Blog — Games for Young Minds

#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

Sushi Go!

A couple of months ago, I shared my Holiday Gift Guide for 2019. The guide included some mainstays from the Haines household in 2019, as well as a couple of games we had barely played but seemed promising.

Well, it turns out I was definitely right in one case. My son has become totally obsessed with one card game in particular:

It's called Sushi Go!

Board GamesKent HainesFebruary 6, 2020Comment

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

Battle Sheep

A few weeks ago I got a recommendation for a game from a Twitter buddy of mine named Paul. So I googled around for a bit...

Spatial reasoning? Check

Multiple strategies that can lead to victory? Check

Easy enough to teach my almost-5-year-old daughter? Check

A game board made from interlocking hexagons that change every time you play? Check.

This game and I were meant to be. It's called Battle Sheep.

Board GamesKent HainesJanuary 23, 2020Comment

Skyscrapers

This week's game is a combination of two of my favorite elements of a game.

First of all, you play with physical, tactile objects that you must analyze with 3-d spatial reasoning.

And secondly, the game is totally free!

The game is called Skyscrapers.

Puzzles, Free GamesKent HainesJanuary 9, 2020 Comment

Brain Cheeser

This week's game is a recommendation from one of my colleagues at UAB. He's a real-deal mathematician, so when he sent me the link and told me that "some of the puzzles are quite challenging" I got a little scared.

But as it turns out, this puzzle game is extremely approachable! My almost-5-year-old daughter can solve some of the first puzzles, while my son is stuck at around the midpoint of the puzzles. Personally, I'm about 3/4 of the way through, and man... my coworker wasn't kidding.

So no matter how old your kids are, they'll definitely find puzzles in this game that are right in the sweet spot of challenging, but not impossible, to solve. And the game is magnetic, which makes it a perfect diversion for any holiday-related car or plane rides.

The game is called Brain Cheeser.

Puzzles, Board GamesKent HainesDecember 19, 2019Comment

Sim

I was chatting recently with Molly Rawding (who previously suggested a great way to play Garbage with Tiny Polka Dot cards).

Molly mentioned offhand a game that sounded perfect for parents: quick to play, easy to learn, hard to master. And best of all - it's totally free!

All you need is paper and two colors of pen, pencil, or marker.

The game is called Sim.

Free GamesKent HainesDecember 12, 2019Comment

Labyrinth

Did you know that my local library has a board game collection where they let you check out board games for free?

NEITHER DID I!

How is that possible? Well, it turns out the Hoover Library is just about the coolest place ever. I asked the woman who runs the board game collection, and apparently there are only a couple of libraries in the entire state of Alabama that loan games. I'm just lucky enough to live 15 minutes away from one.

I took my son there a few weeks ago, and I noticed a game that I hadn't seen since I was his age. We immediately grabbed it and had a fantastic time playing.

The game is called Labyrinth.

Board GamesKent HainesDecember 5, 2019Comment

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