For teachers and homeschoolers
A guide to Gameschooling
Aligns with years 1–8 of the Australian (ACARA), NSW (NESA), and Victorian (VCAA) curriculums.
also available on amazon.com.au
Unlock the extraordinary power of play with this essential resource for educators and parents
- A catalogue of 80 board, card and role-playing games, each mapped to real curriculum outcomes across years 1–8
- Aligned to the Australian Curriculum ACARA, with NSW NESA and Victorian VCAA equivalents
- Simple “look for” indicators to help highlight learning
- Practical modifications to adapt and extend games
- A curriculum index so you can search for games by year, subject or outcome
Adam Walker has taught in both mainstream and Steiner schools in NSW for the past 20 years. He now runs Outside the Box: Gameschooling, hosting days for parents, teachers and homeschooled children.
About the book
A Guide to Gameschooling is a practical resource for parents and teachers who want to use everyday board games as meaningful learning tools.
Written from more than twenty years of teaching experience, as well as the author’s own experience using games with his children, the book explores how play can support mathematics, English, humanities, problem-solving, social skills and more—without turning every game into a lesson.
For homeschoolers, much of the hard work has already been done. Each game is linked to relevant curriculum outcomes, making it easy to see how everyday gameplay can contribute to a child’s learning. Rather than trying to interpret curriculum documents and work out how an activity might fit, parents can choose a game, follow the suggested learning opportunities and see the outcomes it can support.
The curriculum index also works in reverse. If there is a particular outcome or learning area that needs to be covered, parents can look it up and find games that provide opportunities to explore it. For teachers, these same links provide a practical starting point for programming, lesson planning and identifying opportunities to use games within existing units of work.
The book includes a catalogue of 80 board, card and role-playing games, with suggested learning areas, developmental stages, practical modifications and links to curriculum outcomes. Alongside the catalogue are chapters exploring how to facilitate games, teach explicitly through gameplay, use games in the classroom, design games with children, and extend learning beyond the board.
Drawing on experience in both mainstream and Steiner education, A Guide to Gameschooling offers a flexible approach to learning through play—for homeschool families, classroom teachers and anyone looking for a different way to engage children in meaningful learning.
Aligned with the Australian Curriculum (ACARA v9), with VCAA and NESA equivalents included.
What readers are saying
Read reviews on AmazonWhat a fantastic resource for any educator or family! I stumbled upon this as I was writing our education plan for our first year of homeschooling. I wanted to include some board games in each curriculum area, but felt daunted by the available game options and the time it would take to individually research and match each game to an element of the curriculum. This book will save me hours!
My favourite part is the curriculum index, where I can search by year level, then curriculum area and finally ACARA code (also includes NESA and VCAA). It is helping me fill holes in my education plan with ease. I can also see this book as being valuable in my career as a secondary teacher. I am often looking for board games to use in my homeroom classes.
As a parent, it will also be a fantastic tool to reinforce any learning from school or to focus on any areas where my kids need more practice. Including HPE learning outcomes was a brilliant idea too! With 80+ games covered, this book is great value, will grow with our kids and our game collection and also be pulled out often. I love that my kids can also use it to find games and justify their choices! Thanks Adam for all the work you put in to this wonderful resource.
Contact the author
Adam runs Outside the Box: Gameschooling groups with children and their parents in the Northern Rivers. He runs workshops for teachers and is available for online consultation.
