Fun and educational board games

Inside: These are, in our opinion, the 17 best educational board games for kids. We own each game on the list and play them all on a regular basis. Learn basic game rules, the educational focuses of each game, and things to be aware of before purchasing. Board games are one of the easiest and funnest ways to fit in learning naturally. You get to connect with your kids, learn, have fun. Unless of course you hate board games, in which case pick the quick game options on the list.

We play games times a week in our homeschool. I consider them an essential part of our homeschool week because there is just so much learning jam packed into each and every game, no matter which one you choose. It can feel like a big risk depending on your budget. But for our family, investing in board games is a priority. We spend FAR more on educational board games, experiences like museums and interest-led learning than we do on curriculum.

Use the Honey extension on your browser to see how low the price goes on Amazon and wait for that price or add to your cart and get price updates when it goes lower. Not every game on this list will probably end up being your favorite, but again, start with the cheaper ones to work your way up to those bigger game purchases. But it was a favorite when my kids were small! Many of these board games do require reading skills, but there are a few that can be played without knowing how to read.

We own both the original version and the Europe version. Both are fun, but the Europe version is a bit more complicated. Definitely start with the original! At the beginning of the game, each player chooses three route cards to start. Each route card lists two specific cities you need to connect with your tracks, and each route is worth different amounts depending on how far apart the cities are.

You can choose to keep all three routes, but you must keep at least two. If you complete your routes, you can use a turn to pick up more routes later in the game.

Game play takes around 60 minutes, and you can play with players. If your child develops a strong interest in chess, you can always purchase a strategy book like THIS one that teaches various play combinations used by professional chess players. This two-player game can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours to play, depending on the skill level of the players.

If you have toddlers in your homeschool , having a stash of quick and easy games in your collection is a MUST. Learn and practice United States geography each player gets their own United States map. Brush up on state capitols and state nicknames.

The game also builds in language arts with references to vowels, consonants and syllables on the play cards. As each card is flipped, you check to see if you have any state cards in your hand that match what is stated on the card. Mystic Market develops reading skills as almost all games do , learning very low level economics as the potion ingredients constantly shift in value, and balance different strategies for earning the most money by the time the ingredient deck runs out.

Players start the game with a handful of potion ingredient cards. Potion vials sit on a sloped rack, and their position indicates how much they are currently worth. Each potion ingredient requires a certain number of the same cards in order to sell. Determining when to sell is key as the values are constantly shifting based on supply shift cards and when someone else sells a potion ingredient.

On each turn, players can craft as many potions as they want and do only one of the following:. When the ingredient deck runs out, each player gets one last turn, and whoever has the most money wins. The original version allows for up to four players, but the expansion pack that we have increases the number of players to six. This game takes about two hours to play. Catan is a world filled with hexagonal tiles, which represent five individual resources: grain, wood, brick, ore, and sheep.

These resources — in various combinations allow you to build things and buy development cards. Players plan and strategize, and learn resource-management skills. With some categories more obscure than others, players will have to stretch their vocabularies if they hope to win! Players must write their answers in an authoritative style, and use their reading and logic skills in order to fool others and distinguish the real answer from the fake.

Players must think creatively and use their vocabulary and spelling skills as they form words and compete for points. Whether your kids are at home or in the classroom or if their classroom is in your home there are a plethora of ways, including board games, to make learning fun. Find more reviews of educational toys, games, and crafts for kids, here.

Ashley MacQuarrie began writing professionally more than ten years ago and has covered education, technology, current events, pop culture, and other topics. Scrambled States of America has long been one of my kids favorite games, even before we began homeschooling. The card-based challenges may ask a player to find a state that starts with N, a state that borders California, or a state that has water on three sides.

Each player is dealt 20 cards featuring details bout countries around the world, including facts, flags, capital cities, and more. And with all intentionally recognized countries included in the deck, you can even use them as flash cards.

Related: Check out these 4 fun games that my older and younger kids like playing together. An honorable mention of mine goes to the absolutely stunning World Card Series set. These are regular playing cards that you can use in any standard card game with your kids , but each one contains an interesting fact about that continent on the flip side.

One of my favorite quick 15 minutes! Each player is dealt one of cards with historical events on them, and the goal is to lay them on the table in the correct place on the timeline. There are dozens of variations with decks offering themes like Timeline: Inventions , Timeline: Americana , and Timeline: Music.

As with all the games here, I bet you can find the original card decks at your local, independent toy seller. You can play Republicans vs. Democrats, boys vs. Parents are saying that this award-winning game offers so many different ways to approach your strategy, that it keeps gameplay interesting, even when you play over and over again.

While these games may not teach history directly, I find they always spark interesting conversations around our table, which become a great opportunity to teach. Related: The best homeschooling resources for newbies: ELA, science, math, and social studies home learning. This educational game for 6-year-olds gives a good lesson in tactical strategy and maneuvers, and features 3 tiles each of 36 possible color symbol combinations.

The rules are easy to follow— just match tiles based on shape or color and build lines to score points. You can score more by placing a tile that touches many pieces with matching features, and create a Qwirkie by matching all 6 features. The task of building complex combinations will challenge kids and help to enhance problem-solving skills, quick thinking, spatial recognition, and planning.

Made of strong cardboard, it includes durable, wooden Qwirkle tiles in vibrant colors, a rule book, and a canvas drawstring bag. It requires 2 to 4 players and is enjoyed by the young and old alike. An extremely engaging and educational board game for kids, it comprises 12 activities which can be repeated and develop the core skills of your child. Age-appropriate, innovative content, and skill-oriented, this game includes 6 double-sided activity mats, a Skilly Billy dry erase marker pen, a Skilly Billy achievement certificate, and a duster cloth.

Instructions to solve the activities come with all the activity mats. Children learn key concepts while bonding with family and friends and having fun. Skills like problem solving, strategising, observation, social communication, concentration, thinking out of the box, decoding patterns, solving equations and mental math can be developed using this game. Perfect for children above the age of 6, the write-and-wipe format allows children to understand and learn concepts at their own time through repetition.

An extremely simple learning board game to play, each player is given a single card— a werewolf, minion, or tanner, who are the bad guys, or a troublemaker, seer, or robber, who are the good guys, all with special abilities. Only you can see your card, which gives you a special power to help the werewolf or other team. You can go to the free app, which walks you through the night phase and discuss and try to figure out who the werewolves are in 5 minutes!

It requires 3 to 10 players and is suitable for children above the age of 8. Ideal for a family game night, this award winning and best selling game is thoroughly enjoyed by families as they share memories and plan about where to travel next.

Especially designed to be both educational and entertaining, all the park cards have an awesome photograph and an interesting fact that encourages players to explore the protected national parks of America.

Each game begins with a unique setup so that you have a new experience every time you play. The rules are simple to understand and follow, and gives you a chance to practise strategies.

These sturdy, interlocking cards enhance early reading and grammar skills that include punctuation, capital letters, parts of speech, and building sentences and more. This learning board game features 86 cards— 55 word, 27 photo, and 4 punctuation cards, sample sentences, multiple reading and writing game ideas, and teaching suggestions.

Each card is 2. Ideal for kids between kindergarten and grade 2, it gives practice in building proper sentences with familiar picture cards and sight words. Simple sentences can be constructed by interlocking puzzle pieces, which also gives practice in early reading and writing. This game helps them achieve their highest potential in learning, social skills, communication, behavior and emotions.