We love tabletop games! As children, our families loved playing games and now we get to continue the tradition with our children. As homeschoolers, we’re always looking to incorporate learning, so when we heard about gameschooling we thought it was a perfect match of fun and education.
What is Gameschooling?
Simply put gameschooling is the use of games to promote learning. Whether you’re using games as the primary tool in your homeschool or playing games after the kids get home from public school, if you’re playing with learning in mind, you’re gameschooling. The act of learning through games can be as simple as playing a roll and move game to work on counting or as complex as playing a game about cellular biology! Gameschooling is what you make of it. The game theme, mechanic, rules, and components can only go so far. Look for opportunities to expand upon the game to dive deeper into topics or create house rules to up the learning potential while you play.
Gameschool CO-OP
We’re a proud member of the Gameschool Co-Op. This is a knowledgeable and talented group of content creators that are trying to advance learning with games. They represent homeschoolers, family gamers, educators, game designers, and more. The Co-Op has lots of terrific free resources that you can use to have more fun playing and learning!
It’s our goal to provide you with lots of gameschooling resources and game reviews so you know what to get to target the skill or topic you need. Please don’t run out and buy Candyland to work on colors, we beg you! Come with us on a journey into the world of amazing games that are fun for you and your kids while teaching valuable skills!
These games are the perfect start for your 2-3 year old. They have simple concepts, cute components, and teach great foundational skills.
These games are best suited for ages 4-7. They feature simple choices, light strategy, with basic math, and require little to no reading.
These games a multi-generational. They play down to mid or even early elementary kids all the way to grandparents. If reading or math is required it’s not difficult to assist younger players. In all of our reviews we discuss how to play with younger kids (as appropriate) so that you can make informed choices for your family.
These games are meant for pre-teens up to adults. They involve a higher degree of strategy, more difficult math, and independent reading abilities. These games are often not adaptable for younger learners due to the nature of the components or mechanics.
If you’re new to the world of modern board games, you’ll be delighted to discover the wealth of cooperative games that exist! Cooperative games are terrific opportunities to learn together, help younger players, and model a positive gaming attitude. They’re a great gentle introduction to games for young children or children that are sensitive to competition (either because they don’t want to compete or because they become too aggressive in competing).
While most tabletop games feature a math component, in these games building and solidifying math skills is the main focus. These are great if your child is struggling with a particular area of mathematics.
These games are specifically designed for a single player. They often exercise logic or deduction. Note: While many cooperative games can be adapted to play solo, if it’s not included in their rules, we haven’t included them here.