Playing off of the power of visual learning, Bellevue parent Anne Brunell has handcrafted a new board game to help kids put virtues into action. Brunell created the VirtueGame, a bingo-style card game that focuses on teaching virtues to kids.
The game has gone from being a simple concept to a hit in Washington schools and on Amazon.com.
When Brunell first thought of idea two years ago, she was tossing around creative ways to get the students more engaged in the character education programs implemented in some of the Bellevue schools. She met monthly with a group of volunteer moms from Medina Elementary to brainstorm new and creative ways to bring the teaching of virtues into the classroom.
Her nine-year-old son Jack and seven-year-old daughter Kate had taken to character education quickly and Brunell had seen a difference right away. She wanted to keep that momentum going.
She decided to create a board game and hit the hardware store. Her intention was to create a simple game that she could bring into Medina Elementary classrooms for the kids to play with and learn. The initial prototype was elaborate and she quickly realized it could be simplified.
“I began to recognize that the important aspect of the game were the cards,” she said. “So along with my kids help, we came up with a simple and fun game that teaches creativity and virtues all in one.”
Brunell created the bingo-style game and brought it into the classrooms at Medina Elementary. Teachers and principals from other schools began to hear about the game. She soon found herself traveling to schools around Bellevue and in other districts.
“The kids really respond to the game,” she explained, adding, “Even the sixth graders really get into it. They learn the virtues and really understand what each one means. They then put them into action.”
Through play, kids learn how to apply 10 major virtues to their lives including compassion, respect, enthusiasm, trust, friendliness, determination, responsibility, integrity, cooperation and thankfulness.
“When I first had the idea, I never imagined it would become a full time job, but it allows me to contribute in a meaningful way,” Brunell said, who is the founder of the Virtue Toys company. “This game can be used in the classroom or at home. It’s a positive way of parenting.”
The game is manufactured in the U.S and is available through the VirtueGame Web site, on Amazon.com, at the Medina Market, and at Common Folk Kids in Crossroads Bellevue Mall.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
To find out more about the VirtueGame, visit http://www.virtuegame.com/.
VirtueGame
Price: $25.00.
Age: 5+ with reading assistance, 3-6 players
Play time:20 minutes.
