Board/Card Games!

Ants in the Pants game

Wondering what you can do with your child/kids to encourage their skills to develop over the summer? Sometimes doing so is a lot easier than you might think.  Just playing simple board games and cards can address many skills, and it just seems like playing, not work!  (Yea, iPads are great, but try getting back to old school and leave the electronics and technology alone for a while!)  Playing board games with small pieces encourages fine motor skills.  Board games encourage motor planning, sequencing, gross motor skills, following directions, counting, joint attention, turn taking, I could go on and on.

And, it can include you, interacting with your child and having a good time.  The games listed below are primarily for preschool age and up, and are pretty inexpensive.  Some of my faves:

• Ants in the Pants (Cootie Games by Milton Bradley)
• Don't Break the Ice (Cootie Games by Milton Bradley)
• Don't Spill the Beans  (Cootie Games by Milton Bradley)
• Cootie  (Cootie Games by Milton Bradley)
• Old Maid card game
• Go Fish card game
• Candy Land (by Hasbro)
• Hi Ho Cherry-O (by Hasbro)
• Dominoes
• Operation (by Hasbro)
• Chutes and Ladders (by Hasbro)
• Sorry (by Hasbro)
• Twister (by Hasbro)
• Trouble (by Hasbro)
• Cranium Cariboo (by Cranium)
• Connect Four (by Hasbro)
• Checkers
• Guess Who (by Milton Bradley)
• Hangman (by Hasbro)
• Cranium Hullabaloo (by Cranium)
• Blokus (by Mattel)
• Cranium Balloon Lagoon (by Cranium)
• Memory (by Hasbro)
• Scrabble Junior and Scrabble (by Scrabble)
• Apples to Apples Junior and Apples to Apples (by Mattel)
• Kerplunk (by Mattel)
• Bed Bugs 
• Pick Up Sticks
• Let's Go Fishin' (by Pressman)

Go Fish!