Free Keyboarding Games for Your Kiddos

In this day and age - keyboarding is such an essential skill!  I hate going to a business and watching someone painfully hunt and peck at the keyboard!  To insure that your kiddos can type with ease, you might want to have them try some of these fun keyboarding games.  They won't even know they are learning!

Keyboarding Games for Kids

Grinch Math Game

I have absolutely fallen in love with this Grinch Math Game from Finally in First!  As is, this set is perfect for Luke who is working on his addition facts, but my brain is spinning with ideas for adapting the game with multiplication facts and positive and negative integers for my older boys.  Can't wait to get started!  And.... I love her idea for making the case with a recycled soup container (you could also use a Pringles can, yougurt container, sour cream container, etc.) - or just use one of those cheap dollar store plastic containers.

CVC Words Board Game

Luke is practicing his sight words right now, so I was excited to find this CVC (Consonant, vowel, consonant) board game from Teach With Me.  He is not quite at this level yet, but I will be saving it for the future.  However, it gave me a great idea to use with the blank game board template I had previously posted.  I am going to program the template with the sight words he is practicing, and play the same way as this game is played.  He rolls the dice and has to read the word he rolls or move back that many spaces.  Fun!

Print and Use Gameboard Pattern

Games are always a fun way to review concepts previously learned, and the kiddos don't even realize they are learning!  Print the gameboard pattern.  You can add a clever titel or decorate it to make it more interesting.  Program the spaces with vocabulary words, sight words, math facts, or other curriculum focused questions.  Then laminate the board and provide your child with the board, a die and a few markers and let the games begin! 

Math Dice Games

There is something about rolling a pair of dice that makes math so much more fun than filling out worksheets!  I found this large pair of dice (the bigger the better in my boys' opinion) at the dollar tree, and we have been having tons of fun practicing math!

Here are a few ideas:

For the younger ones:

Greater or less than: Roll both dice and determine which number is bigger. You can have the child write on a dry erase board to practice writing the greater or less than symbol if they are ready.

Addition:  Have your child add the dots on both dice together.

Subtraction: Have your child subtract the smaller number from the larger number.

For older kiddos:

Multiplication: Have your child multiply the numbers together.

Fractions: What fractions can your child make with the numbers they roll?  If they use the larger number as the numerator, they can practice working with mixed numerals.

Dice Number Writing Practice

Dice Views Worksheet

Throw the Dice Game

Greater, less than, or equal to game

Nuts about Numbers Game

Butterfly Addition

Dice Addition Games

Words With Friends - Making Learning Fun

My hubby and I have been addicted to the Words With Friends app on our iphones for awhile now, but recently Tyler and Cody have been begging to play too.  After some careful thought and consideration, I realized it would be an excellent learning activity, so my hubby and I let them each start a game of their own using our iphones.  The game is similar to scrabble and allows them to practice spelling, critical thinking, and addition skills.  They are loving it, and so is mom because I know they are really learning! :)

What apps are you loving for your homeschoolers?