Games & Puzzles: Mom’s Secret Weapon for Learning

If you have been following me for long, you know I love games!
Our family has been playing games since the youngest was four years old.
Family game night is a regular occurrence at the Peterson household, even now that the my boys are adults.
And no holiday is complete without the cards or game board coming out!

However, did you know that games can be a valuable tool for teaching?
Children are naturally drawn to games and curious about them.
This engaging approach to education can be a powerful secret weapon for parents seeking to foster their child’s academic success and lifelong love of learning.

Want tips on adding games and puzzles to family life?
See my other articles.
This post explores using them specifically for education.

Let’s start with the different types of games.
There are two main types of game play.
For those of you who cringe at the thought of family games because people get angry or their feelings get hurt, pay close attention to collaborative games.

Collaborative vs Competitive Games

Collaborative games: these require all of the players to work tougher to beat the game.
No one individual loses or wins.

The benefits of collaborative games are:

• Enhancing communication skills: Collaborative activities require children to express their ideas clearly and listen actively to peers. These interactions promote effective verbal and non-verbal communication
• Improving listening skills: Participation in group games involves attentive listening to understand roles, strategies, and feedback.
• Learning new strategies: Through games, children encounter diverse perspectives and strategies, which expand their problem-solving toolkit.
• Boost critical thinking skills: Many collaborative games involve problem-solving and decision-making, fostering critical thinking as children evaluate situations, predict outcomes, and choose the best course of action
• Increase motivation: Working in teams often creates a sense of shared purpose and enthusiasm, encouraging children to stay engaged and put forth their best effort
• Learn better compromising skills: Games teach children the importance of negotiation and finding middle ground to achieve group goals. This enhances their ability to resolve conflicts constructively

Competitive games:
When most people think of playing games, they immediately think of games that are competitive.
In these games there is a winner and a loser.
If you have a younger child or a less skilled strategist, they will almost always lose, causing frustration.
While there are benefits to competitive games, you may find that if you are looking for family games, you may enjoy an “us” approach more.

The benefits of competitive games are: 

• Improved Social Skills and Teamwork: Participation in competitive sports fosters teamwork, problem-solving, and collaboration.
• Boosted Self-Esteem and Confidence: Winning boosts self-esteem, while losing teaches the importance of perseverance and growth.
• Development of Growth Mindset and Mental Toughness: Competitive settings encourage children to adopt a growth mindset, where they see challenges as opportunities to improve.
• Enhanced Cognitive and Physical Skills: Competitive games improve cognitive functions like critical thinking, strategic planning, and decision-making.
• Intrinsic Motivation and Positive Peer Comparisons: Competitions emphasize effort and achievement, fostering intrinsic motivation

How Can I Incorporate Games Into My Curriculum?

I wanted to establish that games, all by themselves, are very worthwhile.
If you scour the internet on games and homeschooling, you will almost always get articles about incorporating gameplay in your school time.
Almost no one talks about actually using games to reinforce your curriculum.
Let’s encourage learning through games and puzzles that matches our topics.
That is a whole other level!

Children like games.
When they are presented with schoolwork, in a game format, they are much more engaged.
They want to know: how to play? How to win? What is the goal?

Very rarely do they get this excited or curious about a worksheet or unit review!
I came up with six ways you can use games or puzzles in your school room.
I also have examples that I came up with on how these would look.
I then plugged them into ChatGPT to ask for an expansion on these ideas.
Some of these are my ideas, and some are from ChatGPT, but they should get your creativity flowing!

1. Games and puzzles can serve as engaging tools to reinforce knowledge and ensure retention.

Examples:

• Create a trivia game with questions from a history or science unit.
• Use crossword puzzles to review vocabulary or key terms.
• Build a board game where players answer math problems to advance.

Benefits: Encourages recall in a fun way and helps identify areas where more review might be needed.

2. Use them to culminate a unit.

End a unit with a hands-on, collaborative activity that synthesizes what students have learned.

Examples:

• Design an escape room activity where solving puzzles requires knowledge from the unit (e.g., solving equations to unlock a “safe” or answering questions about historical events).
• Create a themed jigsaw puzzle related to the topic, such as a map or diagram.
• Build a timeline puzzle where pieces must be placed in chronological order.
• Reading comprehension: create a story hunt at the end of the book- this could also be a reward, my kids would love this!
• Any subject: create a game of “memory” with cause on one card and effect on the other

Benefits: Reinforces learning while providing a sense of accomplishment and closure to the unit.

3. They can introduce a new theme or unit.

Games and puzzles can spark curiosity and set the stage for new learning.

Examples:

• Use a mystery-solving game to introduce a detective-themed literature unit.
• Present a puzzle with clues related to a new topic, such as assembling a world map before starting a geography unit.
• Play a word search or unscramble letters to reveal the name of the next unit.
• Geography: have each room in your home be a different country, state, whatever you are teaching. Before leaving one room, the child “pulls a fact” and learns something about the place they are in.
• Science: have a problem solving workshop where a new science method or idea is introduced.

Benefits: Creates excitement and primes students for the upcoming lessons by activating prior knowledge and introducing key concepts.

4.  Use games to test knowledge in your homeschool room.

Games and puzzles can provide an interactive and enjoyable way to assess what students have learned, blending evaluation with engagement.

Examples:

• Play a Jeopardy-style quiz game using questions from recent lessons to evaluate understanding in a fun, competitive format.
• Design a scavenger hunt where each clue requires answering a question related to the material studied, such as solving math problems or identifying facts from a history unit.
• Use flashcard games like memory match, where students pair questions with correct answers, or quiz cards where they earn points for correct responses.
• Create a board game or card game with tasks or questions integrated into the gameplay to assess knowledge in specific subjects.

Benefits:

Makes assessments feel less intimidating, encouraging honest responses.

Provides instant feedback in a non-threatening way.

Helps identify gaps in understanding while fostering collaboration and critical thinking.

Keeps students motivated and engaged, making the learning process enjoyable.

5. Games and puzzles are a great reward once work is completed.

Incorporating games or puzzles as rewards can motivate students while still promoting learning.

Examples:

• Offer a favorite logic game like Sudoku or a math-based card game after completing assignments.
• Use a collaborative game such as charades or Pictionary tied to the day’s theme.
• Provide access to online educational games or apps as an incentive.

Benefits: Encourages productivity while ensuring downtime is still educational.

6. Even if you don’t incorporate into a unit, they are a way to build critical thinking/logic skills.

Games and puzzles are excellent tools for developing higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Examples:

• Use strategy games like chess, checkers, or cooperative board games.
• Solve riddles, logic puzzles, or brainteasers to promote analytical thinking.
• Encourage students to design their own puzzles or games based on their current studies.

Benefits: Strengthens reasoning, planning, and collaboration skills while making learning enjoyable.

Playing games and puzzles is a fun way to help kids learn!
It’s a great chance for parents to make learning exciting and effective for their children.
This approach lets kids reach their full potential and develop a love for learning that goes beyond school.

“It’s not about winning. It’s about having fun!”
– Wreck-It Ralph