Gameschooling is fun and highly beneficial, but it can get expensive quick! If you want to gameschool without a collection, it is possible. here are some options for adding games to your homeschool without maintaining a collection.
Board Game Cafes
This is a low cost choice with many gaming options. Our local cafe costs $3 per person and have over 500 games to choose from. We went last week and had a chance to play some games we were considering, some games we couldn't find, and some that we were just curious about. They were all fun, but we took all of them off of our buy list because they are not quite what we want. It was great to get the chance to play them before buying them. Plus we get to use them for learning without having to store them or maintain them.
Local Game Stores
Our favorite local game stores have demo games to try. Their collection of playable games is considerably smaller than the game cafe, but it is FREE! Even with our large collection at home, we still go play games at the game store. It is fun to try something new that we don't have. We have built a great relationship with our favorite game store (The Dice Owl in Montreal) and they always do what they can to keep us updated with upcoming games, events, and finding games they don't have in stock.
Library
Some libraries have board games to either play or check out. The library we had in Michigan had some for kids to play within the library. All the libraries we have been to in Quebec have had a collection for check out. This is a great free option to play games without laying down cash or finding a place to store them.
Gaming Friends
Borrowing, trading, and playing together are all great ways to play more games with less cost. Doing game trades with other people does require that you have games in which to trade, but the other two are completely free. What is better than bringing two or more homeschool families together to learn and play? Knowing that the other families have got the games covered. If you have good friends with a great game collection or even a small one, playing together builds that relationship stronger and fills your gameschooling needs. If they are willing to borrow games to you that can be helpful too.
Gameschooling does not have to break the bank. We hope these tips will help you get more gaming into your homeschool experience.
Have fun learning!
