TOP EDUCATIONAL GAMES FOR KINDERGARTNERS
All kids love to play.
As a parent, you know that kids come with toys. It’s just inevitable.
At our house, we try to control the number of toys our kids have but let me tell you, it is not easy. We probably go through their toys twice a year and the ones that they are not playing with anymore we either donate, sell, or trash them.
However, there are toys & games that our kids love to play with on a regular basis. Toys & games that are fun and educational.
To minimize expense, we tend to buy them from consignment stores or our neighborhood resale page. The more expensive toys & games are budgeted for and given as Christmas or birthday gifts.
I picked these top educational toys out of my children’s toys & games collection. They are the well-favored ones and ones that the kids simply enjoy playing all the time.
Most of these toys & games are best for kindergartners and above but my daughter who is 3 is able to enjoy most of them as well.
TOP 10 TOYS AND GAMES FOR KINDERGARTNERS
My son loves these! Kids are learning to build and construct a run for the marbles. Thanks to YouTube channels like this, my son has learned to name his marbles after countries. From that, he developed an interest in learning about the different countries and flags of the world. Geography, check. He is also learning to keep score from this. Math, check. I do have to say that Marbleworks is on the expensive side, but the quality is good. Galt is another marble run set we have that is of good quality as well.
Good for: Motor, cognitive, and creative thinking skills
2. I Spy
With all the cards facing down, players have to find the matching pairs by memory. Everyone takes turn flipping over two cards at a time to see the picture. You have to remember the picture on the card and where the card is located so that the next time you flip a card that matches you can rely on your memory to find the matching pair! The player with the most matching pair of cards win! Both my 3 and 6-year-olds love this game too.
Good for: Memory
3. Monopoly
It’s a classic. The goal is to bankrupt your opponents by buying and developing the most property of the same color group and therefore having a monopoly. Monopoly Junior may be more suited for this age group, but we already have this one at home and my son was able to catch on.
Good for: Concentration, mathematical skills, finance
4. Magna-Tiles (Magnetic Tiles or Blocks)
There are several different brands and version of magna tiles, but this is the original. Magna Tiles have also won many awards. It’s a great educational toy to have, it’s fun to see the magnets connect together and form things like rockets, ferris wheels, flowers, etc. The Magna Tile brand can be pricey but, there are many other versions with lower price point if you are on a budget.
Good for: Motor skills, creativity, imagination, planning, mathematical skills (shapes and symmetry)
My son has recently taken a great interest in this game. Mainly because he wants to beat his dad. This is a great game to exercise their brain. The goal is to have the most chips that is your color. To flip the chips to your color you have to trap the opponent’s chip(s) by having two of your chips on either side. Not sure if that makes any sense but here is a video showing you how to play. We can go for several rounds in a day, such a great game!
Good for: Concentration, planning, strategy
Yes, another classic game that we love playing together. No Stress Chess is another easier version that is fun as well. I am not going to attempt to explain how to play chess because (1) you might already know and (2) it’s a little complicated for me to explain. But, here is a great video showing you how!
Good for: Concentration, planning, strategy
7. Outfoxed
This was recently introduced to us by good friends and it is so fun! Even for adults. This is a detective game. Both my 3 and 6-year-olds absolutely love this. You have suspects and clues to help you find out who is thief is.
Good for: Collaboration, reasoning skills
8. Logic Links
A great puzzle game to exercise the brain. Logic Links uses clues to solve a puzzle. You read the clues out loud and figure out how the chips are supposed to line up. We have the book version since it was free from one of our neighbors.
Good for: Cognitive, reasoning, listening skills
9. Legos
You probably already have these. Not only are legos fun for the kids, they actually help promote many learning opportunities. Have you heard of Lego Education? You can find some free resources on how to use Legos to help promote learning. Also, I love 22 STEM Activities With Legos for other learning ideas.
Good for: Creativity, imagination, problem-solving, motor, mathematical skills (shapes, symmetry)
10. Gravity Maze
Using clue cards provided (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), the player tries to build a maze for the marble to escape.
Good for: Concentration, logic, reasoning
What Are Some Educational Toys You Like?
What are some great educational toys and games that your kids play with? Share them in the comment section below! I’m curious!
See you next time!
I love playing chess and Othello. Great post!
I know you do 😉
Great list! I’ll keep this handy for when my little is this age.
Thanks so much for reading! Glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Ispy and Marbles were my FAVOURITE growing up! I forgot about those classics! My little one start kindergarten this year so thanks for the suggestions.
Aren’t they fun? I was getting a little tired of Go! Go! Smart wheel (LOL)!
Love this list! I live for Magna-tiles!
YES!! They are great for creativity!
Oh what an awesome list. We have magnatiles and monopoly but I’ve found quite a few my kiddos would love. Great suggestions. Thanks!
I love magna tiles! Easy when it comes to clean up too!
What perfect timing, I register my oldest for K next week!
How awesome!!! They grow up way too fast, don’t they?
I’m always on the lookout for kid friendly games for my kids. I’ll have to keep your list handy. Thanks!
Angel | Mommy-ing Differently
That’s great! Thanks for reading! 🙂
My kids are still little but I’ll have to save this list for when they get bigger and for birthday parties!
Thanks for saving the list!! 🙂
Awesome list! I have a son in Kindergarten and I never thought monopoly was a good game for his age, but I guess he is old enough for the junior version!
IKR?! Me too, I thought it’d be too advanced (the box says age 8+) but kids learn so fast! We don’t follow ALL the rules, but he’s learning how to count money so that works for me! 🙂
LEGOS (the small ones) are the #1 toy our pediatrician recommended for fine motor skills. I started my youngest on them sooner than I wanted for that reason. I loved the marble run sets when I was 4/5 and I’m so happy they seem to be making a comeback. My oldest loves them.
So glad to hear! I need to find a system for storing the little legos and marbles though!!! Right now, they just all go into one bin.
We have Othello – I wouldn’t have thought of it as a game for Kindergarten but that’s great to learn! We are in the toddler stage. I love anything Melissa and Doug!
I’ve never even heard of Othello until my husband mentioned it! I was like, what? LOL! Our 3-year-old is starting to learn to play it with big bro now, it’s so cute.
Thanks for sharing this awesome list. I will be pinning. My kindergartener loves marble run.
Thanks for pinning! Marble runs are great for them, but when we step on them marbles, ouch! (SMH) LOL! 🙂
Awesome ideas! I can’t wait for my toddler to get a little older to try these out!
Thank you for reading! I was so happy when we could finally play board games together because I love them and was a little tired of cars and trucks! lol!
We used to love marble run. I totally forgot about it!
Great list! I am looking for games for my kindergarten aged child, as I try to keep her occupied with something fun and interesting, especially when I’m trying to teach my oldest!
Thanks, Lexie! Yes, it’s hard to keep the little ones occupied sometimes! 😉