Teaching with Games

Jumping Through History with Time Jumpers

This post is sponsored by SimplyFun. One of the things I’m always looking for as a homeschooling family are quality games with educational elements that feel just like a normal, modern board game.

Time Jumpers is a new game from SimplyFun that works well for 3rd and 4th grade history and social studies!

Time Jumpers Overview

In Time Jumpers, players jump through time to learn about the 20th century. The game has cards for each year spanning 1900 to 1999 and depicts notable achievements, discoveries, and events from each year on the card. You’ll move around the central category portal collecting cards and work to place them in chronological order on your player board.

At the start of their turn, players select a card from their current location to add to their player board. Then they move their pawn.

Players can move their pawn either to the space to the left, right, or to the color category of the card they selected. Wherever they choose, this will be their starting location for their next turn.

Players compete against each other to earn the most points by completing the different sections of their player board which involve goals like collecting cards from each color category, having the largest span between two years, and having a card from each decade.

The player with the most points wins the game!

Traveling the 20th Century with Time Jumpers

I really enjoy Time Jumpers’ approach to satisfying a History + Social Studies focused educational standard without having it become a trivia game.

One of the more challenging elements to teach is the concept of dates. They seem simple but can be hard for kids to think of and visualize. Time Jumpers really helps show these concepts.

You use all the necessary language like Century, Decade, and Year throughout the game. These concepts are then put into practice as players work to order each year chronologically.

The Century Catalog is great for helping kids strategize where they should or shouldn’t place a card on their board. Just looking at the year 1967 doesn’t really mean that much, especially to younger players. By using the Century Catalog they can see that it’s closer to the end of the century than the beginning and use that knowledge to inform their placement decisions.

Likewise, the Century Catalog can also be used to help players make placement decisions as it relates to color. Having all the information available and easily visible encourages kids to think strategically before making their move, rather than just going through the motions.

Building History Skills with Chronology

Historical chronology helps students build a nice foundation for their history education.

First and foremost this helps them grasp the sequence of events in history which allows for a better understanding of cause and effect relationships in regards to historical events. For instance, they can see that the Digital Camera was first invented in 1975 which was 27 years after the first Polaroid Instant Camera.

This gives the opportunity to analyze those relationships, making connections between them and learning how one led to another. Something incredibly important, especially when learning about heavier topics in history.

After the game, it’s a great time to look over the cards kids placed on their board, find for those connections and discuss them.

This can spark curiosity and help build their knowledge base by connecting key discoveries or events with their dates.

Having an understanding of the chronological connections between various dates and events will also aid players in their communication skills be it through writing, speaking, or storytelling.

Educational and Fun

Time Jumpers gets our approval! This is a great options for any educational shelf.

Games play quickly and intentionally blend together fun and strategic game play with a unique and educational theme.

Time Jumpers does a great job of making sure that the educational element is front and center for kids. By giving them tools like the Century Catalog, having information be out in the open, and practicing chronological ordering in a few different ways on their player board. I could see my kids gaining a better understanding of this concept and walk away from the game with improved skills.

Time Jumpers is great for kids ages 8+ and especially for those in the 3rd and 4th grades.

You can purchase a copy of Time Jumpers for your home here.