This Holidays

Writen by Sadie A Peterson

A well-chosen game can be a learning experience ... for an adult as well as a child. After all, don't you learn something every time you play a game like Trivial Pursuit? That may not be your intention when playing the game, but it's a by-product nonetheless.

And so a well-chosen child's game can also cause children to learn. But tell them they're going to learn something, and they'll likely rebel. After all, that's human nature ... I want to play, not learn!

For each of the past few years, I have given my mom one or more games for a Christmas gift. The games were not really for her -- they were for the grandkids. Since they spend a lot of time at her house, they might as well have some fun games to play also. And if a game can be educational, so be it.

Math is such an easy subject to "teach" in a game ... whether it's learning to make change as the banker in Monopoly, or whether it is just adding up or coordinating the dots on dice or dominoes, it's amazing how much math you can learn in a game. Games that encourage spelling or word creation are also great learning experiences.

Simply get a game, play it with the children, and see how excited they can get about learning. Last year's favorite in our family was Pass the Pigs. Other hits for young school-age kids have been Bunco, Syzygy, and Countdown.

Why not see what fun educational games you can find to give as Christmas gifts this year. Of course, educational games don't only have to be for the kids.