Homeschool Supplement: Games!

One question that often comes up during our weekly Q&A sessions with Mr. Sims is: what kinds of games can help teach concepts like math, reading, and more?

Here is a list that you may find helpful*:
_{*We are not affiliated with any of the vendors linked below.}

iMatch Memory Game 

$5 / Five Below

If your student already enjoys repeating patterns, this Simon dupe is a great game to try. It can even be used as a sensory break between work sessions. You know your student best, so if this is something that may cause frustration—skip it!

Protect The Penguin 

$5 / Five Below

A “Don’t Break The Ice” dupe, this game presents a great way to learn about taking turns. You can use your student’s AAC device to model phrases like “My turn” and “Your turn.” My student  enjoys the cause-and-effect fun of hammering the ice to make the penguin fall—so go with that if the concept of “protecting” the penguin is too advanced for now.

Reel Them In Fishing Game 

$5 / Five Below

Yet another affordable dupe! Battery operated, the pond will move around so it increases the difficulty of “catching” a fish. If the motion is too much for your student (mine immediately asks for it to be turned off), go ahead and pause it—there's still plenty of fun to be had. This is a great game for working on labeling colors, counting, and even basic math like addition and subtraction. Plus, it helps develop fine motor and dexterity skills as they navigate the fishing rod into those little open mouths!

Giant Dice 

$5 / Five Below

When I saw these at the store I immediately bought two of them. Right now I’m using it during my daughter’s “Sensory Time”, essentially things we do prior to leaving the house. We have an assortment of activities she goes through—heavy lifting, jumping on her trampoline, balance beams, and light weights. One of them includes the dice: she rolls it to see what kind of movement to do next. We use dice quite a bit in Nonverbal Autism Homeschool; it's one of Mr. Sims' favorite math manipulative tools. The program also uses dice to play a counting game and word family games in reading. I have also used them with my student to make vocabulary choices, prompt other forms of movement, choose the next activity to do, etc. Large dice are not only fun and novel, their size makes them easier to use for students with motor challenges.

Twister

$14-$20 / Amazon

 This classic game offers a great opportunity for so many things. 

🟢Spin the wheel and have your student run to tap the matching color. 
🟡Use toys or stuffed animals to mark and identify each color. 
🔵Teaching Left and Right hands and feet.
🔴Learning about taking direction, waiting, and more.

Looking for a younger-themed “Twister”? Try this game listed on Amazon that offers a sea-creature theme as well: Summer Ocean Pose Game, $10-$13, Amazon (It goes well with our ocean-themed summer school program!)

The Fidget Game: Word Pop 

$30 / Amazon 

This game uses a popular popper fidget with letters on each bubble to teach CVC words. This brand has multiple variations of word+fidget combinations if your student has moved on from CVC words.

Who says learning can’t feel like playtime? Swapping out worksheets for board games is a fun way to sneak in some serious learning while keeping the day fresh and exciting. With a little laughter and a lot of learning, these games might just become your new favorite homeschool tools!

Jennifer Bullock, Contributing Author

Homeschooling-experienced mom to a tween, non-speaking daughter, Jennifer is also Marketing Outreach Coordinator for The Autism Oasis. With 20+ years experience in marketing, advertising, and social media communications, you will see her occasionally supporting the blog and social media channels with various content related to Autism Oasis.