Meet Brett Skerbetz and his brother, Aaron.

They are working together on a board game activity as part of our Kindermusik Imagine That class for ages 3 to 5.  The children were invited to make a board game using pictures of food & items that might be sold by street vendors in the “city.”  This activity blossomed into “family togetherness” as the boys worked together to create their vendor game board.  Then it came time to play the game — see Brett pictured below doing just that! So what’s really happening here?

I’m observing creativity, cooperative play, cognitive skills (who is a street vendor and how do I play the game) , fine motor skills (cutting, gluing), focus, and fun, fun, fun!  This is all part of the reason that Kindermusik class is such an effective learning environment for children. 
It’s age-appropriate instruction that is engaging and has many layers of learning in a child-centered environment that promotes whole-child development, fun, and a life-long love of learning.
Why play board games? Games offer an integrated mode of play that affects all learning domains for preschoolers.  Playing board games provides opportunities for children to learn new skills – turn taking, singing, matching, story telling, and counting – and encourages children to consolidate previous learning.  It also creates play situations in which children can:
  • practice solving problems and develop flexible thinking
  • prompts children to develop creativity and aesthetic appreciation
  • it enables children to learn about learning
  • it gives children the opportunity to play and learn in a safe environment