Gameschooling is not a new concept for me, but it’s not something I have utilized a lot in our home education until recently. In the past, we always had babies and toddlers in the house and bringing out games with small pieces seemed futile. Also, with toddlers, trying to sit down and do much of anything organized with the older children (that the younger ones couldn’t be a part of) seemed impossible. Finally, we haven’t had the physical space to store a lot of games in our most recent living situations.

When my older children were around 9-10 years old, we turned a corner! The older children could play games independently, and the younger ones don’t eat and destroy everything. In a nutshell, we have entered our game era and I am so excited about that! 

One holiday season a few years ago, I started researching and collecting games that are slanted towards education. Between my homeschool mama friends, blogs, reviews, and personal experience, I made a master list of educational card and board games that we enjoy or are working on collecting. Here is my list, along with a description of each game so you can decide which ones to put on your list. 

I have found that “gameschooling” is such a great way to enrich our regular homeschool studies – and sometimes in lieu of formal schooling when we need a break or change of routine. It’s also a great strategy for getting over a block in learning something specific that a child may be struggling with. 

In this blog post:

• Children’s games for math practice
• Kid’s games for language and spelling
• Children’s games for logic skills
• Science and nature games for kids
• Kid’s games for geography and history
• Children’s games to encourage fun and laughter
• Hands-on learning activities from Treehouse Schoolhouse

Children’s games for math practice

​​I am loving utilizing games as an organic approach to bring math to life and show my children how these principles can be applied in the real world – but also in play and fun! These options introduce math concepts to children, including counting, addition, subtraction, division, numerical order, and even pre-algebra!

1. Prime Climb – Inspire deeper math skills by learning multiplication, division, factorization, and prime number concepts. 
2. Check the Fridge – A hilarious game of bluffing where kids develop confidence and solid math skills as players use strategy and logic to accumulate cards adding to 25.
3. Adsumudi for Little Ones – Help children learn through play with structured math activities.
4. I Sea 10! – Develop number sense as players make combinations of number cards to add up to 10.
5. Blobby’s Pizza – Strengthen STEM math, fractions, decimals and percentages in this strategic pizza-eating contest game.
6. Racko – Race to draw and discard cards to position 10 cards in numerical sequence. 
7. Clumsy Thief – Develop confident math skills and laugh along the way as players pile up stacks of cash (amounting to $100).
8. Yahtzee – Take turns rolling the dice to score different number combinations, practicing addition and multiplication.
9. Balance Beans – Witness pre-algebra concepts come to life as players set up beans according to a challenge and place them on a seesaw to keep it from teetering. When the seesaw is balanced, players are actually balancing an equation!
10. Five Crowns – Players use their hand of cards to keep their own scores low and their opponents score high in this rummy-style game with a one of a kind deck of cards.
11. Monopoly – Monopoly is all about buying, trading, and selling properties in order to win! It’s great for money math practice. 
12. Monopoly Deal – This abbreviated version of Monopoly teaches players how to collect properties while managing finances.
13. Shut the Box – Practice addition to close all of the tiles on the game board in this classic dice game.
14. Sums in Space – Blast off as players use addition and subtraction to explore space in this math game.
15. Pay Day – Earn money, make deals, pay salaries in more in this classic money game.
16. Tiny Polka Dot – This is an easy to learn game that teaches counting, arithmetic, and logic.
17. Sleeping Queens and Sleeping Queens 2 – These are some of my family’s favorite games. Develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills in this imaginative card game.
18. Farkle – This dice game teaches probability and risk assessment as players must decide whether to bank their points or gamble for a higher score at the risk of losing everything.
19. Sushi Go – This game reinforces strategic planning and probability as players calculate which card combinations will yield the highest point values.
20. Skyjo – This card game focuses on basic arithmetic and number comparison, teaching players how to use addition and subtraction to minimize their total score.
21. Proof – This game sharpens mental math skills by challenging players to find complex equations using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square roots.

Kid’s games for language and spelling

Games are an excellent way to promote letter recognition, spelling, storytelling, phonics, conversation, and more. While many of these games can be played with both older children and adults, many can also be adapted for the little ones to participate as well.

1. Scrabble and Scrabble Junior – Use wooden tiles to string letters together and build words in order to win.
2. Listography – Create unique lists based on a challenge and the best one wins! (This one is best for ages 12+.)
3. Zingo – Pre-readers and early readers can practice word recognition and critical thinking skills in this bingo-style game.
4. Boggle – Shake up the letters and perform rapid word searches in this quick, competitive game.
5. Bananagrams – Race to spell and arrange letters in a crossword-style grid.
6. Word on the Street – Develop vocabulary skills, creative thinking, and encourage teamwork as players move the consonants in the chosen word to their side of the street!
7. Apples to Apples Junior – For ages 9+, players will delight in the crazy comparisons while expanding their vocabulary and thinking skills.
8. Upwords – Practice spelling and critical thinking as players use letter tiles to spell words across or down and on top of tiles to change words altogether.
9. Create A Story Cards – Foster imaginative play, storytelling, and narration as players arrange the cards to prompt and create a new story every time!
10. Table Topics – Engage children in conversation with a range of silly to thought-provoking questions.
11. Sight Word Swat – Players build reading, spelling, and vocabulary as they race to swat the word that’s called out loud.
12. Story Cubes – Roll the dice and combine items, characters, places, and animals to craft and share unique tales as players engage in storytelling.
13. P is for Pizza – Encourage talking, critical thinking, and laughter as players shout out words that link the letter on one card to the category on another.
14. Mad Libs – Stretch vocabulary and grammar skills along in a funny, silly way as you words to fill in the blanks.
15. Word a Round – Build vocabulary and improve concentration as players try to unravel the letter on a card and decipher what word they spell.
16. Scattegories – This classic, word-based game enhances vocabulary and creative thinking as players must quickly recall specific nouns and adjectives that fit unique categories along with some laughs.
17. Codenames – This game requires players to connect seemingly unrelated words through a single, clever hint.
18. Snap it Up – This speedy card game reinforces phonics and spelling through rapid-fire matching and pattern recognition. It’s a good one for early readers as it encourages them to process words quickly.

Children’s games for logic skills

Games that emphasize logic skills like reasoning, critical thinking and mental flexibility are an asset to any home education setting. These games each have a unique way of encouraging logic and deduction skills for both older and younger kids.

1. IQ Circuit – Build concentration skills, problem-solving abilities, spatial insight, logic, and more in this compact brainteaser.
2. Mastermind – Players test logic and deduction skills with this classic, code-breaking game.
3. Roller Coaster Challenge – Practice critical thinking, engineering, reasoning, and planning skills as players complete challenges of increasing difficulty in this STEM game.
4. Kanoodle – Players use combinations of colored connected beads to complete colorful 2D and 3D puzzles in this assembly and disassembly game.
5. Laser Maze – Laser Maze requires players to use mirrors, beam-splitters, and science skills as they make plans to direct the laser through a series of mazes.
6. The Genius Star – Players will use logic, spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills to fit uniquely shaped puzzle pieces onto a star-shaped grid.
7. Mindware Q-Bitz – Practice symmetry, visual dexterity, and quick thinking in this competitive game.
8. Battleship – Battleship is the classic, ultimate seek-and-destroy naval combat game that uses strategy and coordinates to locate and destroy the opponent’s naval fleet.
9. Sequence for Kids – This version teaches logical sequencing and spatial awareness as children learn to plan their moves to form a row of four.
10. Catan – At its core, Catan teaches players how to trade effectively and adapt their strategy based on market scarcity.
11. Azul – This tile-placement game fosters pattern recognition as players must complete designs without wasting materials.
12. The Uzzle – This rapid puzzle game develops fine motor skills and spatial visualization as players race to recreate 3D patterns using colorful blocks.

Science and nature games for kids

Not only do these games encourage the subjects and topics l love, but they are a fun way to expose children to different science and nature concepts and vocabulary. 

1. Tree Bingo – Master the trees of the forest with this bingo game featuring information and quirky facts for 64 well- and lesser-known trees.
2. Wildcraft! – Discover herb names and uses as players go on an imaginary adventure foraging plants through forests, trails, and waterfalls!
3. Organ Attack – Laugh while learning about the human body as players use immunity, affliction, and other tactics to protect themselves while inflicting disease on their opponents. 
4. Totally Gross: The Game of Science – Learn about gross and icky topics as players perform investigations on topics ranging from biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, zoology, anatomy, and physics.
5. Professor Noggin’s Card Games – This series of educational card games encourages kids to learn interesting facts about their favorite subjects.
6. Pandemic – Players collaborate as they plan their strategy of eradicating the diseases before it overwhelms the world in this imaginative game.
7. Periodic Game of Elements – Master chemistry topics like atoms, elements, and compound in this strategy game.
8. Science Ninjas: Valence Card Game – Assemble teams of science ninjas to build new molecules out of elements to earn points in this action-packed card game! 
9. Fish n’ Flip – Work together to rescue maritime animals from entanglement, using cards strategically to navigate the rescue mission.
10. Arboretum – Create a path though a beautiful garden in this simple, elegant game. 
11. Gathering a Garden – Players develop basic skills like patience, counting and categories of plants and gardening.
12. Splendor – This game teaches about resources and planning as players collect gems to fund projects and gain prestige and influence.
13. Hive – This game develops spatial reasoning by challenging players to anticipate how moving or adding pieces will change the physical shape of the board.

Kid’s games for geography and history

I am loving the way these games add meaning to places in the world and events in history, and give context to things we learn about in stories and books.

1. Trekking the National Parks – This game was created by a couple who traveled to every single national park before working with their son to make this game.
2. Ticket to Ride – Players race to build train routes across iconic American cities in this award-winning board game.
3. Rand McNally: The Ultimate Map It! Seek & Find Atlas of Brainy Challenges – Each cleverly designed challenge features a section of the Rand McNally atlas and sneaks in geography while learning how to use and read maps.
4. Wild Kratts Around the World Game – Race around the world with the Kratt Brothers and their friends while learning about animals and their habitats.
5. The World Game – Players will race around the world, training their memory and brain while learning to recognize flags, capital cities, landmarks, and more.
6. Flags of the World Travel Game – Learn the flags of major world countries by matching the flag to the country.
7. Continent Race – Become the first player to collect all the continents and locate the countries on the map.
8. 7 Wonders – As a leader of one of the seven greatest cities of the ancient world, players will gather resources and build cities to create architectural wonders.
9. Trekking Through History – History buffs will love exploring the world and meeting legendary people – meet all the people you can before the time runs out.
10. Geography Bingo – This game reinforces world layout and cultural identification, helping players memorize country locations, landmarks, and flags
11. The World Game – Players use facts about populations, land area, and continents to outsmart their opponents.

Children’s games to encourage fun and laughter

I love any game that gets us laughing! While this isn’t an educational subject, I think these are worth mentioning, because laughter breaks up a hard homeschool day and connects hearts. 

1. Happy Salmon – This exciting, thrilling game will have players laughing as you compete to move faster, shout louder, and outwit your opponents in this exhilarating 90-second free-for-all.
2. Throw Throw Burrito – This game combines a card matching game, dodgeball, and some toy burritos for a lot of fun!
3. Exploding Kittens – Exploding Kittens is a crazy card game full of some strange and funny cards, including exploding kittens and more!
4. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza – This is a quick and simple party game where players race against each other to slap a match between a card and spoken word.
5. 5 Second Rule – Pick a card, read the topic, and race against a five-second timer to name three things along with laughs and funny answers.
6. Cartoon It! – This is a fast-paced memory game with an artistic twist.
7. Hedbanz – Pick a headband, place a card in it and play to figure out what’s shown on your card in this family fun game.
8. Slapburger – Divide the deck of cards among players and be the first to slap the pile when a SlapBurger Card, Double Decker or Sandwich is laid.
9. Telestrations – Telestrations is the classic game of telephone with illustrations thrown in.
10. Spy Alley – Learn critical observation and social reasoning as players must hide their own identity while analyzing the buying patterns of others to unmask them.
11. It Can’t Be – This trivia-style game encourages critical thinking by requiring players to distinguish between bizarre facts and plausible-sounding fictions.
12. What Do You Meme? – This party game builds humor and creativity by challenging players to match caption cards with images.

Hands-on learning activities from Treehouse Schoolhouse

Wonder of Nature Number Bundle

The Wonder of Nature Number Bundle is designed to offer young children a multi-sensory invitation to recognizing, forming, and writing numbers and developing basic number sense, along with fun and simple number games. The watercolor illustrations that coordinate with each number demonstrate the quantity that each number represents. Slide these sheets into a restaurant menu cover or dry-erase pouch so your child can practice them again and again. Use dry-erase markers and wipe clean after each use.

Does your family have any favorite games? Share your favorites in the comments below.