April 5, 2015

Finally Spring!

It's finally starting to feel like Spring in DC!  It's been a long winter, which has meant a lot of indoor recess.  Indoor recess is rarely ideal (kiddos need to get out of the classroom and run), but when it's freezing or raining, indoor recess is the perfect opportunity to break out some of my favorite games.



Set: This game has been a favorite in my family for years.  The object of the game is to find 3 cards that make a "set," which either means they have something that is in common across all of them or have nothing in common across all of them.  It's challenging, but so fun!



Scrabble: This game can tough for first graders who don't have very large vocabularies, but it's actually great for practicing sight words and phonics. We allow "invented spelling" so the kids can build words with the sounds they know.  An added bonus is that keeping-score is perfect for practicing multiple-addend addition (i.e. 5 + 6 + 3 + 4)


Checkers: A classic.  Most of the kiddos know how to play this game since it's so easy to learn.  They can set it up and manage it all by themselves which is helpful for me.  We have lots of extra pieces because inevitably a few get swept up or slide under a shelf every time we take it out.


Chess: My little brother could beat me at this game when he was 4 (and I was 20), but I still enjoy it. I typically have a few kiddos who already know how to play, and I put them in charge of teaching the others.  I'm always impressed by how they can remember all of the rules for each piece.  I'm not sure the kiddos ever get through a whole game after all of the explaining, but they still seem to have fun.  


* I didn't receive any compensation for these endorsements.  These are genuinely my favorite games and the best way to keep everyone sane during the endless weeks of indoor recess. -- Sarah :)

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