If they are not able to, the end result will not be favorable.
Spelling Skill Game
Games that involve spelling skills are particularly good for children in their primary years of school, who are just beginning to learn the ins and outs of spelling and grammar rules. The game Hangman is one of the best games a child can play, be it with peers, a parent or sibling, and can be performed nearly anywhere. During the game, a number of blank lines are draw that represent letters of a word. The other person must say one letter at a time to try to guess what the other person has spelled If a wrong letter is guessed, the stick figure hanged man is drawn from a sketched gallows, usually one body part at a time. The guessing child wins if she gets the word correct before the hanged man has been completed. This game teaches children about spelling and the alphabet at the same time as learning about penalties.
Math Skill Game
Math is one academic subject that few children passionately enjoy, so playing games that teach math skills is a great way for children to get excited about numbers. A simple game which you can make at home is basically a math version of the game "Memory." Decide which math skill you'd like to work on (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, etc.) and then choose a number. Lay out cards upside down that you have written numbers onto. Have kids take turns turning over the numbers, trying to find two that equal the number you have chosen as the answer to the equation. This is one of the best games for children as it incorporates not only math skills but memorization skills as well since children have to remember which card holds which number once it is turned upside down again after each child's turn.