Cycle 1 Second Semester Review Games
Looking for some fun and creative ways to review the Classical Cycle 1 memory work? These engaging Cycle 1 review games for Weeks 13-24 will help your children practice and retain the new grammar they’ve learned.
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Last week we finished up Cycle 1 Week 18. My girls learned about some more African countries as they continued to work through their new African Countries workbook. We played a Mesoamerica dice game which also includes the locations for this week. My daughters loved making their own wigwams out of homemade play dough and brown construction paper as we learned about the Mound builders. My daughter also did a Mound builder maze that I made that helped her practice the history sentence. We learned about the Ocean Floor and my daughters worked on a color by number that helped them see the different parts. Read more about what we did at home during week 18 here. If you’re curious about what we did at home during the first semester of Cycle 1, read more here. You can also get a peek into our first couple of homeschool weeks here.
Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling
If you are part of a Classical homeschooling community, are you tutoring? If you are, be sure to check out my posts with tutor ideas for the first twenty weeks here.
Also, I have a youtube channel where I make videos with tutor and memory work ideas each week. Below is my tutor video for Cycle 1 Week 18. Visit my channel for tutor ideas for many other weeks and other videos with homeschooling tips and encouragement.
Reviewing the Memory Work At Home
In this post, I share with you about my weekly homeschool rhythms with my small children (ages five, three and one). I explain about the activities, games, and readings we do together to review the Cycle 1 memory work (new grammar) at home throughout the week. Since last week we finished Cycle 1 Week 18, this week we will focus on reviewing the Cycle 1 material we have learned so far this year.
Morning Devotional Time
I continue to begin each day with our morning devotional time. This is my favorite part of the day with my kids. It is also one of my favorite things about homeschooling. I love that we don’t have to rush out of the door in the morning. My kids get the sleep they need and we can linger over breakfast and read God’s word together.
I have learned some morning habits that help us all get down to breakfast at the same time. This helps me make the most of our morning time together. Read more about these habits here.
Once we are all sitting around the breakfast table and my kids start eating, I begin with our Bible reading time. I read to them a small passage from my Bible and then the corresponding story in The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible. (TCICB). This Bible has BEAUTIFUL illustrations and is very accurate to the truth of the actual Bible.
Bible Study
This week I take a little break from the Foundations of The Bible study from @drivenbygrace that we have been doing, and we just focus on reading Bible stories. Each day I choose a story that goes along with the Bible memory work from the last six weeks. Monday, we read about Joseph; Tuesday, we read about Moses; Wednesday we read about Aaron, and Thursday and Friday we read about the plagues of Egypt. My daughter also wants to change it up a bit and read some Bible stories from 365 Bible Stories and Prayers.
It is great to review these stories and talk more about them with my kids. If you’re curious about more of what I do in our morning devotional time, read my post about it here.
The 24 Family Ways
Also, each day we review one of the Family Ways (from Sally and Clay Clarkson’s 24 Family Ways) that we have learned about in the previous six weeks. Usually I leave one of the 24 Family Ways and a corresponding Bible verse on my chalk boards for the entire week. However, this week, I put a different Family Way and Bible verse on the chalkboards each morning so we can review them. It is so fun to see how well my kids remember them and how they mostly have the Bible verses memorized!
I also have found songs that match with each Bible verse that I play after we eat breakfast. The songs I use are mostly from Steve Green’s CDs. I play some of these songs again this week and it’s so encouraging to see how well my kids remember them. Songs truly are amazing for helping children memorize the Bible. Download my matchup of the 24 Family Ways with Bible verses and songs from my Resource Library.
Singing Hymns
We also continue to sing a few hymns each morning from this book called My First Hymnal by Karyn Henley. I let my kids each choose a hymn to sing and I sing it for them (sometimes they join in). It’s great that they are learning hymns and the ones in this book are fabulous for kids.
Weekly Memory work songs
This week we review a lot of the memory work songs from second semester as we play review games. I also play some of these songs as I’m cleaning up breakfast and while we are in the car. Check out my youtube channel for playlists of Cycle 1 songs for English, Science and Geography.
A Review Week Each Quarter
Every six weeks or each quarter, I take a week “off” of homeschooling with my kids. This means I solely focus on reviewing what they have learned during the previous six weeks. We spend less time on math and language arts and more time playing fun memory work review games together. Scheduling in these break weeks is a good change of pace for my kids and me. Regular review is also extremely important to helping children retain what they have learned.
Why is a Quarterly Review Week Important?
A week each quarter to completely focus on review helps children build a solid foundation for what they will learn in future weeks. Repetition is essential in solidifying facts in long-term memory, especially when it comes to the grammar stage of Classical education. By revisiting the memory work weekly and each quarter, children have the opportunity to connect ideas, deepen understanding, and gain confidence in their knowledge. Consistent review not only reinforces learning but also makes it easier to add new layers of information as the year progresses.
Taking a Break to Prevent Burnout
Homeschooling takes a lot of work and energy. To avoid burnout, it’s important to have weeks that offer a change of pace. These breaks help both parents and kids recharge. Instead of the usual morning routine, setting a simple goal of playing a few review games can make these weeks more relaxed and enjoyable.
Cycle 1 Review Games
My kids and I play SIX fun review games for Cycle 1, Weeks 13-18. The first game focuses on geography. We use a map I made of all the places we’ve learned during weeks 13-17 and play a game called Tornado. The second game is a History monopoly style board game that reviews all the history memory work from Cycle 1. The third game is a science Old Maid card game that includes all the science memory work from weeks 13-24. The fourth game is an Easter/Spring themed Candy-land style board game called Memory Work Meadowland. The fifth game is a set of helping and linking verb cards that you can play Go Fish or Memory with. The last game is Latin Bingo game that reviews all of the Latin noun endings from weeks 15-24.
Geography Review Game: “Tornado”
The first Cycle 1 review game focuses on reviewing the geography from weeks 13-17. For this game, you will need:
- 26 Popsicle sticks
- Empty can or cup
- Map of Cycle 1 Weeks 13-17 locations (get for free here!)
- Dry erase pocket sleeve or this is the laminator I have that I use all the time and love!
- Dry erase marker
- Sharpie pen
- Timer
Before Playing the Game
Write all the locations from Cycle 1 Weeks 13-17 on Popsicle sticks using a Sharpie pen. Try to write on only the bottom half of the Popsicle stick. Here is a list of all the geography locations in Cycle 1 by week:
- Cycle 1 Week 13: (Western Africa)
- Atlantic Ocean
- Senegal River
- Niger River
- Sahara Desert
- Ivory Coast
- Cycle 1 Week 14: (Ancient Africa)
- Ancient Ghana
- Ancient Mali
- Western Sahara
- Fez
- Tangier
- Cycle 1 Week 15: (Middle East)
- Israel
- Sinai Peninsula
- Suez Canal
- Cairo
- Gaza Strip
- Cycle 1 Week 16: (African Waters)
- Congo River
- Lake Victoria
- Zambezi River
- Orange River
- Cycle 1 Week 17: (African Countries)
- Ethiopia
- Mozambique
- Zimbabwe
- South Africa
- Madagascar
Choose 2 Popsicle sticks to write the word “TORNADO” on instead of a geographical location. See picture above. Put all the Popsicle sticks in an empty can or cup with the labeled halves of the sticks at the bottom of the can so your child cannot see what they say. Print out a copy of the Cycle 1 Weeks 13-17 Geography map. Give your child the laminated map (with locations NOT labeled) or the map in the dry erase pocket sleeve and a dry erase marker. The object of this game is to correctly find the most locations in a minute.
How To Play “TORNADO”
At the start of the timer, your child grabs a Popsicle stick, finds the matching location, and marks an “X” on the correct spot on the map with a dry erase marker. Put that Popsicle stick aside and let the child choose another Popsicle stick. If multiple children are playing, have them alternate choosing Popsicle sticks. When a child pulls a Popsicle stick out of the can that says “TORNADO,” he or she must erase all the dry erase “X’s” from the map and start over.
Remember, you child only has one minute! When the time runs out, have your child count how many locations he or she was able to find.
My daughters and I really enjoy playing this game. As we play, we sing some of the geography songs we have learned during the last six weeks. See my geography playlist for these fun tunes.
Download this game for FREE here: Geography Tornado Review Game
Historyopoly!
The next Cycle 1 review game is a History Monopoly-style board game! Step into the past with this engaging and educational history-themed board game where players buy, trade, and own famous historical events!
This game includes ALL of this historical events from Cycle 1 history in Classical homeschooling. For example, some of the historical events are: The British North America Act of 1867, Prince Henry of Portugal, The Kush, Japan’s Heian Period, and The Romans.
How to Play Historyopoly
Cut out all the cards, money, flags, and game tokens and place them around the board per the game instructions. Each player chooses a historical token to represent them in the game and a flag color.
All players put their token on “History Marches On.” Players roll the die and move clockwise around the board.
If a player lands on a Historical Event Space, they must correctly say the history sentence in order to claim that space. They also must pay the bank and put one of their historical markers on the space.
Some spaces allow players to draw a Discovery Card, which may give rewards or benefits. For example, if a player draws a Hall of History Pass, they get to move to an unowned matching historical event space and own it for free!
Some special spaces on the board are:
- Temple of the Gods: When a player lands on this space, they must name a Greek or Roman god. If they cannot name a god correctly, they lose their next turn.
- Wonder of the World: When a player lands on this space, they must name one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. If they cannot do this, they lose their next turn.
- Mount Sinai: The Law is Given: When a player lands on this space, they must recite one of the Ten Commandments. If they cannot, they lose their next turn.
The game ends when a player goes bankrupt. All the other players count up their money. The player with the most cash on hand wins!
This game is PERFECT for learning about and reviewing Cycle 1 history! Download it from my Etsy shop below!
Science Review Old Maid Game
Another fun Cycle 1 review game we enjoy playing is this Science Memory Work OLD MAID game. This game reviews the science memory work from Cycle 1, Weeks 13-24. There are 28 different science themed cards + 4 different “Old Maid” options.
How to Play “Science OLD MAID”
Cut out the cards and laminate if you wish. Choose one of the four different “Old Maid” cards to play the game with.
Mix up the cards and deal all the cards evenly among players. Some players may have one extra card. Each player looks at their cards and removes any matching pairs from their hand. They set any pairs aside in a discard pile. Players can put the rest of their cards face down in front of them or hold them in their hand.
The first player draws one card from another player. If the drawn card forms a pair with a card in their hand, they place the pair in the discard pile. If not, they keep the card. The turn moves clockwise to the next player, who then draws from another player.
Play continues until all possible pairs are matched, leaving one player with the “Old Maid” card. The player left with the “Old Maid” card loses! All other players are winners.
You can download this Old Maid game for FREE here: Science Review OLD MAID
Memory Work Meadowland
I’m excited to share with you a fun Easter/Spring themed review game that I recently made. It’s the perfect way to review ALL of the memory work subjects from this year! This “Candy-land” style board game is called Memory Work Meadowland.
For this game, you will need:
- Memory Work Meadowland game board (laminate if you wish)
- A game marker for each player (markers from another board game, small pieces of paper, candy, etc.)
- Memory Work Meadowland cards cut out and laminated if you wish (print out several copies of cards)
How to Play Memory Work Meadowland
To play this game, shuffle all the cards and place them face down within reach of all players. The youngest player goes first. On a player’s turn, he or she draws a card.
The card may contain a single color block, two color blocks, or a picture of a place on the board.
- Color card: player moves to the next space that matches the color on the card
- Card with two colors: the player moves to the second space that matches
- Picture card: player moves tot he space that matches the picture
The player must then answer a review question of the subject corresponding to the color or picture of the card. If the player answers correctly, he or she keeps his or her game marker on that spot. If the question is not answered correctly, player goes back to previous spot.
Some tiles on the board are shortcuts with water slides. If a player lands on a tile with the beginning of a water slide, he or she must slide forward to the tile where the water slide ends. If a player lands on a space that contains the bottom of a ladder, he or she must climb the ladder back up to the space with the top of the ladder (ladders make you go backwards in this game!).
Players switch off drawing cards and answering review questions. The first player to reach the church WINS!
You can purchase this Memory Work Meadowland board game from my Etsy shop. I love giving away games and activities away for free. However, this game took me a lot more time to make and I would greatly appreciate your support if you desire to purchase this game from my shop.
Helping and Linking Verb Card Games
You can use these helping verb and linking verb cards in many different ways. The helping verb card set includes all 15 helping verbs plus the definition from Cycle 1 Weeks 14-19. The linking verb card set includes all 11 linking verbs, plus the 8 “to be” linking verbs and the definition from Cycle 1 Weeks 20-24. Each card has the helping or linking verb, a sentence using the verb and a related picture. You can download both of these card games with the rest of the Cycle 1 review games mentioned in this post here.
How to Play Helping Verb “Go Fish”
My daughters and I enjoy playing “Go Fish” with these helping verb cards.
Print four copies of each page of the helping verb cards, cut them out and laminate them if you wish. I recommend printing the cards on card stock so they aren’t see-through.
Mix up the cards and deal 5 cards to each player. Place the rest of the cards face down in a draw pile (the “fish pond”).
The first player looks at their cards and asks another player for a specific card that they already have in their hand. Encourage your children to try to read the helping verbs and the sentences if they can. Or they can just describe the picture on the card.
If the player has the card asked for, they must give it to the first player. If they have more than one of the card, they must give all of them to the first player, or they say, “Go fish” if they don’t have the card.
When someone says, “Go fish,” the player picks one card from the “fish pond.” If the player draws the card they asked for, they show it to everyone and take another turn. If not, they keep the card and their turn ends.
Once a player collects all four cards of the same helping verb, they place the cards in front of them so everyone can see.
The game ends when all the cards are gone or no more sets can be made. The player with the most sets of helping verbs wins! Download this game for free with the other Cycle 1 review games mentioned in this post here.
Check out my video below with the song we sing to help us remember these helping verbs. This video also includes the hand motions that I teach as a tutor.
Linking Verbs Memory
I also have a set of linking verb cards that my children and I play Memory with.
To play “Memory,” print two copies of each page of the linking verb cards. I also recommend printing these cards on card stock so they aren’t see-through. Cut out each of the cards and laminate them if you wish.
Mix them up, and place them face down on a flat surface. Players take turns to flip over two cards. If a matching pair is found, the player will collect these cards and take another turn. If the cards do not match, turn them back over and move onto the next player.
Continue until all the cards have been matched. The player with the most matches wins. You will naturally learn about the linking verbs as you play!
Download this game for free with the other Cycle 1 review games mentioned in this post here.
Here is my video of the song we sing to remember these linking verbs.
Latin Bingo Game
We also enjoy playing the Latin noun ending Bingo game I made. This game has seven different Bingo cards with all 27 different Latin noun endings from Cycle 1 Weeks 15-24. You can download this Latin game with the other Cycle 1 review games mentioned in this post for FREE here.
Cycle 1 Picture Books for Second Semester
Be sure to check out my Cycle 1 picture booklist if you haven’t already! This booklist is filled with wonderful books that align with the memory work for the second semester of Cycle 1 in Classical Conversations (weeks 13-24).
Reading good books with my children is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling. It’s a fun and meaningful way for them to learn about fascinating topics. We read even more books this week since we have a little more time!
Africa Map with Felt Countries
We have been LOVING learning the countries of Africa as part of the geography this year. I made this fun Africa map that we have on our wall by our kitchen table with all the countries made out of felt.
My girls love taking the countries off and on as we learn their names and locations.
I have the patterns for all the African countries, as well as a tutorial about how to make this kind of map in my Etsy shop. Also see my video below for how to make this map with just a few materials:
- Quilter’s Freezer Paper
- Hard korean felt for countries (7 different colors)
- Hard korean felt for continent
- White Fusible Felt
- Magnetic snaps
- Exacto knife
- Fabric Scissors
- Removable mounting strips
Africa, South America, and Canada Puzzles
My daughter also enjoys putting together this Africa puzzle. She absolutely loves puzzles and it’s a great way that I can spend some time with her while the younger kids nap. I especially love these Geo Puzzles because the pieces are the actual shapes of the countries. They have puzzles for the other parts of the world as well! We have also enjoyed putting together South America and Canada this year.
Cycle 1 Weeks 13-24 Review Games
Here is a set of the review games I mentioned above. You can sign up below to receive all these games for FREE! (Africa country patterns and Historyopoly game are not included in this set. Get these from my Etsy shop.)
How do you review with your kids over break? Do you take weeks off to rest and review sometimes? Comment below and let me know how that works in your family.
