Boy, do we love games around here! Not only are they a great way to spend family time together, avoid screens, and have fun, they are also GREAT for building brain power! These 10 Brain Building Games for Kids require so much thinking, spatial skills, strategizing, language skills, and more! You'll find some of our favorite board games, card games, and individual games that are super for building little brains. Most are rated for ages 6 and up!
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Labyrinth is an amazing spatial memory game! The goal is to maneuver your piece to a particular place on the board, while traveling along a maze that you can shift and slide with tile pieces. You have to be able to visualize what the maze will look like once you slide it around. It's fun and challenging even for big kids and adults! You can also check out special variations like Super Mario, Harry Potter, or Pokemon!
Mastermind was one of my favorite games from when I was a kid and luckily, Lena loves it just as much as I do. This is a basic code breaking game, requiring players to use logic to deduce a color code. It requires such great concentration, deduction, and strategy! There is even a fun kids version that uses animals instead of traditional colored pegs.
Nothing beats Rush Hour for some individual brain building! Using the picture cards, arrange the cars in a particular grid pattern. Then figure out how to help the red car escape by sliding the other cars around to eventually make a path. The cards start easy and gradually become harder, providing a great challenge for all ages. Take this one in the car or on a vacation for a great screen-free way to occupy your kiddo.
Slamwich is a multi-player card game that feels like it should be easier than it is! Players take turns quickly laying down cards while trying to remember the cards that came before. It requires tremendous concentration and quick thinking, and is great for working memory development!
We love both of these little travel sets. IQ Link and IQ Stars are both great for solo game time. A little booklet shows where to put the pieces for the beginning setup for each puzzle The object of the game is to then figure out how to fit the remaining pieces onto the puzzle board. They increase in difficulty, making it a great challenge for kids through adults.
Blokus requires players to fit as many tiles as possible into a grid with certain stipulations. It's great for spatial reasoning, planning, and strategizing! It's designed to be played with other people, but my girls have both enjoyed playing different variations on their own.
Sequence is like an elevated version of Connect 4. Players have to create a sequence of 5 in a row by laying down chips on a board. There are cute versions with letters, animals, and Paw Patrol available for even younger kids!
I hope no explanation is needed for Chess and Chinese Checkers! Chess is probably the ultimate brain building game, as it develops planning, strategy, and thinking ahead. Chinese checkers is a little more simple but equally engaging. I listed them together because they are often sold as a set.
I have so many memories of playing 24 in my 5th grade classroom! Once kids have their math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), this game is a great way to solidify them and speed them up. There are 4 numbers listed on each card. The object of the game is to come up with a way to use those 4 numbers and get to 24, through the four math processes listed above. For example, on the card shown on the box, your child would have to come up with "4x7=28, and 3+1=4. 28-4=24". There are multiple solutions for each card and while it is designed to be a competition (speed), you could easily play without being timed.
Taboo is labeled as being appropriate for ages 13 and up, but I think it would be perfectly fine to play with some modifications for anyone who can read. The game involves having to get creative with language to get another player to say a certain word (on a card), without saying one of the "forbidden" words that are also listed on each card. If you played without a timer, and without the "competitive" aspect of the game, it would be a great language exercise. If a child draws a card with a word that they are unfamiliar with, they can simply choose another card. As best as I can recall, there aren't any "inappropriate" words in the deck.
There you have it! 10 amazing games to help strengthen little brains, stay off screens, have fun, and spend quality time together. What are some of your favorite games?
