Learning through Games

Updated 5/14/23

The Front Porch has been using learning games for over 25 years. Here we share our knowledge with you so more children will learn while having fun at school, after school or at home. Thank you to all the volunteers who have brought their sense of fun and favorite games to the kids. Once there was a college student from China volunteering with us. After her week with us, she said that she learned that school should be fun.

Competition for Learning

As much as we love a granola crunchy Peaceful Kingdom cooperative game, we know that children who are competing to win have opened some part of their brain to learn that is often asleep. If they are just doing a paper, online practice by themselves, or meandering through a cooperative game, this switch is not on. We have leveraged that peculiarity of the human brain to get children to learn what they were just not getting in class. Children often do not realize they are learning when they play, especially competitively, so they even surprise themselves. Play is learning so why not use it?

Rules

Before you play any game for the first time, discuss the rules. Always say, "This is how I play it and other people may play it differently. It is always good to agree on the rules of a game before you start so there are no disagreements about the rules once you start playing." This also opens them up to the idea that different people do the same thing differently, like in different cultures. This is basic conflict prevention. It is particularly useful in Uno and Monopoly. 

Memorizing

Children should be taught the difference between memorizing and thinking. Memorizing involves very little active thought and much zombie like repetition. Thinking while memorizing slows the process down. Once kids think through and understand the concept of what they are about to memorize, explain that they are building a connection in their brain by repeating the same things over - they are actually changing their own brain.

We have seen kids not know their multiplication facts, but after working on a set of three facts in games (by writing it down or writing it in the sand or saying it or clapping it or jump roping it or hopscotching it or playing memory or by any means necessary until they remember) and when they are asked, their mouth will move to say the beginning sound of the correct answer and then their thinking brain will interfere and say the wrong answer. Tell them to say whatever comes out of their mouth first works. Bam! Its there and inside their head forever. 

Hands - The Gateway

We love clay and number and letter shaped toys. However, no matter how hard we have tried, there has been nothing to compare to having kids write what they are trying to learn. However, you can take that and make it a creative exercise. Writing can be painting with a brush, writing in the sand with a finger or putting sandpaper under what they are writing, using a chalkboard, writing it on the sidewalk, writing it in finger paint on wax paper, white boards, crayons and markers - any writing utensil you can figure, but their hand has to be moving to make that connection quickly in their brain. In any game below that you can figure a way to have kids write things down it will increase the value of the game for learning.

Hand movement means something else for kids who have ADD/ADHD or dyslexia when they are reading. Their hands must be still when reading a sentence or passage. Fidget spinners or even a pencil are the enemy for this. Once kids see this difference, they will keep their own hands still, even if it means sitting on them, so they can get through their reading twice as quickly. Please someone do a study on this or let us know if there is one.

Games to Learn vs. Games to Reinforce

Be careful to not choose a game that is really for reinforcing or practice when first teaching a concept. This will lead to frustration and worse, a pathetic loss for the child. We have marked the game suggestions below as one or the other.

Game Cost and Purchasing

Educational games often disappear as soon as you see them. It is sad to see that they ARE NOT A ROCK SOLID PART OF CURRICULUM but ok... Then worse they are not available or $99 for a rare board game. So, buy it when you see it. Also there are always blank playing cards, cardboard for playing boards and a marker to DIY. Get creative but don't let kids miss out on fabulous fun. The bargain bin is where you can often find overlooked and fleeting gems of games.

Math

Manipulatives: Children love toys. They do not really love bingo counters or cubes. Liven it up. Find some Barbie shoes, some cars, some fake jewels, or candy if it is an attention emergency. The exception are the matchy-matchy kids. They may need the all blue bingo counters to focus... but keep them in mind when they are older and you need an interior designer or an accountant depending on the type of matchy matchy they are doing.

Numbers/Counting

Dot-to-dots - Any of these books help kids practice counting in a very self correcting way. Get The Picture is a good dot to dot reinforcement game for counting higher numbers.

Number Go Fish - Make anything go fish and it works. Pick a game that has the number of objects on the card, not just any picture. If the card is the number 5, they must see what 5 means. Remember, they may have never met 5 before. Let's introduce it with some fun and clarity.

Number Old Maid - Old Maid (or Old Bachelor) is a time tested game so mixing it with learning is perfect. The important thing is that kids say their number when they put down their pairs. You could even have them write it too. You could even say those are the rules for the game.

Hopscotch- Play it and put the numbers you are learning in the boxes. Try different kinds of hopscotch like snail hopscotch.

Jump Rope - Any rhyme where you count: "Bubble gum bubble gum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish?" This is counting.

Regular Dominoes - Just play it or Mexican Train but just have them count the dots on their turn. Do not use the ones with colored dots because savvy kids will be matching the color, not counting the dots.

Number Slap Jack - Not for the faint of heart, slap jack is both hated and loved by children. For kids who are prone to hitting other kids, this is not for them. But it is super fun for everyone else. Just be sure they are saying the numbers, even with help, after they put them down - or the learning value is pretty low. 

Elements Game/ Higher Lower - Higher lower is dealing out 7 cards to each player. One card is flipped and the person says higher or lower before flipping the first card. The other person needs to put that type of card down. If they do not have it, they draw. First one out of cards is the winner. You can mix it up with the Photographic Card Deck of the Elements and use the atomic number, and possibly digress into what the pictures are and what elements are. 

Dominoes In Order - Be the person with the most dominoes in number order. For example: 1,2,3 or 6,7,8,9. Put all the dominoes in the middle in a pile. Each player picks 10 dominoes and turns them face up so they can see the dots. They add up the dots on each end of their domino. They try to see how many of the sums they can put in order – like 7,8,9 or 11, 12, 13.  The player with most dominoes in a row is the winner of the round. Play as many rounds as you like!

Addition and Subtraction

Be sure they understand the concept of addition and know their addition facts before moving onto subtraction. Ideally you do only addition until those facts are rock solid, then move onto subtraction. Unfortunately, most games you buy mix them up.

Sum Swamp - This is a classic beginning game that is beloved by kids. You will see them memorize math facts as they play it over and over. It does mix up adding and subtraction though.

Addition Domino War - Super fun and has the dots there to count and visualize the number. Deal out all the dominoes. Each person flips one domino, adds the two sides and see whose sum is bigger etc. Just like war with cards.

Subtraction Domino War - Same as above but subtract side with less dots from side with more dots. Paper and pencil might be helpful. 

Make Ten - Put the dominoes face down. Each player picks one domino at a time and sees if adding both sides totals ten. First player with 5 dominoes that each made ten is the winner. 

Addition or Subtraction Memory (DIY) - Get some blank playing cards and a Sharpie - use something that will not bleed through. Do this methodically. Start with learning +2. Put all the +2 equations (2+1, 2+2, 2+3 etc...) on cards, then the answers on separate cards.  For a shorter game, put answers on one side of the table and equations on the other. Mixing them all up together will make a longer game because sometimes you will turn over 2 equations or 2 answers. Then just play memory to match them. When they make a match, have them say it and write it down. Be sure they say the whole equation, not just the answer. Saying the whole equation is committing that whole fact sentence to memory. If they are saying just the answer, that is not memorizing that math fact. For example: they should answer with "Two plus five is seven." Please explain this to them so they do not think you are extra. They will see it works when they can't recall an answer, start to say the number sentence and the answer flies out of their mouth as a surprise. Review again another day to see if it all stuck and go back to whatever was forgotten.

Merka Flash Cards -These are sadly not a game and are expensive, but they are the flash cards dreams are made of. Each card is illustrated with what each equation represents. So 8 + 10 has 8 tiny pictures and 10 tiny pictures. Flash cards are useful but dull. Kids like to see the pile of cards they got right. Work on just a few facts at a time over and over, then move on. Go methodically so they are done with their 2's, then 3's etc. Then mix them up as a final test.

Addition/Subtraction Card Game War - Kids just flip over 2 cards instead of 1 like in regular war. Then they add them. Knock down drag out pressure to figure the answer which is fabulous. It is not a speed based game so there is time for kids to use manipulatives if needed. Junior Learning has a set of ten frame cards which are nice for visualizing the equations and no need to take out the face cards with this deck.

Subtraction Card Game War - same as above but subtract.

Harcourt Flash Skills workbooks: These workbooks are cheap, colorful, and have examples. Its not the latest in math but its rock solid basic good practice and learning.

Sequence Numbers: This is good to start adding and subtracting 1 digit from 2 digit numbers using a bingo like game.

Make 7: This is Connect 4 but with numbers where adding pieces to make seven is the connect four win. Connect 4 is also useful to prepare kids for the columns that 2 digit and above addition and subtraction. If you then explain to kids that you solve the problem like how you put the pieces in columns in Connect 4, they have a reference point, something for their brain to build on, not just an empty field with crickets and daydreams of anything but math.

Double Up Double Down game -This game has jewels and interesting dice which makes kids like it right away. They roll many dice and add the doubles, then adds 1 and subtracts 1 from their total and then looks for those numbers on a bingo card. Math dexterity comes out of this and kids surprise themselves.

Mathimos game - a 20 questions like guessing game with 1 domino at a time - either addition or subtraction. (from Cevanna's Corner video)

Which Hello Kitty are You? - This is a math card game where the person who reaches 88 first is the loser. This is great for practicing 1 - 2 digit addition. Pencil and paper are handy. The friend questions in the box are very optional.

Multiplication and Division

Merka flash cards: These are sadly not a game and are expensive, but are the flash cards of our dreams. Each card is illustrated with what each equation represents. So 8 x 10 has 8 tiny pictures in a row and 10 tiny pictures per column.

Multiplication War - Kids just flip over 2 cards instead of 1 like in regular war. Then they multiply them. Knock down drag out pressure to figure the answer which is fabulous. It is not a speed based game so there is time for kids to figure the answer out.

Multiplication Memory (DIY): Get some blank playing cards and a Sharpie - use something that will not bleed through. Do this methodically. Start with learning x2. Put all the x2 equations (2x1, 2x2, 2x3 etc...) on one card, then the answers on the other.  For a shorter game, put answers on one side of the table and equations on the other. Mixing them all up together will make a longer game because sometimes you will turn over 2 equations or 2 answers. Then just play memory to match them. When they make a match, have them say it and write it down. Be sure they say the whole equation, not just the answer. Saying the whole equation is committing that whole fact sentence to memory. If they are just saying the answer, that is not memorizing the fact. They should answer with "Two plus five is seven." Please explain that they are saying it to teach themselves so they do not think you are extra. They will see it works when they can't recall an answer, start to say the number sentence and the answer flies out of their mouth as a surprise. Review the equations in the end like flash cards. Review again another day to see if it all stuck and go back to whatever was forgotten.

Media Materials Math Facts Game: A fun old time board game for reinforcement where you go in different rooms and try to get the equation that matches the numbers in the room. 

Yahtzee: Great to start learning multiplication math facts 1 through 6, plus the concept that multiplication is adddition repeated. You don't have to buy it. You can play it on paper from this foundational book: Great Games, look up Yacht. page 33.

Harcourt Flash Skills workbooks: These workbooks are cheap, colorful, and have examples. Its not the latest in math but its rock solid basic good practice and learning.

Snap It Up multiplication: They have to find two numbers in their hands that equal the card in the middle. Play this once they have methodically memorized their math facts 1 to 12. Do not play it before that because there will be sadness. Reinforcement once they know most of their facts.

SuperGenius: They flip two cards - one has lots of products and one has lots of equations. First person to find a match is the winner. Play this once they have methodically memorized most of their math facts 1 to 12. Do not play it before that because there will be sadness. Reinforcement once they know most of their facts.

Multiplication Four in a Row - This game is bingo plus a touch of Sorry. Its golden. Reinforcement but could be played with a multiplication chart to help.

Flip 4 -  This is a taste of sorry and bingo with multiplication. Reinforcement but could be played with a multiplication chart to help.

Multiplication/Division/Addition/Subtraction Practice:

Prime Climb - This game is gold. Addition, subtraction and multiplication in a race to the center. The kids have to do the math to move on each turn but they do not mind because the game is goooood. Reinforcement but could be played with a multiplication chart to help. Paper and pencil is also helpful.

Algebra

The most important thing is to tell kids is that the letters that have wandered into their math are secret numbers they need to figure out. If there is an a and b, it is because those are different secret numbers so you do not get confused. The multiplication sign disappears because x is now a letter and a secret number. This clears up 90% of confusion. Really for kids who are not math lovers, the word variable is a word to be introduced much later or maybe never.

Algebra Survival Guide by Josh Rappaport: This book has guided generations of Front Porch kids through algebra. It is written in a short and simple manner with examples. There is also a workbook that helps for practice. This is rock solid algebra goodness.

Dominoes: Algebraic Expressions and Equations - match the equations to the solution

Maya Madness -  a fun game that helps kids conceptualize the concept of negative numbers while battling each other to get to their secret number. Generations have loved this game on the Porch.

Battleship- Preps kids for graphing on the x and y axis. You do not have to buy it - you can play it old-timey-style on paper. See this fantastic book: Great Games by Sam Taggar and Susan Williamson page 37.

Absolute Zero - This card game is where the players each have 3 cards of negative and positive numbers and try to get their cards to equal zero first.

Place Value

Speed Place Value by Educational Insights. Kids love this bingo because they can shake the doo dad that shows what they should be looking for one their bingo card. It has different levels of place value on different cards so it can be used across grades. 

Operation Space Chase board game by Learning Resources - Players race on three tracks by rolling dice and moving 3 pieces each - ones, tens and hundreds. Good stuff.

Cars - Get those sort of match box cars from Oriental Trading that you can color. Put the numbers on the top of the cars with a Sharpie. Draw parking spaces on a piece of cardboard - a space for each place value: ones, tens, hundreds etc. and have kids park the car in the right place for a specific number.

Story Problems

Flip Over Math Story Problems from Learning Resources. This has story problems of increasing complexity and separate manipulatives. It is expensive but very nice baby steps into the world of story problems.

Advanced: Back of the Algebra Survival Guide has a great section on advanced story problems.

Reading

Alphabet

Alphabet Go Fish - The best cards are ones with pictures of things that begin with that letter sound, so you can talk about the letter more. Also appropriate are ones that are just black and white with the letters once they are getting it. You can easily DIY those. Just be sure kids are saying the sounds out loud as they put down pairs or ask for a letter. The details are what can make the difference between a game and a learning game.

Alphabet Old Maid (or Old Bachelor) - Always a fun classic. Just be sure kids are saying the sounds out loud as they put down pairs. The details are what can make the difference between a game and a learning game.

Beginning Sounds Dominoes - Matching the beginning sound to a picture that has that beginning sound. Just be sure they say the letter sound as they place the domino.  

Cars - Get those sort of match box cars from Oriental Trading that you can color or if you have lots of other toy cars use a sticker on top. Put letters on the top of the cars with a Sharpie. Draw parking spaces on a piece of cardboard. You can ask kids to find certain letters then write it down, put them in order then write it down, and later to spell words. Most kids are dumbfounded that their lesson will include cars. There is a whole world to explore using these cars. We have only scratched the surface.

Sight Words

Sight Word Splat - Superfun for 2 players - sort of like a bingo card game, matching the word read aloud to their set of cards that is face up in front of them. They flip the cards that are called - first with all their cards flipped is the winner. 

Sight Word Swat - This is a good reinforcement game out of the box. To make it a learning game pick words that the kids are working on learning, write them on cards and have 2 kids who are very close in level or this game is lopsided to whoever knows more and super unfun for the loser.

DIY sight word memory - Hands down the best tool. Kids are committing the word to memory to win the game but by accident memorize the sight word for reading! Get blank playing cards and write two of each of the words you are working on. About 8 words is enough. Less if you think you need to go slower. Play memory. Have kids write the word when they make a match for extra learning.

Sight Word Readers from scholastic - This is a set of very short books using just sight words. Of course they are not great literature, but kids find it satisfying they can read the whole book. A great reinforcement.

Phonics

Short Vowel Dominoes - Great game to get kids to sound out 3 letter words to win

Long Vowel Dominoes - Great game to get kids to sound out long vowel words to win

Workbook for Dyslexia  - This is a good for all kids who need a little help, not just children with dyslexia.

Didax or Junior Learning board game sets for phonics - These are sets of board games with various skill levels - CVC, silent e etc. Kids will play this over and over, which is fabulous because it gives them the repetition you are looking for.

Snap it Up Word Families - This is a great game to get kids to blend beginning sounds and 2 letter endings. They have to make words and get three words before the other player. Good fun, good sounding out 3 - 4 letter words.

These two are complementary:

    A. Spelfabet Word Building card game - These are small square cards with sounds on them. 2 players make             words then change each others words, trying to run out of cards first. A great game to get them to say the sounds     out loud and compete. This is a download and color copies. 

    B. Reading Reflex - This is the same idea of making words with sounds on cards that perfectly builds through             sounds. This is a great game to pair with Spelfabet. It is a book you DIY into the cards.

Houghten Mifflin Reading series - This is a perfectly leveled set, with each story carefully including new words each story: Bells, Parades, and Carousels.  The stories are sometimes dated, but you cannot trade that perfect level. Once they get to Carousels, they can move onto other books on level. If Houghten Mifflin was smart, they would update the stories that needed it and use it again. The reinvention of teaching reading for profit is really out of control.

Spelafbet playing cards - These look like mini  regular playing cards but have words on them. The sets of card are by level. Kids just have to say the word on the card before laying it down. 

Sunken Treasure - This board game is about putting a blend with a word ending to make a word and collecting them through the game. The board is set up in an interesting way so kids like that novelty. Great to sound out blends. 

Phonics Jingo - This is great when they are further along in their sound work. This is reinforcement.

Python Path board game - make words with word endings dice and the beginning sounds on the board. We made our own dice so we could focus on one vowel sound at a time. Then you can play with their mixed up word ending dice for reinforcement.

Big Box of Word Chunks - These are puzzle pieces with individual letters, blends, and word endings on them. We divided the endings by vowel sounds and separated the blends from the individual letters so we could focus on one subject at a time. Kids would race themselves making words. They could see how many they could make in 2 minutes, then try again. They could make real words or gibberish as long as it was sounded out correctly. They could race against the clock a second time to try to beat themselves. A great way to get repetition that is not boring.

The Phonics Game - We use the cards from the three letter and four letter words and play it our own way. Each player gets 5 cards face up in front of them. One card is flipped in the middle. Kids try to match the vowel sounds in their words with the vowel sound in the middle card. All that match count for a point. Then they make sure they have 5 cards for their next turn. If an adult is playing against a child, get the child to read your words also - even turn them to be right side up for them.

Spelling

Boggle - Good for two kids at the same level who have no issues with letters being twisted around.  

Word Search board game - This is a word search where players put bingo chips on words they find. They remove the other player's chips when they find a word that crosses the other player's word - a taste of Othello

Honey Nut Cheerios Spelling Bee Game - This is a game from Cheerios where kids just race around a board spelling words. We do not know why kids liked it, but they did - so let's go with it.

Junior Learning Spelling game set -  This is a set of board games to help kids learn plurals etc.

Maya and Miguel Word Scramble - This game is golden and our group is on the third game after it wore out. You have to move the letters on the board to spell your word before the timer runs out. You can spell in Spanish or English. 

Possum - Yahtzee and Scrabble mixed together, adding parts of speech. What is not to like?

Scrabble Alphabet Scoop game - This is scrabble letters in a bowl and ladles, with kids racing to pick out the letters for their word first. There are cards with words on them. Kids pick a card and spell a word on their card. First one to spell their word is the winner. You can make your own cards with sight words or vocab words or spelling words on them. You can play it with kids of different ages giving older kids longer words to spell. This game is wild good fun and sneaky spelling.

Reading/Writing

Riddle Maze - This game is so interesting and kids will read the questions because they want to flip over cards and get through this card maze. The questions are about 1st to 2nd grade.

Writing Stories - A teacher used to write stories with her kids each week. Simple books stapled with the lines at the bottom and room for pictures at the top. Fabulous.

Tell A Story - This is great for kindergarten or beginning 1st grade. They are picture cards that you have to put in order of how the story happened but you are competing.

Story Cards UNICEF - These are cards that are story fragments that you put in any order you fancy. They are also in different languages so kids can be curious.

Create A Story cards - These are cards with no words, just pictures. We bought a few sets and mixed them up for more possibilities.

Story Jumper - This is online where kids can illustrate, write and publish their stories. It is super digital creative and could inspire them to want to spell to write more stories.

Science

Skeletons in the Closet Game - Race to complete your skeleton by answering questions correctly.

Totally Gross board game - There are cards to pull to go around the board - experiments or just gross questions that are really interesting. First person with their booger counter to get to 10 is the winner. This is a much loved game in our game library.

Janice VanCleave's Big Book of Science Experiments - All the basic experiments with good explanations.

Best of Wonderscience: Elementary Science Activities, Volume I by James H. Kessler - Another good basic science experiment book with fabulous explanations of all the activities. Really gives the WHY.

Any bingo with animal/plant identification on it. - The trick is to play it multiple times so kids memorize the pictures and identification.

Science Experiment Kits are frequently disappointments and we avoid them. The explanations are usually too basic or too scientific. Scientific concepts are often muddy. We DIY ours finding good videos or experiments in books.

Geography Games

Scrambled States - Wow. This is a generational winner on the Porch. This is a game of speed to find if any of the states you have match the card that is flipped over. Kids will learn their states and capitals so fast your head will spin and they will play over and over.

States Rummy - This is a more low key game but good, with kids trying to get a set of states whose borders are touching.

Atlas Adventures - combines jigsaw puzzle with geography.

Around The World - We got Rand McNally's beautiful children's wall maps, then made up cards to find countries beginning with different letters on each continent. If kids could find the country, then they would get that whole continent. First one with all the continents wins.

Strategy

Chess

Mancala

Backgammon

Nine Men's Morris

Senet

Parcheesi

Sorry

Quoidor

Chinese Checkers

Labyrinth

Deductive Reasoning

Spy Alley - This game was worn out on the Porch a decade ago. Go around the board to try to figure out which spy the other kids are.

Clue - A forever favorite

Mastermind - Kids of any reading or math level can play this.

Suspicion board game - A game a little like Clue.

TriTective card game - This game is so simple yet so challenging for kids. They have to guess the letters in the secret word through deductive reasoning. You can actually see their brains expand as the game goes on.

Art

Beginners

What Shall I Draw - DK book. Very simple thing with good, clear steps.

Ed Emberly - any of his books. Teaches kids how everything is made from shapes.

More Advanced

You Can Draw by Parragon Books - Very tween, very clear steps.

Make and Do by Childcraft - This is an old time craft book that can keep pre-K to early elementary children busy for maybe years. The 70's were the renaissance of children's crafts. Embrace it. Kids know its good.

Any of the Williamson Kids Can series - buy all of them and pass them on when kids outgrow them. There are those full color books with lame crafts in them, but this is the meaty good stuff that creative afternoons are made for.

Marion Deuchar books - Any of her books are wonderful creative experiences for creative kids (and adults).

Pattern Recognition

QBitz - This is a worn out game for the Porch. Each player has a set of cubes they have to flip to make into a specific pattern.

Scan- This old time game has kids race to identify patterns by color, shape, or position.

Qwirkle - Players have to place the tiles in a specific way by shape or color.

Languages

Lingo from Unicef - This is a food picture bingo game, but the caller has to call out the words in one of 5 languages. So the caller has to speak one of the languages. But if you have that, kids will learn all the food words after about 4 games.

See It and Sign It - This is a great sign language Bingo game. First time kids play it is rough, but as they play it more and more they get the signs. Only downside is that once they learn all the words, there wasn't another level.

We would like to acknowledge Ms. Pat (rest in peace) for leveling up all our reading activities, Ms. Diane for showing us how to help kids who have dyslexia, and Christa for her donation of many fun games.