It’s back to school for most of our kids now, well, mine will be this Thursday! I can’t wait and I think neither can the kids. It has been a fun and relaxing Summer break, and now it’s time to get our butts back into gear and into some much needed routine!

School starting also means homework for some of us, and by homework I don’t necessarily mean memorising words, doing sums and the like, it also means going back to doing the nightly reading, learning new words from the M100W word list. This can either start feeling tedious or, fun, depending on you and your child of course. So, how can we make homework more fun? Or rather, instead of having them just chilling out and watching television (yes my kids do that and there’s nothing wrong with that), get them into stuff that will actually still challenge their minds? Educational games that are also fun of course!

I’ve got 3 which are my favourite (and the kids) so far:

• Take 2 rrp$30.00

 

This is a game that will not only test your child’s (and yours for that matter!) word building and spelling skills, but also how quick you are at building those words. It comes in a handy box, which makes it great for travelling. There are 117 letter tiles. Here’s how you play the game. Each player takes 8 tiles from the set of overturned tiles. Once everyone is ready, they can then turn their 8 tiles over and create words with them, in a crossword style if they need to. Somewhat like another popular word boardgame. The only difference is, there is no board, and each player creates their own words. Once someone finishes using up all the 8 tiles, they say out “Take 2″ and everyone including that player takes 2 more tiles to build more words. The great thing about this is, you CAN rearrange all your words again to form new ones, or build with what you’ve formed. The game finishes once all the tiles are used up. You then add up all the individual scores and deduct whatever left over tiles you have.

Miss 8, Miss 10 and I had a ball playing this. I had to help them out a little, and have to admit, I did change the rules a little. Sometimes we would get stuck with one or two tiles and not be able to take another 2. So what I did was, to let us choose 2 tiles we do not want, turn them over, add it to the pile and re-shuffle the pile then pick 2 tiles again. That way, it ends up being a game of chance – you might get the same pieces again – and it keeps the game going.

• IQ Puzzler by Smart Games rrp$18.00

A new game that has just been introduced to our E-Shop is this amazing IQ Puzzler by Smart Games. There are altogether 101 challenges in the booklet that comes with this game and they are all stored in this black box. Basically, the idea is to solve the puzzle via the challenges by placing the right spherical puzzle piece in the right position to complete the rectangle. Or, challenge yourself further and do it in 3D! Simply close the box, turn it around and play it in 3D. Same concept – complete the puzzle with the pieces left.

• Magic Forest Magnetic Puzzle rrp$20.00

Another great game that challenges your child’s spatial and lateral thinking. In this booklet are 6 puzzle pieces and challenges in varying degrees from starter to master level. The puzzle pieces have a magnetic base so that the pieces would stick to the board inside the booklet.

The challenges would normally tell you which character has to go where, and with the puzzle pieces, you have to create paths to lead them to the places. The harder the challenge, the more obstacles you would have to avoid! And you also have to use all 6 pieces to finish the puzzle. Don’t worry if you get stuck, because at the back are solutions!

 

 

Because this game is magnetic and has everything you need stored in the booklet, it also makes it handy for travelling – anywhere!

Especially for Just Us Kids Online readers, we have a special giveaway. Thanks to the people at Take 2, I have ONE Take 2 game valued at $30 to give away. And as a thank you to all readers, I have a pack of the IQ Puzzler AND the Magic Forest Magnetic Puzzle worth $38 in total to give away too!

To enter, simply tell me which one you would like to win – the Take 2 or the Puzzle Pack  and why. The winner with the best answer will win the game/s they have chosen to enter for. Hurry as this giveaway closes on the 12th February 2012. *Open to Australian Residents only.

Please fill in the form below with your details and answer the question in the comments section.