We have all had our favourite board games in our childhood that we spent hours and hours winning and losing and generally having a great time all round. Educational board games for kids are one of the best ways of promoting conginitve abilities of children and increasing their brain power.
Plus it is really tough to keep kids entertained all the time without handing them a smartphone or a tablet or switching on the telly. So educational board games allow you to spend quality time with your children without any interruptions like your social media pings and email beeps, and your kids learn important skills that will help them in school.
From classics like Chutes & Ladders to more innovative, fun games like Roll & Play for toddlers, we have charted out a list of the best educational board games for kids of different ages.
1. Game – Roll and Play Board Game
Suitable for Ages – Children from 1 and a half years and up
This could be easily termed as the easiest board game ever and one of the most fun games you can play with your toddler. Children at 18 months are super curious and have tons of energy for play. Introduce your child to board games by letting him choose color cards and performing the corresponding action. Like the red action cards which can ask you to do a silly dance, or yellow emotion ones that can ask you to make a sleepy face; this is one game that is tailor-made for young kids and promises hours of engaging fun.
2. Game – Zingo
Suitable for Ages – Children from 4 years and up
Zingo could be your 4-year-old’s favourite game and he or she might ask you to whip it out every day! It is very easy to play and a lot of fun. A take-off on regular Bingo, Zingo has you filling the entire board with numbers and yelling ZINGO at the end. It even has a 1-2-3 version that teaches number recognition and the simpler version has pictures that can be matched with text which you can guide children to learn gradually.
3. Game – Hi Ho Cherry-O
Suitable for Ages – Children 3 years and up
Since you can play an entire game in 5-10 minutes, it doesn’t tax the time of even the most busiest of parents. This fun game teaches color recognition, one-to-one communication and develops fine motor skills of your preschooler. Let your little one learn to take turns and place colorful fruits on the board. You spin the spinner and then add cherries and other fruit to your basket.
4. Game – The Ladybug Game
Suitable for Ages – Children 5 years and up
Would you believe that this delightful game was invented by a first grader? The Ladybug game teaches everything your children would want to know about ladybugs, like their foods and the kind of prey they hunt. Children would be engrossed in this ladybug game where you draw cards and follow directions based on them, which are pretty interesting and kids can get confused a tad if adult supervision is not there.
5. Game – Bug Trails
Suitable for Ages – Children 6 years and up
A domino game with a tricky twist, Bug Trails is super enjoyable and young kids will find it challenging enough to play along without getting bored. This is one board game where you can also team up and play with another family and their young children. You have to match the color of each bug leg (total six) to the flag or bug piece already played. You have to keep matching legs or drawing out more flags and bug pieces.
If you run out of bugs, you win the game – simple but love loads of fun.