How to use board games as educational tools & brain games (Plus giveaway!)

Disclaimer: Product was provided for consideration but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Having a child with a traumatic brain injury can be very trying at times. My daughter's right frontal lobe is gone and her left frontal lobe is damaged. There are more parts that are damaged (parietal and temporal lobes are damaged) but the frontal lobes really cause the most problems. The frontal lobes are the emotional control center and key to personality. They also are key to memory, language, executive functions, thinking and focusing. I am barely scratching the surface because I am NOT a neurologist (obviously) but I am a mom raising a child with a very damaged brain.

Since the brain injury, I have learned the importance of play and music when it comes to learning. She has been in therapies (physical, occupational, speech and music) since she was 11 months old and is now 13. Integrating education and rehab with playing games is so important. Kids learn through play and finding brain games to help improve cognitive has always been a top priority.

We play a lot of board games around my home. My daughter adores them because for her- they're fun and for me, they're fun (like a LOT of fun) but they're also critical in teaching her a lot of skills.

Two of the board games we love are from Gigamic Games. Gigamic Games is well known for high quality games that stand the tests of time. Quatro is celebrating 25 years of entertainment and Quoridor is celebrating its 20th! Gigamic also creates beautiful games that make beautiful decorations and many tin games are great for travel.

We love Gloobz and El Capitan! My daughter functions at the level of a 7 year old, these games are perfect for her cognitive level.

We use board games as educational tools & brain games and here's how:

Focus

With El Capitan, the beautiful and bright pieces hold her attention visually. Em likes to mentally check out and it's very difficult to hold her focus and completing a task but with games, she becomes motivated to play and learn how it works. With verbal prompts and redirects, we can actually finish a game. Each time we play, her focus and ability to finish a task is increasing.

Win.

Memory

In El Capitan, the cards are all about memory. You get a series of cards in front of you and you need to memorize their location before they get turned over. It's a GREAT brain game for kids AND adults alike. Em's memory isn't very good but she loves playing this part and as time goes by, she gets a little bit better and it also circles back to FOCUS.

PATIENCE and WAITING TURNS

Have you ever been around somebody who lacks impulse control? It's very difficult to wait and be patient and to control their emotions. That's my daughter. I use games as a way to learn how to be patient and wait her turn. It works brilliantly.

Fine Motor Skills & Dexterity.

With Gloobz, with the fast and furious game requires you to be quick with color matching and thinking fast. I love it. It encourages fine motor skills and dexterity.

Do you use games for educational tools? How do you incorporate them into learning?

Would you like to win one of these games?

Enter below!

Looking for more brain games- check these out: