Learning Games for Elementary

Playing games can be a great way to make learning fun, and spend quality family time together.   Below are a list of learning games you can use to practice and learn about various topics (for middle and high school games go here).   While there are many great online games too, in this list I'm only listing games you play offline with others (siblings, parents).    

Some of of these games are meant to be played with other children the same age.  If a parent is playing, I suggest adding an element of chance  to the parent's turn to make it more fair (For example, the parent could have to guess what hand your child is holding something in to be able to play their turn, or if it is a quiz style game, or the children could answer all the answers and the parent only moves if they get the answer wrong).   If an older child is playing with a younger child in a game of skill, I suggest giving the younger child some sort of similar advantage (a head start in a race game, two turns for every one turn the other child plays, etc.).

Most of the items on this list are free, but there are a few board games (some of which may already be in your closet) or printable games you can purchase which I've include, which are marked with a $. 

KEY

$ = Not a free resource

PK = Preschool (May or may not include 2-3 year olds)

KG = Kindergarten

EE = Early Elementary (KG - 2nd)

E = All of Elementary

LE = Late Elementary (3rd - 6th)

MS = Middle School/Junior High (6th - 8th)*

HS = High School (9th - 12th)*

K-12 = All school age (not PK)

ALL = All Ages (May or may not include 2-3 year old)

*Why do I even bother including MS/HS on an elementary school list?   Because sometimes its nice to find a game you can play with the whole family that everyone can learn from.   If you're looking for more games for Middle and High School, check out Ellen McHenry's Basement.

Mixed Skills
Educational Bingo Games
Jump and Learn Game

5 Learning Games (these can be used for various skills, ALL) 

Early Learning Skills

Colors and Shapes

Jump and Learn Game (Requires chalk, PK/KG)

Dino Sort - Teaches Sorting/Classifying (Printable, PK/EE)

Soccer Spin - Probability, Predictions, Tally Marks (PK/K)

Math

Various/Mixed Math Skills
Angry Bird Math - Counting/Probability (Printable, EE)
Storm the Castle Game (EE)
Sheep Herding Math (ALL)
Math Card Games, Various (Requires Card Deck, PK/E)
Traditional Native American Games Organized by Math Skill (ALL)
6 Math Games (board and card games to use for learning math $)
Bluebird Math Circle (All) - Math activities for various ages, many of which are related to Native American history and culture.  

Number Recognition
Number Bingo (Printable, PK/KG)
Jump and Learn Game (Requires chalk, PK/KG)

Subsidizing (Ability to quickly tell how many of an object there is) 
Caterpillar Number Match (Printable, PK/KG)

Skip Counting
Various skip counting Games (Printable, KG, EE)

Place Value
Place Value Game (Printable, EE)


Money
Race to a Dollar (Printable, Requires Change, EE)
Coin Recognition Games, Various
Monopoly (Board Game, LE/MS/HS $)


Addition
Five In a Hive - Mental Math/Adding to 5 (Printable, PK, K, EE)
Find 10 - Adding to 10 (Printable, K/EE)
Adding to 10 Game (Printable, K/EE)
Adding Up to 12 Game (Printable, E)
Adding Dice Game (Printable, Requires Dice)
Race to a Hundred  +10/Number Charts (Printable, EE)
15 Game (Printable)
Sea Slide Addition Game (Printable, EE)
Addition Facts that Stick - 5 Week Game Based Curriculum (Printable or Book, E, $)

Subtraction
Subtraction Facts that Stick - 5 Week Game Based Curriculum (Printable or Book, E $)
Dino Subtraction Game (Printable)
No Prep Subtraction Game (Printable)
Robot Subtraction Game (Printable)
 

Number Lines
Frog Jump Number Line Game (Printable, E)


Multiplication
Loot the Pirate Ship (Printable, LE)
Multiplication Games by Games 4 Learning (Printable)
Multiplication Facts that Stick - 5 Week Game Based Curriculum (Printable or Book, E $)
Kingdominoes (Board Game, LE/MS/HS $)

Division
Loot the Pirate Ship (Printable, LE)
Division Facts that Stick - 5 Week Game Based Curriculum (Printable or Book, E $) 

Prime Numbers
Loot the Pirate Ship (Printable, LE)


Area
Area/Array Game (Printable)



Language Arts

Various/Mixed
Language Arts Adventure (EE)


Alphabet - Letter Identification
Jump and Learn Game (Needs chalk, PK/KG)
Alphabet Bingo (Printable) 
Bunny Hop Alphabet Game (PK, EE)

Reading - Phonics
Uno Style Phonogram Game (Printable, E $)
Hard and Soft G Go Fish (Printable, E)
Homophones Game (Printable, E)


Reading - Sight Words
Rotten Bananas (Needs Colored Paper, K, EE)
Sight Word Go Fish (K, EE)

Spelling
Spelling Balloon Game (Need Balloons, Sharpie, E)
Boggle Word Game (E/MS)

Grammar
Silly Sentences (Puzzle Game or Board Game, E, $)

Vocabulary
Various Vocabulary Games

Writing/Composing

Campfire Storytelling Game (All Ages)

Computer Coding

Computer Coding Game  (Requires Cards)
Computer Coding game
 

Geography

World
Various Geography Games by Ellen McHenry (Various Ages)
Coleoptera (Beetles/Weevils) Around the World (printable, LE/MS/HS)


South America
Birds of Brazil Bingo (K-12)

Antarctica
Scientists of Antarctica (LE/MS/HS $) 

US States - Multiple States

13 Colonies Game (K-12)


US States - Specific States

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Geogrphy/Geology - Bottom of Page (K-12)

Texas
Ride 'em Cowboy Texas Game (E)

Foreign Language

French
On Vacation Around the World (in French) (Printable, E 7+/MS)



Health/Nutrition
Fruits and Vegetable Nutrition Game (ALL)



History 
Some of these are game from historical time periods, and others are games that teach about these time periods.

Egyptian Trivia Game (Printable, LE/MS/HS)

Senet - Ancient Egyptian Game (LE/MS/HS)

Ancient Egyptian Snake Game (E/MS/HS)  

Digging Up Greece (LE/MS/HS)

Zeus on the Loose (Card Game, E/MS $) 

Rota - Roman Tic-Tac-Toe (Printable, E/MS/HS)

Ancient Rome - Tabula, and Ancient Roman Game (Printable, LE/MS/HS) 

Age of Exploration Dice Game (E/MS $)

Viking Voyages (LE/MS)
    + My Viking Voyages Expansion Pack (LE/MS/HS)

Age of Exploration Dice Game (LE)

Sail the Seas - Explorers/Bodies of Water (LE/MS/HS)

Storming the Bastille French Revolution  (LE/MS/HS)

Great Depression Simulation Dice Game (LE/MS)

Native Americans - Games from the Aboriginal People of North America (ALL)

Bluebird Math Circle (All)
Math activities for various ages, many of which are related to Native American history and culture.

Science

General/MISC
Scientists of Antarctica (LE/MS/HS $) 


Animals and Habitats
Various Animal Games by Ellen McHenry (All)
Safari Animals Seek and Find (PK - K)
Phyla Ecology Game (LE/MS/MS)
Birds of Brazil Bingo ( K-12)
Birds of Prey (LE/MS/HS $)
Gastropods (Mollusks) Bingo (EE, MS, HS)
Poison Dart Frog (Requires cardboard, Lots of Set Up, E/MS)
Various Frog Games See links in post...it's more than just the pictured game  (Elementary)
Pond Scum - A Protozoa Game (LE/MS/HS)


Cells
Pond Scum - A Protozoa Game (LE/MS/HS)


Chemistry
Make 5 - A Game About Mineral Chemical Formulas ( LE, MS, HS)
Various Free Games by Ellen McHenry  (K-12)


Earth Science
Various Games by Ellen McHenry (K-12)


Nature Study
Nature Scavenger Hunt (K-12)



MISC

Family Friendly Version of Cards Against Humanity (LE/MS/HS)
Lego Building Game (Requires Legos, ALL 4+)
Various Lego Building Games  (Requires Legos, ALL 4+)
Bible Games, Various (ALL)
Concentration, Memorization, and Observation Games (LE/MS)  




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