Our Family's Favorite Educational Games & Activities for Younger Peeps

Friends ask me ALL. THE. TIME. if I can share a quick list of educational games/activtities for younger kids (pre-K to 3rd-grade-ish), so I thought I'd use this blog to share a few of our favs (making it easier to share this list with folks in the future!).

Disclaimer #1: I am in no way being compensated for these recommendations. ;-)

Disclaimer #2: I have a reputation for being "the silly mom" because I love to PLAY. Our homeschool activities are VERY game- and activity-oriented. We place a huge emphasis on the fun factor because my boys are young (and because games work!). That said, these games/activities are still educational. They won't elicit fits of laughter in the same way that Twister might (just sayin'), but they will provide some modestly entertaining ways to learn a few basic facts/skills.

Disclaimer #3: This isn't a list of apps/websites; instead, these are traditional "boxed" games/activities, as in "use your hands to manipulate physical pieces in this physical world." ;-) Someday I will post a list of our favorite apps and websites. Someday I will also post a list of our favorite homemade games (I love to turn everything into a game, if possible, because I've seen that games work), but that will require way more time and brain power than I possess at the moment. ;-)

Final Disclaimer: The following games/activities aren't arranged in any particular order. We like ALL of them. That said, I've highlighted our family's FAVORITES within each category.

Ok, here we go...

TOP 20

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

& CRITICAL THINKING GAMES/ACTIVITIES

FOR YOUNGER PEEPS

1. Think Fun Rush Hour

2. Logic Links

3. Wildlife Bingo

4. Bird Bingo

5. Asmodee Spot It! Basic Spanish

6. KEVA Brain Builders Junior

7. Think Fun Gravity Maze

8. Melissa & Doug Smarty Pants

(J-Man likes the 4th grade version; Harvey likes the 1st grade version)

9. Kiwi Crates

(Some Kiwi Crates are better than others, but my boys have enjoyed most of them. They especially loved building the arcade-style claw game!)

10. Tinker Crates

(Younger kids will definitely need a parent's help, but these projects are FUN! My boys enjoy the Tinker Crates more than the Kiwi Crates (both are made by the same company), so I'd probably purchase Tinker Crates for any kids

whose parents are willing to help 'em out.)

11. Doodle Crates

(These art kits are designed for ages 14+, but my kindergartener and 3rd grader have been able to complete the projects with help from mom. So far, each box has provided enough "stuff" for both of my boys to complete each project individually.

They LOVE these art crates!)

12. Young Woodworkers Kit

(Our boys have built a marshmallow launcher and a racecar so far;

both projects were big hits in our home. Dad is great with these!)

13. Snap Circuits Jr. or Science Wiz Electricity Kit

14. Tinkering Labs Electric Motors

15. Oregon Scientific Globe Games

(Our boys love this globe. J-Man plays the "Find the Country" game

while Boo plays the "Find the Continent" game. They earn

iPad minutes for each point scored in the game.)

16. Peggy Kaye's Games for Learning

(If you're on a tight budget and you can buy only one "game" for your littles, then buy this book! All of the "games" can be played with materials you already own, and the various activities cover reading, math, and critical thinking skills too.)

17. I Spy

(Nothing to buy here! My boys just enjoy a good, old-fashioned game of "I Spy" using unusual/interesting adjectives instead of basic color words - like I spy something hollow, or I spy something dazzling, or I spy something crimson, etc. Easy and FREE!)

18. Name that Tune

(Again, nothing to buy here! This is an excellent shake-out-the-wiggles-while-learning-classical-music activity for the boys. I simply play different songs from my play list and let the kids dance like maniacs while they shout out the artist/composer for each song. I like to keep things lively by including a wide variety of music - Bach, Beethoven, MC Hammer, Chopin, Chris Tomlin, Imagine Dragons, Tchaikovsky, etc. As soon as the boys guess the correct artist/composer, then we move on to the next song in order to keep things humming along "swiftly" (yep, the boys know some Taylor Swift). Points are awarded for correct guesses, and - believe it or not - my youngest is usually the winner of "Name that Tune." He loves music!)

19. Makey Makey

(Um, this is so stinkin' cool! Make sure you watch the videos

above the user reviews on Amazon for ideas. Kids can learn about circuits and programming while designing their own "banana keyboards" and "Play-Doh controllers." And who doesn't love playing PAC-MAN during school time?!)

20. Think Fun Roller Coaster Challenge

TOP 10

MATH GAMES

FOR YOUNGER PEEPS

1. i Sea 10!

(practice making ten)

2. Pop for Addition & Subtraction

3. Sum Swamp

4. Clumsy Thief

5. Tiny Polka Dot

6. Mobi Math

7. Math Dice Jr. or Math Dice Chase

(We don't really play by the official rules here; instead, we invent our own games to quickly practice our math facts. WAY more fun than worksheets and flashcards! Improvising according to your specific needs is easy, and the chase version is great for practicing addition/subtraction or multiplication/division with groups of 4+.)

8. Multiplication & Division Bingo or Math War for Multiplication

9. Math Noodlers

10. Allowance Game

(practice making change; kids can use real bills and coins instead of play pieces; parents can use a sharpie to change some of the values on the board to include pennies - for example, write $2.52 over the $2.50 square

and then add your own pennies to the mix)