Gameschooling in Your Homeschool

In this episode I share my great experience at Gameschoolcon and how you can use gameschooling in your homeschool. So what is gameschooling? I don’t think there is any hard and fast definition other than learning thru games. and this is learning thru a variety of games from board games to video games to sports and active games. Some people use games a lot in their educational model and others use it as a supplement or reinforcement. Whatever works for you and your children is great. The wonderful thing about games is that it can appeal to many different learning styles or needs. A visual learner can be attracted to the colors and pictures and layout of a game and enjoy the pathways that need to be followed. Obviously a video game is very visual and can engage a child in ways a book cant. An auditory learner can learn thru the spoken language of the game and instructions and conversation between players. The sound effects in a video game may hold their attention and help them connect with the information being gained. A kinesthetic or hands on learner can obviously learn better by simply moving the game pieces thru the game and handling cards or rolling dice. They obviously use hand eye coordination with video games and lots of physical energy with things like tag, nerf battles, or even hopscotch (which can be used with lots of learning games) A social learner can obviously enjoy the interaction and connection between the players and learn better simply by being in their element of social interaction with meaning. I share more examples of games in different subjects and listed below are resources I mentioned to learn more. Meg Groom's Gameschooling website Meg Groom's Facebook page Gameschooling (Homeschooling with Games) My Little Poppies Facebook page Gameschool Community Board Game Geek web site Don't forget to use YouTube for tutorials on how to play games and game reviews. Pinterest and Teachers pay Teachers are other sources for printable games (free or cheap) Finally, remember that games are a great way to CONNECT with each other. With board games you're actually making eye contact, talking with each other, and giving each other your attention which can be harder to come by in this digital age. You also have to remember that your kids aren’t just learning specific facts or information from the game, they are also learning from you thru the language and terminology that is used. For math games you use math language and talk about math in a real world way, you make this topic specific language REAL and meaningful, not just abstract in a textbook. Find me on Facebook where I post articles, live videos, and relevant resources My website is www.learningoutsidethelines.com Check me out on Instagram @Lattebooks2read where I post books and resources for learning. Please feel free to send me comments, suggestions for episodes, or questions to [email protected]