Hi Moms,
My son will be 4 in two weeks and I'm looking for suggestions of FUN learning games. He's not the biggest fan of learning so it has to be a interesting game that also teaches him. Leapfrog, computer downloads, any kind of hand held electronic games that he can play in the car.. We also have a DVD player in the car, so something with a remote?? Just looking for ideas.. Thanks :0)
My son learned to read with the Leapfrog Talking Letters and then Talking Words factory DVD. IMO this approach is nothing short of genius and should be required for kids starting to learn to read.
My 4 y/o DS learns best through play as well.
His favorite is playing pretend restaurant. I bought him a cash register, play money, Melissa & Doug food and a set of plates/bowls, etc. We made a menu & an open/closed sign. He really learned a great deal about counting and math. Not to mention being able to read a menu now!
He also loves the LeapFrog Math Rummy & Go Fish game. It’s really taught him about basic math skills and fun way to learn letters, plus have fun spelling words with the letter cards.
He also enjoys the DK Silly Sentences Game which is a great way to learn sight words, but make really funny sentences. My DS laughs so much making all the silly sentences together!
Melissa & Doug have a lot of great products. We have the M&D Mail Box & Mail set. It is fun for pretend play, but at the same time taught my son to write his own “letters”.
The LeapFrog videos have been awesome in teaching him his letter sounds.
I could go on and on but I'll stop here =-)
Have fun!!!
I second the Leapfrog DVD's Mallory mentioned. My kids loved them. They also use their Leapsters a lot. They have spelling games, math games, color recognition games, etc. They also love the Sesame Street website for games with their favorite tv and story characters.
If you are also looking for non-electronic games, we have liked Candyland Castle (shapes, colors), Cranium Cariboo (shapes, colors, counting), Dr. Seuss' I Can Do That (physical skills, directional words), Cootie (counting, sorting), Cranium Hullaballo (following directions, action words/physical skills, colors, shapes; we had the DVD animal version).
make some cards up... with words on front or picture even better.. get plain index cards... put a picture of a dog and word dog on front on back put ryhming words like log bog frog sog clog .... then do another with cat on back put hat, fat, sat... they memorize them at first but after a while they get the idea.. andwill be reading before you know it.. both my kids learned to read before the age of 4 with cards like these... they are fun... good luck
The Letter Factory by Leapfrog was a big hit for my oldest and now Im thinking about finding it again for my youngest. They have the fridge magnets.
My daughter (4 in December) has had Hooked On Phonics Smart Sticks since she was 1 and loved them. Hard to find now and your son is a bit older now so he may not get much use. Discovery Toys has lots of great learning toys and games as well. As for electronics, my daughter had the one that lets them trace letters, shapes, etc. It is great. My nephews (ages 3 & 5) have Leapster 2 and really like them. My daughter recently played with one and will be getting one for Christmas because she loved the Dora game. Leap Frog also has a new one called Explorer which seems great too. They also have dvds and the Tag reading system. Kids learn through play so even just playing w/ play dough, paints, crayons, or playing catch helps them learn and master the skills they need to do well in school.
