As someone who has recently purged my home (and schedule), the holidays present a unique challenge: How to give gifts that we truly love and need, without adding too much *stuff* to our space. Perhaps even more stressful that choosing gifts for our own children, is giving extended family gift ideas for our children… am I right? This is why I am offering our personal choices for the best education games that are small, and inexpensive.
Not just any games, either! These are…
-
all different kinds of educational,
-
small enough that they won’t take-over your home,
-
and around $10, or less.
It’s the trifecta!
Therefore, this minimalist gift-giving guide for games is equally good for gift-buying, as gift-suggesting! Great gifts for under $10, that every homeschooler will love, and that fit in small spaces! Let’s get started!
Plus, I’ve done my best to include games that are enjoyable for the parents, too!
Farkle
It’s just a bunch of dice in a cup… with an exciting math-based scoring system! Mental math with 50’s and 100’s, anyone? First one to 10,000 points wins!
Kanoodle
I love this game, and my kids love this game! It’s a 3-D logic puzzle that requires children to build spatial intelligence with solitaire challenges. Keep it in your purse to keep a child busy anywhere you go, mama!
Wordical
Build words with the consonants you have been dealt, and the vowels you roll. Like scrabble, your score on each turn depends on the letters you use, and the length of your word. Recommended for ages 8+, this is one of the best educational games for strengthening literacy skills, AND it’s fun!
Spot-It
Give your child their character-fix by choosing the Spot-It that’s right for you. The beauty of this game is visual processing. Think matching on hyperdrive.
>You might also like to read: 10 Things Minimalists Can Never Have Too Much Of…
Skip-Bo
Strategy and number sequencing combine for this more-portable-than-Rack-o game. Plus, it has wild cards, and other fun twists. Great for the whole family from early counters and up.
Qwixx
Everyone plays on every turn! This fast-paced family game is recommended for ages 8+, but if you’re willing to slow-down and be a little less competitive, your younger ones can learn the game, too. Consider it one to grow into :).
Sleeping Queens
Add by 5’s up to 50 while waking different sleeping Queens (like the Pancake Queen), and strategically using defense cards. This is one of the best educational games for boys and girls, starting around preschool. Anyone can play – young to old – since this game is the perfect combinations of simple, but still tons of fun.
Gubs
This fun card game helps teach probability skills, imagination, and creativity. The box says that this game is good for ages 10+, but I think that 6-7 year olds can get the hang of it, and even a 4 year olds could be helped through it. The best part is that adults love it equally well, and the time investment is minimal. Try it. Gubs will become a family favorite very quickly!
Difficult Riddles for Smart Kids
This book of 300 riddles will get the whole family thinking…
Uno
What? You don’t have Uno? Get it. Hours of fun. This is one of the best educational game for the youngest members in the family to practice numbers, colors and matching, and the older members of the family love the strategy and competition. You can’t go wrong with this classic. I feel like everybody probably has this one, but I didn’t want to leave it off of a minimalist gift-giving guide, just in case ;).
So, tell me: What do you think are the best educational games? Please share in the comments below!
Wishing you all the simple things,
Zara
I use affiliate links as a way to offset the time and cost associated with offering content, at no extra cost to you. Check out my privacy policy for more information. Thanks for your support.
We love all those games! Great list! We do gameschool and art on Fridays. But I’ve been known to whip out a game when someone is upset. If there are tears of frustration, our go to game is Tenzi. It’s not educational, but it is an immediate mood booster for us. Then we can get back to work if we must. Some of our other well-loved games that are budget and space friendly with a high educational punch are the Timeline or Cardline games. Our favorites are Cardline Animals and Timeline Science and Discoveries.
Your Fridays sound divine :). And yes, games are definitely my go-to to get everyone back on board, too! A friend just recommended Slapzi, which looks like the same maker as Tenzi, and I’m intrigued by both… looks like I have a couple new ideas for our Christmas lists! Thanks for the recommendations!