Becky's Top Game Tips

Spending time together has never been more fun (and educational)!

Ah, Summer! It’s a time to relax and get away from it all. Read a good book. Go to the beach. Find a way to entertain your kids for two months . . . . So, maybe it’s not all rest and relaxation, but these games are a great way to have fun with your kids and pass the time. Plus, you’ll get to sneak in a little learning.

Maybe we’ll just keep that part to ourselves.

Magnetic Poetry

If you don’t already know about Magnetic Poetry, you don’t know what you’re missing. These magnetic word tile sets come in a wide variety of languages and themes, and they are a great way to build vocabulary and develop creativity. Beginning readers can pick out a chosen word from a small group. Older kids can use them to write their own masterpieces or silly sayings. I’m sure you’ll come up with your own ideas to use this excellent learning tool.

MindTrap

Looking for a great family game – in French? This is it. There are over 500 puzzles and word plays that will make you scratch your head. Then when you hear the answer you’ll realize that you knew the answer all along. It’s a great way to pass the time during those long car trips since you don’t have to worry about moving pieces around a game board.

Borderline – Africa Edition, Europe/Middle East Edition, USA Edition, and World Edition

Borderline is a great game to help kids learn about geography. It’s played a lot like the game Crazy 8’s where each player has to play a card that has a country, region, or body of water that borders something from the previous card. It’s a quick game that’s lots of fun, and easy to pack on holiday.

Aleph Bet Adventure

Here’s a game for the younger set. Aleph Bet Adventure is much like Candy Land, except this game exposes kids to the Hebrew Aleph Bet. You’ll also be working on pre-reading skills such as letter recognition and initial letter sounds. That’s great knowledge to have in any language.

Opposites Dominoes

These opposites dominoes from Henbea are available in a number of languages. They’re made in Spain out of sturdy plastic and have simple, colorful pictures that cover all the basics: happy/sad, black/white, first/last, etc. What’s also great is that they come with a little, plastic carrying case, complete with handle. And just in case you need some help, there is an answer key which really comes in handy if you are learning the language along with your child.

Bleff

For older kids and adults, Bleff is a great Spanish vocabulary game from Argentina. Players need to write down the definition of a given word. If they don’t know it, they must come up with one of their own that is convincing enough to fool their opponents. You can be as silly or as serious as you want to be, as long as others believe you know the words’ meanings so you can advance around the board to win the game.

WHO IS BECKY? Becky Dolan is the mother of two and has degrees in early childhood and elementary education. She has combined her life-long loves of children, language, and learning to create Magellan’s Toy Shop – an online specialty store that features Learning and Fun from Around the World.

Try to fit a stop at Magellan’s Toy Shop into your summer and check out one of these games or look for them at other online or specialty toy stores. Then take it outside, on vacation, or institute a family game night. Playing games together is a really good way to spend time together and keep the lines of communication open between you and your kids.

And did I mention that these ones incorporate some learning, too?
Oh, yes. I was supposed to keep that quiet.

Becky Dolan
www.MagellansToyShop.com

back to Multilingual Living Magazine Table Of Contents