Home Schooling Book Resources

Why Co-operative games for Home Schooling?

Co-operative games produce less aggressive behaviors during and after play and, that as a result, they require less direct supervision by the teachers, it’s a win/win. Read more below…

Games Manual - For various age ranges, from 3-12+ Click for a larger image This softcover book includes over 170 co-op games and activities for ages 3 to 12+. Little or no equipment is required. For small and large groups, from pre-schoolers through primary ages and also junior high level. Play these games in open spaces such as a farm, park or street, or the indoor spaces of a home living room, a school classroom, gym, etc. Try a co-op birthday party, co-op recess time, even a co-op play day. © 1974, 1980Our books contain scores of co-operative games you can play together with little or no equipment. Indoors, outdoors, small groups, or large, of all ages.

Games Manual:
For various age ranges, from 3-12+ This softcover book includes over 170 co-op games and activities for ages 3 to 12+. Little or no equipment is required. For small and large groups, from pre-schoolers through primary ages and also junior high level.

Co-op Marble Games - Ages 6 to 12 Click for a larger image A collection of 50 marble games that are played co-operatively. Each one is described in detail. Line drawings illustrate the text. If you have marbles in the house, you will want to learn how to play these games. If you don't, you'll want to get some after reading this book! © 1987Marble Games:
Ages 6 to 12 A collection of 50 marble games that are played co-operatively. Each one is described in detail. Line drawings illustrate the text.

If you have marbles in the house, you will want to learn how to play these games. If you don’t, you’ll want to get some after reading this book!

Games Kit - 1 to 5 players, Ages 6 to Adult Click for a larger image A thick pad of pencil and paper games. These four word and graph games give many hours of play for the school, family times, rainy days, or when traveling. Useful for teaching languages and, most important, co-operative skills. A Word Bingo game. Use any language. Good for mixed ages. Each person works at their own level, but for a team score. A graph variation of our big board game. Players are a team climbing a mountain with just enough supplies. A unique Crossword Game. Use any language. Everyone helps to make a crossword puzzle on a chosen theme. An elaborate X's and O's game with a Space Future flavor. Black Holes, Suns & Star Clusters unfold. Pad & Rules, 5 x 8 in, comes in a zip lock bag. Includes: 5 x 8" game pad and rules, in a zip lock bag. © 1983, 1997Games Kit:
1 to 5 players, Ages 6 to Adult. A thick pad of pencil and paper games. These four word and graph games give many hours of play for the school, family times, rainy days, or when traveling. Useful for teaching languages and, most important, co-operative skills.



Action Game Plans - Ages 6 to Adult Click for a larger image At our displays, folks sometimes study our large wooden table games and do hasty sketches. With this book of plans, we make it easy for you to build all six of the Action Games yourself. The package contains photographs, materials lists, step by step instructions, illustrations, and rules of play — all you need to get you going. The plans are for the handy person who likes to make wooden games for family and friends, for the teacher looking for interesting woodworking projects, etc.; but not for commercial purposes. The original table games included are: A little cork ball has to be put in goal with puffs of air. A whimsical game about a cat, mouse, birds and a piece of cheese. The co-operative Crokinole game. A combination of billiards, caroms and shuffleboard. A blend of table soccer and pinball with a unique twist. The targets are in the middle at the top of a hill, making for lots of back-and-forth action. © 1983, 1997Games Plans:
Ages 6 to Adult. At our displays, folks sometimes study our large wooden table games and do hasty sketches. With this book of plans, we make it easy for you to build all six of the Action Games yourself.

The package contains photographs, materials lists, step by step instructions, illustrations, and rules of play — all you need to get you going. The plans are for the handy person who likes to make wooden games for family and friends, for the teacher looking for interesting woodworking projects, etc.; but not for commercial purposes.

Books: Games Manual, Marble Games, Games Kit, Games Plans

Early Childhood: Bambino Dino, Early Years, Granny’s House, Harvest Time, Sand Castles

Elementary School: Animal Trackers, Berries Bugs & Bullfrogs, Funny Face, Hugs & Tickles, Yard Sale

Geography: Let’s Go Digging, Mountaineering, Somewhere In the Rockies, Explorers, Somewhere in the Honduras, Somewhere in China

Gifted Resources: Investigators, Sky Travelers, Hotel Ritz, Space Future, Power Blackout, Mayan Calendar, Jsch

Social Studies: Community, Our Town, Ploughshares, Then There Were None, Earth Game, New America

Summer Enrichment: Walk In the Woods, Birds of Summer, Let’s Go Hiking, Farmers Market

Thinking Skills: Gridlock, Maze, Zen Blocks, Brainy Games, Blues Away, Diplomatic Mission, Warp n Woof

Why Co-operative games for Home Schooling?

Games make learning fun. But competitive games pit learners against each other, so someone always ends up feeling bad, or left out.

Play as friends, not as enemies! Our games foster the spirit of co-operation. Players help each other climb a mountain, make a community, bring in the harvest, complete a space exploration… They are never against each other.

After all, the initial impulse to play a game is social; that is, we bring out a game because we want to do something together. How ironic then that in most games, we spend all our efforts trying to bankrupt someone, destroy their armies — in other words, to get rid of one another! We soon learn how to pick on the other person’s weaknesses in order to win the game.

In sharing and working together teacher and students foster a sense of community. When there are no winners and losers, aggressive behavior decreases and less time is wasted sorting out disputes.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis actually investigated the effects of competitive and cooperative games on aggressive and cooperative behaviors of 70 children (4 to 5 years old) from four classes in three preschools using some of our games including Max®, Harvest Time®, Granny’s House®, and Sleeping Grump® and some of our Cooperative Physical Activities).

The key conclusions of the study are that co-operative games produce less aggressive behaviors during and after play and, that as a result, they require less direct supervision by the teachers, it’s a win/win. It could be argued that they would pay for themselves in saved teacher work-hours.