How to Make a Homeschool Learning Game

Is your child one who learns by "hands-on" experience? This simple and fun learning game can be used to solidify phonics, math facts, shapes, colors, alphabet, numbers, or anything else with which your child may be struggling. We used this game for my oldest daughter when she was in preschool to help her with her shapes. It was a big hit!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Brown paper bags (lunch sack size)
• Crayons or markers
• Yarn or string
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue or tape
• Hole punch
• Index cards

1. Decide on what you're going to "study". Let's say you want to reinforce shapes with your child. On plain white paper or index cards (a bit more sturdy), draw each shape (square, rectangle, triangle, circle, hexagon, oval, etc.) and cut out each one.
2. Glue or tape one shape to the front of a brown paper bag (the ones used for lunch sacks are the perfect size). Depending on how technical you want to get, you can also write the name of the shape on the corresponding bag.
3. Next, make several "copies" of each shape, color them and cut them out.
4. Punch holes in the top of each brown paper sack and string yarn or string through, so the bag can be hung on a door knob or such.
5. As your child hides, hang the bags around the house everywhere. Next, give your child a brown paper bag (decorated if you like) with the stack of random shapes you have colored and cut from paper or index cards.
6. The child's job is to go around, find the bags and put the correct shape into each bag. My daughter used to say she was a "mail-girl" and was delivering the shapes. Once the child is finished, go around to each bag and see if they put the correct shapes into the corresponding bags.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are using this for math facts, it can be done several ways. On the bag, you could put the sum and then give the child index cards with addition facts on it. Ask them to place the addition fact into the bag that has the correct sum. The same could be done with subtraction, multiplication and division facts.
• For a phonics game - put on the outside of each bag the blends or sound the child is currently learning or reviewing. Then, give the child printed words (on index cards). Tell them to place the word into the bag that has the correct phonics sound. This one of course would work for a child who is reading.
• Have fun! One of our favorite aspects of homeschooling is that our children can learn "outside the box". We can tailor games, activities, etc. to each individual child and help them to learn in a way that makes sense to just them.
• This may become so popular, you'll have to make several games!