Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

Our family’s top 7 favorite board games

~ Etc.

 

 

This post is sponsored By Kindercare. Thank you for your support!

 

 

I am a big believer that when teaching kids how to learn, it should be done in a fun, creative way. It’s especially important for young kids to associate learning with fun because it instills in them the excitement and the love for learning from the very beginning which will shape how they view learning for the rest of their lives! When they associate learning with fun, they will more likely engage in learning willingly and happily.

 

My favorite way to teach my kids is to play board games with them. Whether it’s with the whole family or just me and the child, it’s one of my kids’ favorite things to do to as a family and it’s a win-win for me because many board games teach them to learn in one way or another, whether it be geography, adding or subtracting, counting numbers, reading, team work or strategy and negotiating.

 

Here are my family’s top 7 favorite board games. My kids love them and they always want to play these games and never get sick of them. Me on the other hand, I am about done after 15 minutes into the game and I am squirming on the inside with boredom. Haha, anyone else? I do it for the kids, it’s all about the kids.

 

My family’s top 7 favorite board games
  1. Sleeping Queens – invented by a little girl herself, this one is my kids’ favorite game of all time.
  2. Uno– the classic Uno, you can’t go wrong.
  3. The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game – this game is really cute and helps with coordination and motor skills.
  4. Exploding Kittens – I have never personally played it but my girls played it at their aunt’s house and have been raving about it since.
  5. Monopoly Junior -because the regular Monopoly goes on way too long. This one is a lot shorter, hallelujah!
  6. Polynesian Voyage – my 5 year old son loves this game!
  7. The Settlers of Catan- this is for older kids. I can’t wait until they’re all old enough to play this game!
 
This little boy right here recently turned 5 years old and will be starting Preschool this Fall. We decided to hold him back a year since he has a Summer birthday. Jay was adamant on holding our son back a year, mainly because of sports, but if you ask him, he’ll never admit it! After asking many moms and teachers, most did seem to agree that you never meet a parent whom regretted holding their child back but you do meet parents who have regretted sending their kids a year early, especially for boys. So after agreeing with my husband to hold our son back a year, it was very important for me to look for a Preschool that would still challenge him mentally and he wouldn’t get bored and tune himself out.

 

Because having him be challenged in school is important to me, Kindercare is a Preschool I would feel good sending my son to. What initially started in 1969 for mothers starting in the workforce because they needed a place to take care of their children, has evolved 50 years later into a well-established and respected schools all across the Nation.

I have been impressed by their school’s statistics such as kids enrolled in their kindergarten programs test at first-grade levels in both reading and math, they know that it’s not all about academic but in order to be successful in the rapidly changing world today, kids need skills like creativity, collaboration and critical-thinking. They also emphasize in “executive function” skills, which includes things like mental flexibility, perseverance, and focus. I love that!

I feel like these skills are even more important than, dare I say being book smart in the world of day! These traits and qualities will get you farther in life and in the work force and I love that Kindercare notices that and makes it it’s utmost importance next to academic learning. Read about their blog post about how Kindercare kids test better and are better prepared for school.

 

I had the chance to talk with a KinderCare Legacy Award Winning Teacher, DeeDee over the phone where I got to ask any questions I wanted and here are the things I was impressed with, upon talking to her.

 

  • Lunch and snacks- KinderCare follows the healthy plate consisting of a green, fruit, protein, milk or water and no juice. They provide plenty of fresh veggies and fruit. Certain days they offer everything vegetarian, they use all whole wheat instead of white flour such as whole wheat pancakes and they try to cut down on sugar by offering only a small portion of syrup or using butter instead of jelly.
  • It is not a daycare, it’s more a preschool.
  • There are absolutely no worksheets. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this.
  • Each student keeps a journal.
  • All the learning is done through music!
  • They teach not only academics but also social and emotional learning as well.
  • The students learn Spanish, geometry and algebra even at an early Preschool age, catered to their understanding.
  •  I asked how they discipline, this is probably the most important factor for me. DeeDee said they never shame or embarrass the kids for feeling emotions and acting on their emotions and teach them that it’s okay to feel unpleasant, it’s okay to feel upset, mad or sad. The teachers encourage the students to use their words so the teachers can understand how they feel, and instead of punishing them, they believe in redirecting the kids’ focus and attention to something else. I was very impressed with her answer and want to use the rule of distraction on my kids as well!

 

I still cannot believe my little baby is half a decade old. I hope at his new Preschool, he’ll learn to thrive and enjoy his time there by developing strong academics, and other just-as-important life skills as well. I love him so much. And I need to stop looking at these old photos or else I’m going to want another baby!

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