Nowadays, technology has taken over children’s lives and their fun comes only from tablets, modern smartphones, and state-of-the-art video games, earning them the label of the touch generation. Educational games that used to involve parents and friends have, unfortunately become a thing of the past.

Only a few children will have the pleasure of knowing what it’s like to play hopscotch, ring a ring o’ roses, jump rope and the many other educational games that only we adults were lucky enough to experience, but changing this depends on us, the parents, to do our part and change at least the story of our children at home. We can not only encourage educational play, but we should also participate in them, making it so that, in a fun way, kids learn while they play, and even better, with family and friends gathered. We’ve put together a list of activities you can do, at low or no cost and with easily accessible materials. Just use your creativity and join the fun, the kids will love it—check it out!

Some Options for Educational Games to Do with Your Children

Playing Hopscotch – Draw numbered squares on your backyard or sidewalk, toss a small stone into the first number, and the child must hop on one foot on single squares and on both feet when it’s two squares, until reaching the end. The child continues until stepping on a line or the wrong number. Besides being fun, this game helps the child’s motor coordination, teaches numbers, and helps with concentration.

Hopscotch is not only fun—it teaches numbers and helps improve motor coordination

Simon Says – This game can be a lot of fun, especially with parents involved. Someone is the ‘Simon’ and gives commands that must be followed, like “Simon says do a somersault.” All participants must obey the order. You can also play it with drawings, as Simon asks the players to draw what he says. This way, imagination goes wild—just use your creativity and have a good laugh.

Drawing with Pasta and Yarn – Give each person a sheet of paper, scatter pasta of different shapes and yarn of various colors on the table, and of course you’ll need glue. Make drawings on the paper and cover them with these materials. This activity, besides helping with focus, stimulates the child’s creativity and puts their imagination into practice.

Tic-Tac-Toe – Draw a # on a piece of paper, each participant chooses whether they want to be O or X. The aim is to line up your symbols, and whoever does it first wins. This game encourages logical thinking in the child and makes them pay attention before it’s their turn.

Paper, pencil, glue, and pasta can turn into a really fun game

Picnic – Spread a tablecloth on the ground, in your yard, or even in a park, make sandwiches, juices, and serve fruit. Kids love to play picnic—if it’s a rainy day, why not have a picnic right in your living room? The fun is guaranteed!

Puppets, hangman, red light/green light, jump rope, and hundreds more games can be enjoyed with the little ones—just dig into our memory chest and remember what we liked to play as children. There are so many educational games in the world, it’s just a pity they are so rarely used today.

Let’s bring back good games and create wonderful memories for our children too, just as we have. The development of technology is essential and very important for our kids, and they definitely should follow it, but we cannot forget that there are enjoyable and wonderful things to experience away from screens and technology—this is something we have to teach them too.

See also: Educational Toys – Colors, Textures, and Shapes

Photos: lincolnblues, Ana Fukase, Patrick