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by Cindy 42 Comments

100 Educational Games for Homeschooling

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During my workshops about creative homeschooling and living math, I often talk about incorporating games into the school schedule. If your family has an established game night, you probably already know how educational many board and card games really are. 

Math, language, history, science, logic and so much more can be practiced without your kiddos ever catching on that real learning is taking place!

Games for Homeschooling

We take games seriously in our homeschool and use them at least a few times a week!  To get fidgety minds focused, we might play a brain training game like Blink.  To review US geography, we might play 10 Days in the USA.  Or, to quiz recollection of animal groups, we might play a quick game of QuickPix Animals.

Using games is way more fun than flashcards or worksheets!  And, as a bonus, most games require at least the skills of strategy and/or speed, too.

Homeschooling is funschooling when you open the game closet!

This post contains affiliate links.

Games Make Great Gifts

We buy games for Christmas and birthdays for our own children – so often that they look forward to the next game we will add to our collection.  We also tend to buy games for friends when invited to birthday parties. 

Giving games allows our gifts to be put to good use for years to come – and games pull families together.  We consider it a good bang for our buck.

Our Favorite Educational Games

The question that always follows is, “Which games are your top picks for each subject?” So, I’m posting some of my favorite games for homeschooling for various academic subjects.

You’ll definitely want to make it all the way to the end of the post where I’ve linked other gameschooling posts I’ve written, too!

Bible and Character Building Games

We love to play these on family games nights.  Several of them are great when company is over, too.

The Life of ChristTaliCor Cactus Games Bible BlurtBible Brainstorm. A Game That Uses All Your God-Given Gifts (2001)Armor of God Board gameBible TabooTaliCor Cactus Games Outburst-Bible EditionCactus Games Guesstures: Bible EditionUniversity Games Bible Kids On Stage Charades

 

Logic and Critical Thinking Games

The games in this set are great for waking brains up in the morning before jumping into book work.  They are also appropriate to use as part of living math or logic lessons.

Qwirkle Board GameBattleship GameChess/Checkers/Backgammon SetHasbro Connect 4 GameBlokus GameSET: The Family Game of Visual PerceptionSequence GameMattel Games Blink - The World's Fastest Game!Mastermind Game : The Strategy Game of Codemaker vs. Codebreaker (Packaging May Vary)Mancala - Real  Wood Folding SetJenga Classic GameFoxMind Games Zoologic Logic Puzzle GameFat Brain Toys AnimaLogicFoxMind Equilibrio GameGuess Who? Board GameLogic Links Puzzle Box Critical Thinking Game

 

Math Games

These games can even be used as math lessons occasionally.  They work well for practicing a large variety of math skills.

Chutes and Ladders Game: Retro Series 1978 EditionDutch BlitzGame Of LifeMonopoly Classic GameMonopoly Ultimate Banking Board GamePhase 10 Card Game Styles May VaryPressman Toy Rummikub Rummy Tile GameSequence NumbersCardinal Double 91 Color Dot Dominoes in Collectors Tin (Styles May Vary)Enginuity Games Doubles WildThinkFun Math Dice Junior Game for Boys and Girls Age 6 and Up - Teachers Favorite and Toy of the Year NomineeWinning Moves Games Pass The PigsWinning Moves Games Pay Day, The Classic EditionHasbro Gaming Perfection GameSKIP BO Card GameLearning Resources Sum Swamp Game, Addition/Subtraction, Early Math Skills, 8 Pieces, Ages 5+Mattel Games: The Official Uno Tin [Amazon Exclusive]Five Crowns by The Green Board Game Co.FarkleLearning Resources Pizza Fraction Fun Game, 13 Fraction Pizzas, 16 Piece Game, Ages 6+Melon Rind Clumsy Thief Money Game - Adding to 100 Card Game for Kids (Ages 8 and up)

 

Language Arts Games

Spelling, vocabulary and sentence structure are reinforced using the games in this set.

Mattel Games Apples to Apples Junior - The Game of Crazy Comparisons (Packaging May Vary)Scattergories GameScrabble GameHL Games AmuseAmazeScrabble Slam Card GameYou've Been SentencedQuiddler Word GameEternal Hearts Rummy RootsBananagramsWinning Moves Games Super Big BoggleMini In A Pickle Card Game

 

Science Games

Science games can help teach everything from classification and body systems to electrical circuitry and food chains.

TaliCor Quick Pix AnimalsHerd Your Horses Board GameSomebody Board GameAmpersand Press Into the Forest, Nature's Food Chain GameAnimal Tracks GameBrainBox: Science and NatureAC/DC**The Exciting Electric Circuit Game (A Card Game To Electrify You!)Melissa & Doug Suspend Family Game - The Original (Classic Games, Exciting Balancing Game, Develops Hand-Eye Coordination, Great Gift for Girls and Boys - Best for 8, 9, 10 Year Olds and Up)Clue Game

 

History Games

After learning about wonderful events in history, the games in this group are perfect for review.

Made for TradeMummy RummyOld Masters Memory GameEducational Trivia Card Game - Professor Noggin's Civil WarBrainBox for Kids - The USA Card GameBrainBox for Kids - World History Card GameCatan Histories: Settlers of AmericaWay Back When in HistoryOutset Media Trivia Game - American Trivia Family Edition - The America Themed Family Board Game

 

Geography Games

My children have learned U.S. and world geography mostly through the use of these games.  Of course we complete maps and read literature as part of our studies, but the memorization of states, countries and locations has grown almost solely via games.

Gamewright The Scrambled States of America GameGame Zone Great States Geography Board GameTalicor Where In The World10 Days in The USA Board GameUSA Edition Borderline Card GameFlag Frenzy! Educational Geography Card Game by GeotoysTaliCor Quick Pix GeographyMindWare Destination USAOut of the Box 10 Days in Europe Game

 

Even More Games

I’m always finding new games to use in our homeschool, so I keep writing new posts about gameschooling. As I write new posts, you’ll find them right here!

xxxxxxxxxGames to Teach History

 

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Last Updated: November 5, 2020 Filed Under: Bible & Character, Brain Training, Creative Homeschooling, Elementary, High School, History & Geography, Language Arts, Living Math, Middle School, Science & Nature Tagged With: birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, games for all subjects, games for learning, gift ideas, gifts for families, gifts for kids, logic, multi-age learning

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  1. Rhonda H says

    November 18, 2014 at 9:26 am

    WE LOVE GAMES!!! Would love to win the giveaway. It is one of the (few) we don’t have yet! LOL Thanks for the chance.

  2. Kortney Garrison says

    November 18, 2014 at 9:43 am

    We are just beginning to play games together. In fact I wrote it down as one of my goals for the rest of the calendar year: play more games! Thanks for this list.

  3. Lindsay says

    November 18, 2014 at 11:53 am

    Blokus is our favorite

  4. pbandjmom says

    November 18, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    UNO!

  5. Ann says

    November 18, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Dominos are a favorite here!

  6. Stephanie S says

    November 18, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Thank you for the great ideas for now and later! I pinned this to look to in the future since most of these are still for children older than ours (6 and 8).

  7. Lindsay @ BytesofMemory says

    November 18, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    I think my favorite educational game is either sum swamp or chess 🙂

  8. Alicia @ Investing Love says

    November 18, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    SUCH a great list, Cindy!!!

  9. Sharon says

    November 18, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    Love this list! We love Set. There were quite a few on your list that I am not familiar with and want to check out. Thanks for posting this.

  10. Jessica B. says

    November 18, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    We like mancala and blokus.

  11. astablebeginning says

    November 18, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    I love this list of games! My goal for the rest of the year is to play more games with my older girls. My 5 year old and I like to play Zingo!

  12. Rebekah F says

    November 18, 2014 at 10:10 pm

    My kids like UNO.

  13. MelissaB says

    November 18, 2014 at 11:09 pm

    LOVE LOVE LOVE all the 10 Days games!

  14. Rhoda says

    November 19, 2014 at 2:30 am

    Qwirkle is one game that even my not game liking daughter will sit down and play as a family. Blokus is a lot of fun too.

  15. Joscelyne H says

    November 19, 2014 at 8:06 am

    Settlers of Catan.

  16. Virginia Lee says

    November 19, 2014 at 10:20 am

    How to pick just one favorite?! Qwirkle, Scattergories, Animalogic, Rush Hour, Blink…

  17. Timmi says

    November 19, 2014 at 11:17 am

    We are just starting to build our game cupboard. Right now we are playing Monopoly Jr which is great for my 5 and 8 year old to play together without adults to be present. Checkers is another good one.

  18. Cristy S. says

    November 19, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    Hands down, Apples to Apples and Monopoly! We get our whole family involved …

  19. Misty B says

    November 19, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    What a fun list of games!! Some of these I hadn’t heard of before.

  20. Sabrina Jackson says

    November 20, 2014 at 6:00 am

    These are FANTASTIC! We love games in our house and I’ll have to pick some of these up!

  21. Mary Happymommy (@mami2jcn) says

    November 21, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    We plan Uno almost every night!

  22. Gretta says

    November 22, 2014 at 12:55 am

    Our family loves Settlers of Catan and Monopoly Deal!

  23. Loni M. says

    November 22, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    We love games & picking a favorite is hard, but Settlers of Catan is always a hit.

  24. Kristine says

    November 23, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    I love these games! My daughter just wrote ‘games” down on a Christmas list. Right now, we’re at the age where we play uno and connect 4 a lot. I’d like to expand.

  25. Meryl says

    November 23, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    I have and love most of the games listed above. Difficult to pick a favorite. The Brain Box ones are great to use with a class. And Rush Hour is great for kids who need a challenge to work on by themselves. I use the 10 Days ones in my Geography Class. And our family likes playing Bananagrams on vacations.

  26. Crystal Pullen says

    November 23, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    We love Speed, checkers and Dinopoly. My daughter is turning a standard monopoly game into a dragon version as well

  27. Lysa says

    November 23, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    Some of Our favorite games are, Rummikub, Domnioes, Apples to Apples….

  28. Kelly D says

    November 23, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    Scrabble is my favorite.

  29. Michelle R. says

    November 23, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    I grew up playing a lot of games for our schooling… so now I am starting the same tradition with my kids! Right now they are really into a plain ol’ deck of cards : )

  30. Mary says

    November 23, 2014 at 10:49 pm

    UNO and Monopoly are our favorites. I couldn’t name just one.

  31. Wendy says

    January 13, 2015 at 9:45 am

    We play Can’t Stop – an old game, but really great for learning addition. And truly fun.

  32. Karen says

    December 22, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    My husband is a board game designer. Our family loves games almost as much as we love books. Lots of favorites on this list!

    Here are a few more strategy Euro-type games our kids enjoy: Carcassonne, The Little Prince, Forbidden Island.

    My husband is actually teaching a game design class for our homeschool co-op and our daughter has made and sold her own game, which a game company will be releasing (hopefully soon!). There are so many great ways to learn with games, whether making them or playing them. 🙂

  33. Cindy says

    December 22, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    Karen, how exciting about a game company picking up your daughter’s game!! Carcassonne is a new favorite of ours. We just love it! I’ll have to give The Little Prince and Forbidden Island a try. Thanks for the suggestions!

  34. Jessica C. says

    July 14, 2017 at 7:58 am

    I know this is a few years old, but I just came across this list — thank you! We have and enjoy some you’ve listed, and haven’t heard of others but I’ll keep an eye out at thrift stores! I love the out-of-print 1975 Klondike board game by Gamma Two Games (haven’t played in a long time, but from what I remember it’s well worth seeking out a used copy, which I plan to do), and 1984’s Play on Words — that one is definitely a great travel game since there’s only the little pencils that can be lost! I’ve never played Settlers of Catan but recently bought a used copy of Settlers of Canaan. We haven’t played it yet but I’ve also bought a used copy of the Camp board game. I love the idea of it being a true family game, for kids age 4 on up to adults. Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game sounds like another good one for ages 4+. Tenzi is a fun dice game that can be played in different ways. We also like Rory’s Story Cubes, and Imagidice, and I am intrigued by the Once Upon a Time storytelling card game I’ve recently found out about. I think Spot It! Alphabet, Numbers & Shapes, Words, and Jr. will be great for younger kids. Pictionary was a favorite growing up, but I haven’t played it in years.

  35. Cindy says

    July 14, 2017 at 3:10 pm

    Ooh, I haven’t heard of a few of those, Jessica! Looking forward to checking them out. I noticed the other day that our library has board games now – and a lot of those were new to me. I <3 games!

  36. Chris James says

    January 5, 2021 at 12:35 pm

    Great read!!! Thanks for sharing such a great blog, Keep sharing such great blog.

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When my boys were little, I loved reading these “letters from God” to them as blessings to start the day.
As I was sorting bookshelves earlier this month, I stumbled across this sweet book again. I decided the blessings are still as pertinent today for my bigger boy as they were years ago. So, we’re starting our day yet again with a quick, but powerful “letter from God” before jumping into our daily Bible studies.
Do you do anything special to start your day off on the right foot? I’d love to hear about it!
Click the link in my bio for a link to the book.
#homeschoolblessings #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolmom #homeschool #homeschooling #yourmorningbasket #startthedayoffright #charlottemasonmama #loveyourkids #wildandfreemama #childrensbook #devotionalforkids #homeschool365 #homeschoolmorning #ourjourneywestward #ihsnet
Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. It’s cold, the days are dark, and everyone’s cooped up together 24/7. That’s a recipe for the winter blahs to march right into your house and wreak havoc on attitudes and motivation.⠀
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This year’s winter is unlike any other and those blahs may have actually settled in long before now. If you or your children are feeling down, anxious, or bored with school, are “at” each other constantly, bouncing off the walls, or tears and fighting are the norm…the blahs are there.⠀
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Let’s get you, your children, and your homeschool back on track. I’ll be teaching a Homeschool Masterclass on Thursday afternoon to help you kick the blahs to the curb. If you can attend live, come! If you can’t attend live, catch the replay!⠀
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We’ll tackle all sorts of problems the blahs bring with them with very practical  ideas that are easy to implement! ⠀
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Click the link in my bio to join me. There is no shame in admitting that the blahs have arrived and you need a little boost from a friend. ❤️ ⠀
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#homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolmom #homeschoolfamily #wildandfreemom #charlottemasonmama #winterhomeschool #homeschoolhelp #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #homeschoolmasterclass #homeschool365 #ihsnet #homeschoolmama #helpmehomeschool #winterblahs
Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’ Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’s true, you know. I’ve told my children for years that it only takes a nature walk to see God through His handiwork and to know that His promises are true.⠀
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When the world seems to be falling apart around you, the sun never stops shining. The seasons never stop moving. Without a single, solitary effort of human hands, the woodlands still buzz with life.⠀
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A student of nature can see the consistency in cycles and notice the incredible and creative intricacy of even the smallest specimen and be in awe that we truly serve a God who isn’t unaware of even one tiny detail in our world right now. ⠀
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Life kind of seems overwhelming, though, I know. Remember when I said my motto lately has been to just put one foot in front of the other to do the next right thing? Nature walks (even when it’s cold) never fail me as a right thing. ⠀
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Breathe, friend. Take a nature walk today and let God speak to your soul.⠀
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#homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolmom #homeschoolfamily #wildandfreemom #charlottemasonirl #winterhomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #winternaturestudy #nosweatnaturestudy #homeschool365 #ihsnet #naturestudy #naturexplorers #nature #hewins
It might seem trite to post a winter picture book It might seem trite to post a winter picture book list right now, but I’m a big believer in keeping things as normal as possible in my home when things aren’t so normal otherwise.⠀
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It’s the principle of putting one foot in front of the other as you simply do the next right thing. Good books almost always can be a “next right thing” choice.⠀
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Even though I’m not homeschooling younger children anymore, I’ll probably never stop sharing wonderful picture book ideas with you. 🤓 I’ve spent way too many hours reading and collecting to ever stop loving them!⠀
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Eli and I may not be using these books right now, but they are still some of my favorites for winter reading. Whatever may be going on around you, the winter months are always a good time of year to get in lots of extra reading. Snuggling and hot chocolate are optional, but encouraged.⠀
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Click the link in my bio to find a blog post about these books + some of our favorite winter chapter books, too!⠀
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#homeschool #readmorebooks #livingbooks #livingliterature #picturebooks #winterpicturebooks #homeschoolmom #wildandfreefamily #charlottemasonirl #winterhomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #winternaturestudy #nosweatnaturestudy #homeschool365 #ihsnet
We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break! 🎉🎁🎂🏀🥰
I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍 I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍
Merry Christmas from the Wests! 🎄 Merry Christmas from the Wests! 🎄
Christmas picture books are some of my very favori Christmas picture books are some of my very favorite books of all time. I’ve spent years collecting new ones here and there (and will probably continue collecting for years to come because there are at least a few favorites I still don’t own).🤗🤫⠀
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When the kiddos were younger, I would sometimes wrap each of the books and place them in a basket near the Christmas tree. 🎁 Each morning during December, one of my children would choose a book to unwrap and that was the one we would read for the day. Oh, such precious memories!⠀
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This year, even though my youngest is in 8th grade, the books are not hidden away! I’ve found a creative way to read them with Eli. We’re using them as mentor texts for his own stories during language arts. #sneakysmart (He’s writing some pretty great stories, too!)⠀
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Click the link in my bio if you’d like to see my entire list of picture book favorites for the Christmas season!🎄If you’d like to know more about using picture books to teach writing to older kids, search “writing with picture books masterclass”on my website.⠀
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#homeschoolbooks #christmasbooks #christmasbooklist #christmaspicturebooks #christmasschool #creativehomeschooling #livingbooks #livingliterature #readmorebooks #Decemberhomeschool #homeschoolfamily #homeschoollookslikethis #homeschoolmiddleschool #ilovebooks #charlottemasonirl #yourmorningbasket #ourjourneywestward #homeschoolrocks

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