We’ve all played the classic games: Go Fish!, Solitaire, Rummy.
But did you know that when children play these games, they encompass numerous educational aspects also! Today, we popped into our Preschool classroom, where Miss Gina had her students in different centers. Some were playing with manipulative, some were engaged in board-games, and the rest of them were grouped at a table playing Uno!
Here, one of our Preschoolers, Charlotte, is seem playing Uno! (And we absolutely love how intense and into the game she was!) But at the same time, here are the educational aspects with this family-fun, card-game:
Cognitive Skills:
When engaging in a card game, one’s cognitive skills are triggered in multiple ways: from memorization to matching, number & pattern recognition, and these also increase, depending on the complexity of the game. As card-games become more intricate and difficult, it allows children to utilize their intellect more in providing solutions and in finding new ways of winning.
Emotional Intelligence:
A simple card-game can indeed go a long way when it comes to one’s emotional health. Small children interact with their teachers & peers, in a familiar environment and they are encouraged to take part in friendly competition. When playing such card-games, the end goal of achieving a win is as important as learning to understand and manage a loss.
Patience and fair-play can be developed or taught from early ages and card games are extremely useful means for it. All card games require communication; therefore children have to talk to each other, to negotiate or comprehend the rules, to take turns and to challenge each other.
Games, such as Uno, also teach children very important social skills, such as:
- Verbal communication
- Sharing
- Waiting
- Taking turns
- Group interactions
- Numbers
- Color recognition
The next time you sit down for “family game night,” think of all the amazing educational opportunities you are providing your little one with!
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