60 of the Best Learning Games for Kids (Sorted by Age)

Are you struggling to pick the perfect gift for a child this year?

Let me help.

As a certified teacher, and a homeschooling mom to seven, I really believe in using learning games for kids. We play them regularly. With over 100 games in our collection, I think I’m officially a board game addict.

Here’s why:

• They’re fun. And what better way to learn than to have some fun?
• They encourage soft skills. Communication. Collaboration. Problem Solving. These soft skills are crucial for success in the real world. These skills are the ones most encouraged through playing games.
• They’re great learning resources. English/Language arts. Math. Science. Social Studies. They all go from “boring” subjects to “can we do that again tomorrow” subjects when you’re playing.
• They’re not on a screen. I struggle with limiting screen time for my kids. Between the computer, the TV, and the various gadgets, our home feels overrun by media at times. Games focus on real-world interactions instead of digital ones. I like that.

But with so many games out there, which ones should you pick for your child? Which ones offer the most fun while still being educational? What do they teach? How can you make the most of them while playing, and connecting, at the same time?

That’s what this list is for. These are all games I either own or have on my personal wish list. At least three of them will be gifts at my house this December!

We’ve got many games to cover, so let’s jump right in.

Learning Games for Kids in Preschool

Preschoolers are little sponges, constantly absorbing information about life as they play. Guide their brains in development with the following games.

English/Language Arts

Jumbo Bananagrams

What can you do with a bag full of 3-inch square tiles with individual letters printed on them? Lots!

Challenge your preschooler to:

• Find matching letters
• Spell her name
• Put letters in order while singing the ABC song
• Sort letters by composition (curved lines, straight lines, and combination letters)

Tell Me a Story

Preschoolers (and adults) will delight in arranging the detailed picture cards into stories. Let imaginations run freely and have your child:

• Separate the cards into piles based on characters
• Discuss possible orders for each pile
• Draw three random cards and tell a story with all three
• Predict what will happen next in a story you create.

Boggle Junior

Perfect for solo (or small group) play, Boggle Jr. utilizes dice with letters instead of numbers. As your child matches letters to the picture card, she will be learning:

• letter identification skills
• matching letters to sounds
• common short vowel words

Math

Raccoon Rumpus

An adorable raccoon, cute costumes, and underwear. What’s not to love?

While dressing the raccoon in costumes, preschoolers will learn:

• colors
• matching
• counting

Cootie

Roll the dice and build a customized cootie bug. These skills will be practiced:

• Counting
• Number identification
• Reading a chart

1-2-3 Farmyard!

Players race to build a completed farm from animal cards they draw from the deck. Be careful—you can’t use the same animal twice!

While building a farm, your child will practice:

• Number identification
• Counting
• Comparing numbers

Science

The Bug Game

Perfect for your bug loving preschoolers! Players match insect halves together to form whole bugs, learning more about bugs as they play.

• Classification
• Features of insects
• Matching

Hoot Owl Hoot

Players work together to get the owls to bed before the sun comes up in this adorable cooperative game. While playing, talk about these scientific concepts:

• nocturnal creatures
• astronomy (sun, moon, stars)
• day vs. night
• flying creatures

Robot Turtles: The Game for Little Programmers

Introduce your preschoolers to computer science and the Logo programming language with this Kickstarter funded game. Players use code cards to move the robot turtle around the board. With a variety of levels that will keep your child (and perhaps you) learning, they’ll be exposed to:

• Correcting bugs in programming
• Sub-routines and loops
• Strategy planning

Social Studies

Rivers, Roads And Rails

The 140 colorful cards can be used to create transportation systems. By matching like pieces (rail, river, roads) players create unique maps every time they play. This one also features solo play!

• Transportation systems
• Matching
• Maps

I Never Forget a Face

A unique twist on the classic game of memory, your little one will be matching cards with pictures of children from around the world. The faces on the box show which country each child is from, adding another level of social studies to this game if you decide to find each country on a map.

• Observation
• Memory skills
• Cultural awareness

Busy, Busy Airport

From the world of Richard Scarry, this game encourages active play. To set-up, arrange the destination mats around your room (or make the kids run all over the house—I love games that wear them out!) Players take turns drawing passengers, and flying them to the destination with the included airplane.

• Airport awareness
• Clothing choices (the passenger wearing a swimsuit goes to the beach instead of the mountains.)
• Destination comparisons (how is a beach different from a city?)

Learning Games for Kids in Early Elementary

Children in this age band are growing in their academic skills, and playing games will encourage them to practice everything they’re learning.

English/Language Arts

Scrabble Junior

This game grows along with your child. One side of the board features pictures and pre-printed words for letter matching, and the other side is blank—letting everyone create their own words.

• letter matching
• spelling
• basic reading

Zingo

It’s Bingo, but much more fun! Players slide the Zinger (tile dispenser) to reveal the word to cover. Then they race to find it on their card and cover it. Two levels of play have easier and harder words on the tiles.

• Sight word recognition
• Vocabulary
• Matching words

Spot It! Basic English

The Spot It games are amazing! I always have one in my purse or the diaper bag for play on the go. It’s a quick game, and perfect for waiting rooms. Though there are several varieties available, each version plays the same. Players look for the one item that is identical between any two cards. The Basic English version cards feature basic images and sight words.

• Sight word recognition
• Fluency (speed of reading)
• Matching words to images

Math

Uno

There are many versions available, but I’ve only played the original so far. If you have a recommendation for the others, I’d love to hear it! Players match color or number, trying to be the first to get rid of all their cards.

• Color matching
• Number matching
• Strategy (pick a color on wild cards)
• Adding (add 4 cards)

The Allowance Game

Your child will practice basic money skills in this game as they save, spend, and try not to lose their money.

• Adding and subtracting money
• Making change
• Money management
• Prioritizing purchases

Sequence Numbers

The winner is the first to get a row of five chips on the board. Players use one of their cards, complete the given math problem, and find the answer on the board. Once they’ve spotted the answer, they cover the space with a chip.

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Strategy

Science

Rock On

A rock collection and game in one, Rock On is played similarly to Bingo, in that the winner is the first to cover a row of rocks. While playing, children will learn about:

• Types of rocks
• Gems
• Rock facts
• Identifying rocks

Moons & Planets: Solar System Memory

Beautiful circular playing cards feature pictures of various astronomical bodies from NASA. Detailed information for each photo is in the guidebook. Players match them, as in other Memory games, learning about:

• Astronomy
• Names of planets
• Observation

Magic School Bus: Science Explosion

You have to erupt a volcano to win this game! Play consists of matching science topics to a category (tornado would go under the “weather” category), and playing a memory style game.

• Fields of science
• Scientific facts
• Experimentation (exploding the volcano!)

Social Studies

Catan Jr.

For families who love the Catan series, this version has made play accessible for younger children. Resource tiles are used instead of cards, and the players are pirates racing to build lairs. Introduce your child to the world of Catan, and:

• Natural resources
• Using resources to build
• Basic geography (island, ocean)

Great States Jr.

Gently introduce your child to the fifty states of America with this game. Cards require players to search the board looking for state names, pictures, and state shapes.

• Geography
• State names
• State capitals
• Fun facts about the USA

Explore the World

Players answer questions about the manufactured world, the natural world, and world flags as they move around the board trying to get back to start. Reading is required in this game, so purchase according to your child’s abilities.

• World geography
• Flags of the World
• Geographic facts

Learning Games for Kids in Late Elementary

By this age, students are likely reading fluently, and adding and subtracting larger numbers with ease. These games require a bit more thought, as they apply their knowledge in new ways.

English/Language Arts

In A Pickle

This makes a great game for family gatherings. The cards in this game each feature a noun. Players take turns adding a card in their hand to a card on the table, while explaining how the noun they are covering can fit in the noun they are laying down. Creative thinking is required to claim a set of four cards.

• Vocabulary development
• Story telling/creative thinking
• Communication skills

Buzzword Junior

Prior to each round, the reader announces what the buzzword is. This word will be used in all 10 answers that round. If the buzzword is wind, clues might be: Your vehicle’s wipers keep it clear (windshield), Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara (Gone with the Wind.) The reader’s team has 45 seconds to make it through all 10 clues.

• Vocabulary
• Idioms
• Figures of speech

Once Upon A Time

In this storytelling game, players use the events, characters, places, items, and aspects listed on their cards to weave together a story. Other players can interrupt the storyteller, playing a card from their own hand that fits into the story, and then becoming the new storyteller. The goal is to make the story end in a way that matches your ending card.

• Story telling
• Elements of a story
• Character development
• Plot

Math

Rack-O

Win Racko by being the first to arrange 10 cards in your rack from smallest to biggest. The numbers don’t have to be in numerical order (1,2,3), though you get bonus points for having runs.

• Number fluently
• Comparing numbers
• Strategy

Blokus

My husband loves this one! Players take turns adding a piece to the board, ensuring that one piece touches only the corners of another piece of the same color

• Spatial sense
• Critical thinking
• Geometric concepts

Even Steven’s Odd

A dice game, players try to roll dice to match a requirement given on a card (numbers 1-6, three odd numbers, etc.). The winner of each round is the first to get all their needed rolls, and grab the Steven figurine.

• Even/Odd
• Number sense
• Probability
• Addition/Subtraction

Science

Somebody

I taught a local board game enrichment class, and we used this one during science week. The stickers are fun (but easy to lose!) Players can try out five different games with the included pieces. Featuring reusable peel and cling stickers, this game will help your child gain basic anatomy knowledge.

• Organs
• Body systems
• Anatomy facts

What’s the Matter?

Players learn about states of matter as they answer scientific questions. A secret decoder adds to the fun.

• States of matter
• Physical science

Dr. Dreadful Scabs and Guts

Can you give the scientific name for farting? Could you burp some of the alphabet? If you get your question (or action) right, you can move your organ piece around the body shaped game board. Warning: There are quite a few questions about body waste—that my boys love!

• Anatomy facts
• “Gross” science
• Biology

Social Studies

Careers

I played this one as a kid, and now enjoy playing it with my kids. Start the game creating a secret formula to success by determining how much fortune, fame, and happiness you’ll earn to declare yourself the winner. Once everyone’s formula is created, take turns going around the board and exploring career paths. Some events bring fame, fortune, or happiness, and others take it away.

• Career exploration
• Opportunity to learn about life events (shopping, vacation, taxes, etc.)
• Understanding that there’s not one right way to live life

The Scrambled States of America

Players will pick up US geography facts as they play this game based on the popular book of the same name. The goal is to send your pile of states home by solving puzzles, riddles, and being observant. We like to read the book before we play—it’s cute!

• State names
• State shapes
• State capitals
• State nicknames
• US Geography

Monopoly City

While game play is similar to the original, there’s no need to wait until you own all the properties on a block to build in this version of Monopoly. When ready, players can build residential buildings or commercial ones. Watch out though, other players can build hazards on your property. While playing, you can discuss these things with your child to increase the educational value:

• City planners
• What makes the hazard buildings hazardous?
• Why are the bonus buildings improvements for property?
• Rail systems
• Taxes

Learning Games for Kids in Middle School

Middle schoolers usually have the skills needed for most board games. Playing games together will encourage communication, and foster family time.

English/Language Arts

Quiddler

Players begin this wordsmithing game with three letter cards. They draw and discard until they can use their letters to form a word. The next round starts with four letters, and the final round has ten. As players lay their cards down, they’ll be:

• Spelling
• Improving vocabulary
• using a dictionary (in case of a word challenge)

Scribblish

I love drawing games! Art and words combine in this hilarious game similar to telephone. Players begin by drawing a picture that matches their caption card. They pass their card to another player, who then has to write their own caption for the image. Play continues, alternating images and captions. At the end of the round, players try to guess which picture went with each original caption card.

• Creative writing
• Matching words to images
• Communication

Taboo

Your family will be stretching the limits of their vocabulary in this game. The goal is to get your team to say the key word. Except, you can’t say certain words because they are taboo!

• Vocabulary
• Creative thinking
• Synonyms/antonyms

Math

Battleship

Place your ships along a coordinate plane, and take turns guessing coordinates as you try to sink your opponent’s fleet. Beginning graphing has never been so much fun!

• Coordinate plane
• Axis awareness (x,y)
• Critical thinking

LEGO Pirate Code

Much like the classic Mastermind, the goal of this game is to guess the combination of colored gems hiding in your opponent’s treasure chest. Prior to play, you have to follow the Lego directions to build the game (which was my kids’ favorite part!)

• Critical thinking
• Process of elimination
• Logic

Yahtzee

A fun classic that reinforces math skills. Roll the dice and score big by getting certain combinations. Each turn allows three rolls, so probability plays an important role.

• Probability
• Number sense
• Critical thinking
• Multiplication

Science

Code Master: Programming Logic Game

A single player game, your child’s goal is to collect crystals with their Avatar. They need to play action tokens in a specific sequence to beat each of the 60 levels.

• Programming
• Conditional events
• Logic
• Critical thinking

Camp Board Game

Enjoy the great outdoors anywhere as you move your pieces around the board and answer questions. Each card has four versions of a similar question, ranging in difficulty to make the game accessible to both outdoor newbies and enthusiasts.

• Nature
• Animal classification
• Animal identification
• Botany/Plants

The Way Things Work

A game for mechanically minded individuals, players will solve problems, build simple machines, and conduct scientific experiments. Warning: Once built, the scale does not fit in the original box. We solved this problem by using a large plastic shoebox and a large Ziploc (for the board and cards), and then discarding the box—I’m sure you’ll be able to think of your own creative solution!

• Scientific method
• Simple machines
• Creative problem solving
• Mechanical thinking

Social Studies

10 Days In Europe

A series with multiple titles available, this is the one I currently have, and my 13-year-old daughter LOVES it! The goal is simple. To arrange country cards and transportation cards for a ten day trip across Europe. To keep it interesting, you can only go from one country to the next if they are touching. You have to match color for the transportation cards (a blue plane can take you to a blue country). Thankfully, the board is a map of the continent!

• Geography
• Country borders
• Trip planning

Giants

Set on Easter Island, players in this game create their own Moai (giant statues) and transport them to different places. Use your resources wisely to earn the most points.

• History of Easter Island
• Resource allocation
• Transportation of goods

Settlers of Catan

We had this game for years before we finally played (it looked too complicated). It’s amazing, I’m so glad we made the decision to play! Use your resources, and build roads, villages, and cities. Start with the original, and then go with the Cities and Knights version if you decide to expand! (If you don’t get the directions either, YouTube videos are very helpful!)

• Natural resource allocation
• City planning
• Habitat types (mountains, forests, etc.)

Learning Games for Kids in High School (and Adults!)

Many games at this level require careful critical thinking and strategy. Others are just fun.

English/Language Arts

Balderdash

The reader draws a card and reads a word, spelling it out. Players each write a definition for that word (making it up) while the reader writes the real definition. The reader then reads all definitions aloud, and everyone tries to guess what the real definition is. You get points for getting the correct answer, and for people guessing the definition you designed.

• Parts of speech
• Creative thinking
• Critical thinking
• Writing

Apples to Apples

A great game for a large group, Apples to Apples requires players to match word cards to an attribute. Communication skills are essential, because you might need to defend your choice.

• Analogies
• Vocabulary
• Critical thinking
• Communication

Man Bites Dog

What headline can you make from your random assortment of nouns, adjectives, and verbs? This game is flat out hilarious at times, and I love it from a blogging perspective, since it’s about crafting headlines.

• Writing headlines
• Parts of speech
• Critical thinking

Math

Rummikub

Alright, the math certainly isn’t high school level, but it’s a game easily enjoyed by all ages! Arrange your tiles into runs, or collect sequences. Get rid of your tiles to win.

• Number sense
• Critical thinking
• Probability

Budget

Players develop their budgets and then get $2000. Expenses arise, investment opportunities open, and insurance needs paid for. Money management skills are crucial to win this game—you get a bonus if your budget is close to what actually happened.

• Money management
• Expense awareness
• Investment basics
• Prioritizing expenses

Equate

It’s like Scrabble. With numbers. Add, subtract, divide, and multiply equations and add up the points.

• Math skills review
• Order of operations
• Equality

Science

AC/DC

A shocking card game, players must complete a circuit. You’ll be combining cards with circuit elements (power supply, resistors, loads, switches, etc.) in a race to build a completed circuit. A diagram is included (which I needed to look at!)

• Electricity
• Parts of a circuit
• Scientific vocabulary

Antimatter Matters

It’s a quantum physics game. Seriously! Put together particles and be the first to form a hydrogen atom. For more advanced game play, you can try other atoms!

• Physics
• Atoms
• Molecules

Pandemic Board Game

Are you up to saving the world? I hope so. Diseases are on the rampage, and outbreaks are coming. Humanity needs scientists to work together to stop the spread and find a cure.

• Biology
• Chemistry
• How diseases can spread

Social Studies

Pitch It

A game for those with an entrepreneurial spirit, Pitch It gives each player something to sell, and a target audience. The goal is to create the perfect slogan, logo, and product name to complete the sale. After the design stage, players share their pitches, and everyone votes on the winner.

• Business basics
• Advertising
• Target audiences

Logo Board Game

We’ll call this one Current World Affairs, okay? Players use their knowledge of company logos to win. Answer a question correctly, and move on the board.

• Pop culture
• Advertising
• Business sense

The Farming Game

Set in my home state of Washington, The Farming Game challenges players to be able to quit their day job and farm full-time. That means you have to save your money. The first person to reach the savings goal is the winner. During play, you’ll be growing crops, buying equipment, and paying for expenses. You can talk about:

• Growing seasons
• Moonlighting
• Planning for expenses
• Agricultural data

As you can see, board games are awesome. There’s something for everyone!

Give the gift of a game, and encourage your family to play together. Learning will happen gently and naturally as you play.

Which of these games do you think your family would enjoy? Do you have any additional recommendations to share with us?

More from around the blogosphere:

• Best Games for Developing Executive Function in 5-7 Year Olds
• My Favorite Games for Fostering Self-Regulation in 3 – 5 Year Olds