If you’re looking to mix up your school time or perhaps shop for birthday presents, there are some seriously fun and effective teaching toys out there. I’ve made a list of my favorites to match up specifically with CC Cycle 3 areas of study, but could really be used anytime. Here are the ones on my radar right now:
1. Periodic Table Blocks – Start them young! Even a CC tot could learn while they’re playing. 🙂 But, really, periodic table blocks seem to me a fun, hands-on way to practice learning the elements and arranging the table.
2. Geo puzzles – I’ve shared these with y’all before and I’m sharing them again, because we love them & think they’re great. The North America puzzle containing the United States and Canada has 69 pieces shaped like each state, province, or territory. A great way to practice the states! (Note: Last I checked the 6-pack of puzzles was the best package price.)
3. Ticket to Ride – We have this game, we’ve been playing it, and it’s lots of fun. It has you building railroads to travel across the U.S. and there are additional editions for Europe (stand alone game) and Asia (expansion pack to original).
4. Anatomy Models Bundle Set – I’m kinda geeking out about this set from Learning Resources. It’s so cool looking – four models you can take apart and put back together: the skeleton, torso, brain and heart.
5. Double-Sided Human Body 100 piece floor puzzle – Learn two ways – one side of this puzzle has the human skeletal structure, while the other has the internal organs. Makes me think all puzzles should be double-sided…why have a blank side? 🙂
6. Somebody Board Game – This game actually contains 5 games of varying levels designed to grow with children and teach them about the human body. We’ve not played it, but the reviews look great.
7. Presidents Blocks – Blocks again? What can I say? I love a well-made, interesting block set. I think these are cool, but I can’t figure out what they do every 4 (or 8) years. Can you order just one block later? But, here’s a fun trick, put the blocks all together and you can make the American flag. Each blog has info and the image of a president.
8. United States Blocks – I saved my favorite set of blocks for last! Each beautiful block has the state name, abbreviation, outline, state capital, state flower, motto, bird, and tree printed on the block. Put the blocks together and you get the outline of the United States with the words United States of America. They’re expensive, so I think I’m adding them to my Christmas wish list. Is it wrong to get your littles educational toys for a present? Hmmm…
9. Liberty’s Kids – You’ve probably heard of these animated shows full of American History. They’re on sale for $5.00 for all 40 episodes right now. The episodes follow The Boston Tea Party, Valley Forge, James Armistead and much more. If your littles are like mine, they’ll love them and they’ll learn!
10. Scrambled States of America Game – Have you read the book? Apparently this game is based on a book of the same name, The Scrambled States of America. I haven’t read the book, but the description of the game has me intrigued: “Players learn the names, capitals, nicknames, shapes and positions of the states through a myriad of visual teasers, language riddles and geography challenges.” Sounds good, right?
11. Sequence States and Capitals – Are y’all Sequence fans in your home? We are! It’s a simple, fun game with lots of variations now and this variation looks like a goodie.
12. Settlers of Catan: Settlers of America – Another board game that isn’t necessarily intended for learning about the U.S., but how could you not when you’re busy establishing your settlement across America?
13. Lego Architecture – Space Needle, White House, and the Empire State Building are just some of the available sets. Perhaps you have Lego maniacs like I do in my home? If so, they might find these sets for famous American architecture just their speed.
14. Latin Scrabble – Please help me out here, since Latin uses basically the same letters as we do, why would one need a separate Latin version of Scrabble? Is there something here I’m missing? So, maybe just use your current board for this fun idea.
15. Educational Placemats – My sister has a series of educational placemats that she rotates among her five children during mealtimes. Isn’t that genius? The placemats encourage learning through simple exposure and can be great conversation starters. We already have placemats of the World, Solar System, and body. Adding in the periodic table of elements and United States would be so great for this year’s cycle.
16. Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? Okay, so, another that’s not exactly a toy, but it is for entertainment. I remember playing the computer game as a kid. This is the DVD set. Follow detectives around the world as they try to track down notorious thief Carmen Sandiego. The kids have to help solve clues. I should warn you the characters are sometimes a little sassy, but there is lots to be learned here.
I’ve had so much fun compiling this list of toys to share with you. I’ll have even more fun when I surprise my crew with some of these throughout the year. Which were your favorites? Have a fun, learning toy you love I didn’t share? Don’t keep it to yourself, tell us all about it in the comments!
I’ll have to check out “Ticket to Ride”: my son isn’t doing CC, but I am homeschooling him — and preparing him for a homeschool geography bee. We have liked the Borderlines card games, if they’re still available (I found them at small toy stores): there is a US edition, a continents/oceans edition, and other editions broken down by continental region. Thanks for the ideas.
Oh cool! Thanks for sharing about those games. A geography bee sounds fun!
It’s the National Geographic Bee http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/quiz/today/, but it is not easy for homeschoolers to participate. There is a hefty “school” fee ($100), which has to be passed on to the participants. This year, National Geographic changed the rules so that a parent can’t be the homeschool coordinator. Fortunately, a man whose children have aged out of the Bee has stepped up to be our coordinator. On the positive side, my four older kids all participated and learned so much from being in the bee, year after year. It was a great bonding experience. Games and songs are a great way to learn geography.
Thanks for 16 toys games for learning fun your sharing ! I purchase for my son on your birthday. He love it.