Fill in the blank:
Families Who Play Together, _____________
a. Stay Together
b. Learn Math
c. Both!
If you answered "C", you're right! Heidi's post a couple of weeks ago about Lazy Parenting really hit a cord with me and brought to mind a conversation I had with my son's kindergarten teacher a few years back. In discussing my sons success with basic math principles in comparison to another boy I was tutoring, she said, "I can always tell which kids play games at home with their families."
I was surprised and urged her for more information. She then continued to teach me that just by playing simple games, such as Candyland, Sorry, Chutes and Ladders, and on to harder games such as Uno, Phase 10, Dice Games, etc., kids innately and almost automatically learn skills that greatly accelerate their mathematical learning. Kids who don't seem to struggle with the basics (counting, colors, matching, etc.) and never seem to get the same foundation that game playing kids do. She continued that all the teaching in the world doesn't seem to be able to fill the gap that game playing when they are little can fill.
So, my tip for the day: PLAY MORE GAMES! If you haven't already, pick a night each week to play games together. Not only will it create lasting memories and enhance family relationships, but it will accelerate your child's learning as well!
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