The other night, we decided to play a game of “Sorry” as a family. This is a rather new routine for us, as our children are still so young and cannot keep up with following game rules. As a homeschooling mom, I look for educational moments throughout the day. I figured this game would help us with counting skills. Little did I know it would go way beyond that.
Our six-year-old son could follow the game rules and was quite a good sport, even though he came in last. But our three-year-old daughter learned a few lessons through a game of “Sorry.” In no particular order…
- We must follow the rules. When she wanted to roll the dice twice in a row, we told her she could not. She got upset and left the room. A minute later, when we told her it was her turn to play, she still pouted. So we said, “All right, your brother will roll the dice for you.” She zipped back to her spot and played on like nothing happened.
- Counting skills come in handy. We helped her count the dots on her dice out loud. We also helped her count the spaces as she moved her pieces on the board. If you want to play and have fun, you must use a little math.
- Pouting does not get you very far. When she got upset because we enforced the rules, we did not give in. We were sympathetic, but we did not give in to her demands.
- Perseverance pays off in the end. When her brother eliminated one of her pieces, she continued playing and finished ahead of him. Many things happen during a game of “Sorry.” The same is true about life. If you just hang in there through the rough times, you just might end up a winner when all is said and done.
- Taking turns keeps things fair and almost selfless. The dice is not fair. But everybody gets a fair chance to throw the dice. We pay more attention to what others are doing than to ourselves, as we have to wait for a few other players before our turn comes. Focusing on others’ game takes us out of our selfishness for a moment.
Our daughter is not homeschooling officially, but she learned a lot that evening from a game of “Sorry,” and not just counting skills. For other ideas on how to use toys and games in your homeschool, please click below after March 5, when several other Review Crew members share from their experience.