Simple Games To Try At Home

Games in which players take turns can help children to develop important skills like counting, spotting details, even planning a strategy - plus they'll learn how to be a good loser occasionally!

Below are a few ideas for games that you can make and play with your children:

• Beetle

  Give each player a piece of paper and a pencil. Allocate the different parts of the beetle to different numbers on the dice (e.g. 1 = body; 2 = head; 3 = tail; 4 = one eye; 5 = one feeler; and 6 = one leg). Take turns to roll the dice and gradually build your beetle (you must start with the body). First to finish is the winner.

   

• Lotto

  For each board: Cut 6 pairs of identical pictures from magazines. Stick one set on a larger piece of cardboard (six pictures on each) and the other on individual cards.
  
  Take a board each and lay the cards face down. Then take turns to pick up a card. If it matches a picture on your board, place it on top. The first person to complete their board is the winner.
  
  Variations:
• • For young children, you can just use shapes of different coloured paper - it's a great way to teach children their colours and shapes.
  • For older children you can increase the challenge by pairing things that are not identical but that go together in some way, such as butterfly and caterpillar, mouse and cheese, etc.

     

• Memory

  As above, cut pairs of pictures from magazines (as many as you like, but no fewer than ten). Stick them on to individual pieces of card and lay them face down on the table. Then take turns to turn over two cards at a time. If they match, keep them; if they don't, turn them face down again. The person with the most pairs is the winner. (The same cards can also be used for snap.)