Board games are an essential part of every child's toy box. Basic games such as Candy Land teach color recognition and matching skills. Checkers and chess are both excellent at teaching strategy and logic, and teach children that these skills will pay off. Deductive skills are necessary with both Clue and Battleship, while Monopoly teaches money handling, counting and taking turns. These games are all widely available, and most have electronic versions for the computer or hand-held gaming system.
Jigsaw puzzles are excellent tools for teaching logic and reason. Not only do children learn color and shape matching, but hand-eye coordination begins to improve. Since young children and toddlers sometimes have limited fine motor skills, puzzles with a few, large pieces are ideal. Keep the patterns simple and brightly colored to hold children's interest. Animals, cars, shapes and similar subjects are favorites of young children, and also gives them the opportunity to match names with subjects. As the child ages, these patterns and colors may become more complicated and the size of the puzzle larger. Tic Tac Toe is another simple game that most children can learn to play. It helps them learn to think logically, plan moves and anticipate the moves of others.
There are certain everyday activities that children may struggle to grasp. The concept of money and cost is a common problem for youngsters. A game of grocery store is one way to apply money management lessons to playtime. Set up a situation where one child is the grocer and the other the customer. Each child may take turns adding up, counting and making change. Telling time is another common lesson for children. Take turns showing children the difference between the big and little hand. To make it a bit more personal, have each child say what he does at certain times--what time is lunch, dinner or bedtime? These are simple activities that give real-world applications to sometimes confusing concepts.
Memory-matching games are simple enough for young children and toddlers, and are even beneficial for adults. They involve a set of cards--either store bought or handmade--that are turned upside down and matched in pairs. These matches may be identical or opposing pictures, or simple questions the child is meant to answer. Start with simple shapes or colors before moving onto animals, spelling words and even math problems for older kids.