Starting a game night tradition is a great way to spend quality time with the family, make memories and keep kids entertained while you’re at it. But did you know board games are also a really great tool for getting kids to exercise their brains? It’s true — and there are plenty of studies to prove it.
For example, a 2011 study published in the International Journal of Special Education linked chess-playing to higher math scores on standardized tests. And the researchers of an older study published in Psychology Press wrote that “kids who play games experience spikes in creative thinking and abilities.”
But that’s not all: Board games also improve social and behavioral skills by teaching kids how to interact with competitors and on teams according to Elizabeth Brunscheen-Cartagena, family life and resource management agent with Kansas State Research and Extension.
So gear up for game night and put the kids’ brain cells to their best use. Here are 12 super-smart and fun board games to get you started.
Apples to Apples
According to Brunscheen-Cartagena, problem-solving and critical thinking can be strengthened with practice and learning when playing certain games. A great example is Apples to Apples, in which players select cards that they think best jibe with the "judge's" played card. Basically, it's all about drawing conclusions and making logical (or just plain fun) mental leaps to connect ideas.
Mattel Games Apples to Apples, $22.65 at Amazon
Ticket to Ride
Brunscheen-Cartagena also recommends Ticket to Ride to help kids strengthen their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Kids will also build on their knowledge of geography with this game as they collect train car cards to claim railway routes across the map.
Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride, $37.98 at Amazon
Mancala
Mancala or "count and capture" games encourage kids to detect patterns, predict outcomes and plan ahead. A study published by the World Organization for Early Childhood Education suggested that mancala players also use abstract reasoning to win.
Mancala, $19.99 at Amazon
Clue
Clue may seem like a very straightforward, thrilling game of whodunit, but it's actually much more complex than that. According to a study from Gettysburg College, Clue teaches reasoning and basic concepts of propositional logic.
Hasbro Clue, $8.77 at Amazon
Chess
Chess: It's the ultimate game of strategy and learning to think one move ahead of your opponent. But did you know playing the game can also help kids improve their math skills?
According to a study from the International Journal of Special Education, kids with learning disabilities who received four hours of math and one hour of chess instruction weekly (versus five hours of math instruction each week) showed more improvement in basic math skills such as counting and addition.
Kangaroo chess set, $14.95 at Amazon
Mastermind
This fast, simple game in which players take turns setting and solving secret codes teaches kids strategy and critical-thinking skills. It's so effective, in fact, that a study from the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education suggests the game can be used as part of a computer-programming aptitude test.
Pressman Mastermind, $14.49 at Amazon
Jungle Number Line
Kids who play number-line board games (in which players move game pieces through a series of numbers in sequential order) often develop superior math skills according to a 2011 study published in Developmental Psychology. For younger kids, try Zoobookoo's Jungle Number Line game in which kids learn basic addition and subtraction.
Zoobookoo Jungle Number Line, $12.95 at Amazon
Chutes and Ladders
Another number-line game, Chutes and Ladders is great for kids ages 3 through 7.
Chutes and Ladders, $14.78 at Amazon
Sequence
Recommended for kids of all ages, Sequence has players or teams try to score the five-card sequence before their opponents do.
Jax Sequence, $17.97 at Amazon
Connect 4
Playing Connect 4 can improve kids' reasoning, especially if you ask them to explain it aloud. According to a 2002 study published in the journal Teaching Children Mathematics, teachers played a crucial role in asking kid players to explain their choices and moves.
Hasbro Connect 4, $8.77 at Amazon
Monopoly
Monopoly, the classic game of buying, selling and managing money, was used in a 2007 study published in the Journal of College Teaching & Learning to teach college students financial principals — so you'd better believe kids who play will also get a leg up in economics and learning how to properly budget.
Hasbro Monopoly, $23.48 at Amazon
Scrabble
The classic crossword game Scrabble can do more than help improve kids' spelling and verbal skills; it has also been used as a tool for developing engineering students' critical-thinking skills — in a 2014 study published in the journal Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Hasbro Scrabble, $19.96 at Amazon
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