We LOVE games in our homeschool! In fact, we consider games a main ingredient for homeschooling. We’ve made it a habit to play a game together as a family nearly every night before the kids’ bedtime routine. The kids take turns choosing the game, and we try to stick to games that last about 30-45 minutes. Since our family has six people, that means often times we end up playing party games or card games! But we’ve found plenty of awesome board games that can play well with 6 players or more, too!
We also play games throughout the week, often as part of our homeschool day. Games are such a great way to sneak in extra learning without the kids even realizing it! At any given point during the week, I might find one to four kiddos off playing a game somewhere in the house. I’m often approached by a child with a game in hand and asked to play, too. 🙂 Below are ten games that we love, and that would make GREAT additions to your homeschool!
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1. Sleeping Queens – Favorite family card game, suitable for all ages.
Sleeping Queens is great for practicing addition with numbers 1-9, and the rules can easily be altered to include any types of equations for more of a challenge! Even the youngest players can join in by finding matches instead of equations. No reading is required. And since the game play is focused on queens, dragons, knights, and potions, the math really feels secondary. It doesn’t feel like a math game at all! Even the adults in our house enjoy this one.
More complex alternatives for more experienced gamers: DragonWood or its sequel, DragonRealm (both of these games add dice to the mix!).
2. Quixx – Favorite family dice game.
Quixx is our family’s favorite roll-and-write game! As suggested by the title, it’s a quick game. The colorful dice and scoring sheets make it aesthetically pleasing. Most younger kids (box says 8+, but younger can play with help) catch on quickly, but the combination of chance and strategy make it fun for all ages! And since everyone gets a chance to make a play on everyone else’s turn, it makes waiting for turns a non-issue.
3. Blokus – Favorite family strategy game.
Blokus is a great 2-4 player spacial strategy game. The pieces are similar to Tetris pieces, and the game play is a throwback to that classic, as well—but with some twists! Players continue to fit as many of their pieces on the board as they can until no more can be played. It’s a great spacial and low-key strategy game. And preschoolers enjoy just playing with the colorful pieces and making designs on the board until they’re ready to learn the game!
4. Shut the Box – Favorite 1-2 player basic math game.
Shut the Box is a classic number game loved by all ages! My kids especially enjoy the fancy version that looks like a treasure chest. It’s a super basic premise that even my preschoolers have enjoyed, but it’s a challenge that all ages find enticing. Simply roll the dice and flip the numbers! There are many alternative ways to play to make the game easier or more challenging. It’s great solo, but you can also play with a partner. And there is even a 4-player version called 4-Way Countdown!
5. Gravity Maze – Favorite solo player logic game.
We love Gravity Maze here because it has an extra fun (and challenging!) 3D component to it, but choosing a favorite solo player logic game was HARD. We love these kinds of games in our house, and we have a ton! They are great fun, and they are especially useful to keep others occupied if some one-on-one time is needed with Mom. 😉 My precocious 7yo especially devours these super fun games! Brands like SmartGames and ThinkFun make tons of themed games for all ages, even preschoolers! You are sure to find one that your kid will love.
Other favorite solo player games include Castle Logix for preschoolers, and Kanoodle for an easy travel option (great for waiting rooms!).
6. Castle Panic – Favorite family cooperative game.
If you haven’t tried a cooperative game yet, Castle Panic is a super fun way to dive in to this genre! Everyone works together (through individual turns) to achieve an end goal–in this case, protecting the castle from intruders like goblins and trolls! I realize this theme might not be interesting for everyone, but it’s a really fun mid-level cooperative game. There are many others out there, if goblins and trolls aren’t up your family’s alley!
A great option for the younger crowd: Hoot Owl Hoot.
Exciting and more challenging options for the more experienced crowd: Pandemic and Forbidden Island (the whole Forbidden series is so fun!).
7. Apples to Apples Junior – Family favorite party game.
The great thing about Apples to Apples Junior is that, even though reading is involved, non-readers can still play their own hands by simply choosing cards to play at random. Our youngest won several times before she could read, just by chance! The active player turns over a topic card, and everyone else submits a card from their hand to go with the topic. The active player mixes up those cards, then reads them aloud and chooses the one they think fits best! This game can be hilarious fun.
Since this is considered a party game, it needs at least 3 players—of course, our family always qualifies as a party! 😉
Alternative option: Dixit, which is slightly more complex in strategy, but doesn’t involve reading.
8. Mad Libs – Hilarious parts-of-speech fun!
I remember loving Mad Libs as a kid, and I am so glad I can share this simple but fun game with my kids! Mad Libs now has so many themed books to choose from, that you are bound to find a theme enjoyable for your family! But even their classic line of Mad Libs books are excellent. We love pulling these out over a lunch or dinner for some big laughs.
9. Scrambled States of America – Family favorite USA geography game.
There are a few different ways to play Scramble States of America to accommodate different skill levels. I love games that can grow with a family! Scrambled States is a great card game that teaches about the 50 states. It comes with cute little maps for each player!
10. Carcassonne – Family favorite game!
Carcassonne is one of our all-time favorite games ever. It’s one of the few games that really got us deep diving into the wonderful world of board games! Carcassonne is a tile-laying game, so the landscape looks different every time you play. There are many expansions if you decide to invest further and add complexity, but the base game alone is super fun and easy to learn!
We believe that every game is great for learning. Playing board games involves planning ahead, patience, strategizing, and spacial awareness. These are all great skills to continually improve! So while Carcassonne may not seem to fit any specific “school subject,” we definitely “count” it–along with just about any game–as part of our learning!
Is your favorite game missing from this list? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂