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Play Card & Board Games to Develop Reasoning Skills

Tags

Mathematics ^21st Century Skills Social-Emotional Learning All Ages Strategy

Skills

Flexible Thinking Self-regulation Working Memory Social Awareness Verbal Reasoning Abstract Reasoning

Play Card & Board Games to Develop Reasoning Skills

Strategy board games and card games are a fun and engaging way to develop reasoning and problem solving skills.

How To Apply It!

  1. Here are some examples of games you can play with your students to exercise flexible thinking, planning and complex reasoning skills.
  2. Chess: With a beginner, before jumping into a game, practice by setting up different "what if" scenarios and then have the child think through the correct move (e.g. Place your bishop diagonally adjacent to the child's queen and ask what the next move should be.)
  3. More advanced chess players practice planning how to move pieces considering their short and long term strategy while trying to anticipate the opponent's strategy.
  4. Checkers: When teaching the game, play a sample game where you talk through each move for both players, explaining why you chose the move.
  5. Gin Rummy, Uno, Crazy Eights and Go Fish: These relatively short and fast-paced card games promote flexible thinking as players make adjustments based on what an opponent does.
  6. There are plenty of board games to choose from depending on your child's specific interests and needs. Click here.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Strategic board and card games develop important higher order thinking skills. They rely on knowledge of patterns, assumptions about probability, and oftentimes cooperation and collaboration.