History Games ---
an Easy Way to Learn Your Facts

Struggle with learning dates? Try history games. Your child will have fun learning interesting facts about people, events, and places in history.

Making Your Own

To really learn the facts that are important to your family make your own history games. Trivia games are easy to make. On one side of a 3 x 5 card write a historical event, place, or person. On the other side make up a question about the fact. An example would be "What happened in 1492??" On the back of the card write Columbus discovered America.

Your child could even help make the game. Have him choose facts that he wants to remember.

Your own games can be used to practice for a unit test. If you do not need a written record of tests that have been taken, have your child just play the game. When you play the game you will know what facts your child knows.

Finding Board Games

You do not need to make your own games. There are history games that are reasonably priced. Most are trivia games.

You can buy games at book stores and homeschool catalogues. Amazon also sells games.

Sometimes your curriculum will have history games to play. There is a game in The Ultimate Geography and Timeline guide by Maggie Hogan and Cindy Wiggers. It is similar to Clue. Instead of asking one question, you are given four clues.

All you have to do is to copy the cards, cut out, and maybe laminate. To play a player asks the first question on the card. The second player tries to give the answer from the clue given. If he can't guess then another clue is given.

When we played the game I just read the clues from the book. I did not make copies. My children shouted out the answer if they knew it.

I like this game because it is a little different. You get clues instead of a question. The game only has questions about events in world history. There are blank cards to use to make up you own questions.

Popular Games

There are several trivia games that you can buy. Professor Noggin has several history games. Some of the titles are

• The United States Presidents,
• Explorers,
• History of the United States,
• History of Canada,
• The Civil War,
• Ancient Civilizations

Each game comes with thirty picture cards with questions and a dice. Before the game you can choose if you want easy or hard questions. The dice determines which question is asked. Professor Noggin is reasonably priced.

Brain Quest has questions and answers cards that are riveted together. Most of the games are for a grade level. The questions have been reviewed by top teachers. The questions are similar to what are on standardized tests.

There is also a brain quest for the car. It has question about American culture, natural wonders, famous people, and facts about the states.

My children have had fun playing with brain quest. They have asked each other question or played by themselves.

I like Brain Quest because the cards are riveted together. The cards are less likely to get lost.

There are other trivia games. Most of the games are about United States history. There are a few that are about events that occurred in the world.

The computer game Oregon Trail is still available. My children enjoyed playing it when they were younger. Your child picks a character, chooses what supplies to bring, and when to go on the trail. On the trail your child will have to deal with different obstacles.

History games are a fun. They can provide a way for children to learn their facts.