I came across this wonderful post on BGG about tic-tac-toe’s true greatness. Posted by marc lecours (@rubberchicken), tic-tac-toe is one of the first games children can solve so they learn that games involve strategy, not luck. https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3110151/article/42550066#42550066 I recommend reading the entire post. It really changed my view on how can tic-tac-toe can be usedContinue reading “Tic-Tac-Toe”
Tag Archives: kids
Board of Executive Function
My son’s school recently hosted a TEDx Youth event – Reflect Restart Reconnect. They invited parents to present, so I jumped at the opportunity to sing the praises of board games. I focused on brain development and age-appropriate skills our children and students can practice through board gaming. Based on the audience reaction, especially allContinue reading “Board of Executive Function”
Scaffolded Splendor
I swear by two educational strategies and try to regularly implement them in my classes: scaffolding and spaced repetition. Of course, hundreds of other strategies exist, but these are my favorites. Scaffolded instruction is a simple idea. Content in skills should be taught in a “scaffolded” manner from simple to more complex. For example, aContinue reading “Scaffolded Splendor”
Parallel (play) Intersections
Parallel play is a vital stage of toddler development. Emerging between two an three years, parallel play involves toddlers “playing alone, together.” When two children sit at the same table and build their own block towers, that’s parallel play. Children learn a lot from parallel play. While they aren’t directly communicating, they are stealing glancesContinue reading “Parallel (play) Intersections”
Why Board Games?
Games should always have a place in class. When students are having fun and feeling good, their affective filters lower, and they become more receptive to learning. However, not all games are created equally. There has been lots of research and handwringing over screen time, and I think educators are responsible for providing alternativesContinue reading “Why Board Games?”
What Will You Do?
A tenet from Positive Discipline that has stuck with me is the advice to “Decide what you are going to do.” In the context of misbehavior, this means we should focus on how we will act and less on what we will make our children do. Like most aphorisms, this should be adapted toContinue reading “What Will You Do?”
Why Does he Need his Own Games?
My little guy turned 3 last month and for his birthday and Christmas he received a couple of board games. During the winter holiday, I used these new games as an opportunity to give him his own little game shelf. At first this was a simple bit of organizing and trying to keep him fromContinue reading “Why Does he Need his Own Games?”
A Toddler’s Game Shelf – Jan 2023
A birthday and Christmas have come and gone since I first wrote about the board games my young son plays. Now he has his own official collection and I am constantly on the hunt for good deals on good games. This is what he has on his shelf now. Some games we are able toContinue reading “A Toddler’s Game Shelf – Jan 2023”
Misbehavior: Mistaken Beliefs and Goals
As befitting a book entitled Positive Discipline, misbehavior is prominent. After all, there is little need for discipline if there is no misbehavior. What is misbehavior? This is not a spurious question. To paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart, is misbehavior something that is hard to define but we know it when we see it (maybe)? DoesContinue reading “Misbehavior: Mistaken Beliefs and Goals”
Some wisdom from Alfred Adler
Any sort of behavior changes should have some sort of scientific, moral, or ethical support. If not, people are just doing things to do thing and chaos ensues. Positive Discipline uses the second chapter to introduce some of the basic concepts that will help readers understand the practical applications. These concepts allow us to reflectContinue reading “Some wisdom from Alfred Adler”
The Keasy Depot 