Today’s the
last day of school on the medieval frontier of Northern
Virginia...the medieval side. (Alas, our school board thinks starting
school the second week of August, putting the first term SOL testing
right before the December holiday break, will increase SOL scores
instead of focusing on paying teachers decently and letting them
teach instead of handle bureaucracy....) Already last week summertime
recommendations started coming home: a list of recommended “series”
books for summer reading, a 22-page handout with math problems to
solve, a list of educational websites to visit, a page of “dice
games” that are really just math exercises with dice, and a thick,
door-stop-sized reading/writing workbook someone ordered but
apparently didn’t use all school year. All this comes slathered in
the repulsive stigma of homework, something the seven year-old Little
Guy has grown to dislike and resist throughout the school year, more
so in these final weeks before summer vacation. So what’s a parent
to do? I’m turning to two things we know and enjoy: fun themes and
games.
The Little Guy
– and most elementary school kids, I suspect – maintains a host
of interest in various media properties:
Minecraft,
Transformers,
Pokemon,
Star Wars (particularly
Clone Wars),
Godzilla, Doctor Who. Interest in them
waxes and wanes, but they sometimes help him engage in educational
activities disguised as fun. (I’ve blathered on about themes in
games before in
“Introducing Newcomers to Games: Theme & Mechanics.”) Just the other weekend we caught him sitting in bed
reading a
Star Wars book aloud to our cats (granted, they like
hanging out in his comfy bed anyway, but apparently reading was a
bonus). We’re embarking on a first-edition
Star Wars Roleplaying
Game campaign at his insistence; so far he’s enjoyed accurately
adding up the results of numerous d6 rolls, especially when tossing
handfuls of dice when using a Force Point. He reads all the powers
and attacks on the cards when we play the
Pokemon collectible
card game.
So I’m
thinking of a few game-related activities that can both entertain him
and stretch those intellectual muscles during summer break:
Storytelling
Games: I’m not a huge fan of indie storytelling games, though
I’ve tried a few. Yet I’ve seen a few game-related items that can
inspire some creativity and provide a reason to practice writing
skills.
Rory’s Story Cubes come to mind: roll a handful of
the dice and start choosing symbols to inspire a story, even just a
sentence. The related game,
Untold: Adventures Await,
currently seeking funding through Kickstarter, provides a bit more
structure in crafting a storyline. I have a ream of lined handwriting
paper I picked up at a discount book fair recently and it’s perfect
for practicing handwriting (something the local schools don’t seem
to spend much time on) and writing a few sentences inspired by
Rory’s
Story Cubes rolls. I’ve seen other dice sets meant to inspire
storytelling efforts (notably
Imagination Generation Story Time Dice but also various
media-themed
Rory’s Story Cube sets), but I haven’t acquired or
tried them yet.
Card Games:
We have a few card games that reinforce reading and math concepts.
The
Minecraft Card Game? caters to his interest in
Minecraft
but also forces him to make choices gathering elements and crafting
tools as well as totaling the points needed to win the game. We
haven’t played the
Pokemon collectible card game in a while
but it’s a good diversion for an afternoon; it engages him in
reading the card powers and calculating damage and hit points. He’s
indicated an interest in the
Star Wars Destiny game which
merges cards and dice mechanics – like many such games it involves
practical reading and math skills – but until I can acquire two
starter sets (which seem to be hopelessly unavailable through the
distribution chain), we’ll have to wait.
Miniature
Wargames: This branch of the adventure gaming hobby helps kids
implement their measuring skills, using rulers to determine how far
units can move and what enemy targets are within range of attack. I’m
excited to attend one of this summer’s gaming conventions where I
signed the Little Guy up to play in a
Panzer Kids game someone
else is running. I’m also thinking of merging wargaming with
his love for
Star Wars by adapting
Daniel Mersey’s The Men Who Would Be Kings Victorian skirmish rules for use with my
collection of 25mm
Star Wars minis and
54mm Star Wars Command figures.
Roleplaying
Games: I’m tempted to broaden our roleplaying game experiences
because they reinforce lessons in reading, writing, and math. Much as
we’ve enjoyed
Hero Kids, I’m tempted to try
B/X
Dungeons & Dragons for a deeper
math and reading experience. Of course we’ll continue our
Star
Wars Roleplaying Game campaign, for which we’ve also recruited
my wife and one of her co-workers.
Practical
Experience: We have several opportunities out of the cozy home
gaming environment to put school skills to use and managing his
expectations and frustrations in a social setting. The local library
has a few
Pokemon card game events over the summer, something
I’ll encourage if he shows interest in picking up the game again at
home. He’s indifferent about the library’s summer reading program
(truth be told he reads a decent amount on his own, assuming it’s a
subject that interests him), though it is sponsoring a few special
events we’ll attend, most notably the “Snakes Alive” show with
critters his Dad can’t stand. A few road trips to area gaming
stores as well as a regional convention can offer him practical
experience evaluating products he wants and spending a given budget.
Last year we gave him $20 to spend as he wanted at the big summertime
convention; he was extremely disappointed after spending it all (and
then some) the first day and asked “Doesn’t my $20 regenerate
tomorrow?” Gaming in public can also provide opportunities to learn
how to manage his feelings in both winning and losing graciously.
Dad’s
Fantastic Toy Shop: I’m a bit more willing to indulge the
Little Guy when he shows interest in games he sees in my office,
what I sometimes call “Dad’s Fantastic Toy Shop.” Sometimes he
just wanders in and starts asking questions about items he sees,
usually “Can we play that game?” He has a good grasp of reading,
though some games will still be too complex for him. Next year in
ACE – the local school enrichment program for gifted students –
they’ll study ancient Egypt; I have several Egyptian-themed games
that might appeal to him and develop his experience and interest in
that period. It’s a good chance for us to try some of the many
games in my collection and give him some freedom to explore themes
and game mechanics.
So that’s our
plan for both having fun and keeping school skills fresh during the
summer break. It’s a father-son plan customized to our interests,
game collection, and opportunities as well as the Little Guy’s
intellectual and maturity levels. This specific plan isn’t the best
one for everyone seeking to take this path, but it might offer some
ideas for parents hoping to keep their kids engaged in learning while
having fun with games.
