Collection: All Games

Contemporary author, Diane Ackerman, once said, “Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning” and we couldn’t agree more! Recent studies suggest a lack of joy in learning can lead to boredom and overall dissatisfaction with education.

Play has many health benefits, including improving physical fitness, cognitive function, and mental health. The beauty of play is that it comes naturally to all of us! Yup! Babies, children, and adults are all inherently masters of play.

Play is such an essential part of our lives that doctors are even prescribing play for children!

5 Benefits of Play for Children’s Development

1. Play Promotes Creative Thinking.

Play is essential for fostering a child’s imagination. Through play, children explore the world around them and develop unique problem-solving abilities that extend beyond structured learning. According to a graph published on Linkedin, creativity tops the list of soft skills companies seek in employees.

Check out these creative and fun educational board games for kids: Asymbol, ARTributes, and Clover Leap.

2. Play Fosters Social Development.

Play gives children the opportunity to practice listening, compromising, and feeling empathy for others, according to an article published on Harvard.edu.

One of our most popular educational game boards for early learners is Wake Up Stars. This adorable game helps young children identify and express emotions and practice storytelling.

3. Play Builds Strategy Skills.

Play can help children solve problems and actively look for solutions as they overcome obstacles and adapt to challenging situations. Strategy board games for kids are an excellent way to challenge young minds and help them develop early adaptability and problem-solving skills.

4. Play Can Help Children Learn Time Management Skills.

Some forms of play can even help children develop time management skills that will serve them into adulthood. Educational games with a timer, like Get Four and Score and ARTributes encourage quick thinking as players manage their time to score points before the timer runs out.

Some educational board games for kids that build time management skills include: ARTributes, Pelican Cove, and Get 4 And Score.

5. Play is Great for Cognitive Function.

According to Sergio Pellis, a researcher at the University of Lethbridge, “The experience of play changes the connections of the neurons at the front end of your brain.”

When we play, we actively engage the prefrontal cortex of our brain, which is responsible for moderating social behavior, organizing ideas, and problem-solving. Furthermore, play keeps our brains sharp. It’s a case of “use it or lose it” when it comes to our brains. Engaging cognitive function is especially vital for brain development in children. Studies show it’s also critical for avoiding cognitive decline in adults.

Although we focus here on the benefits of play for children’s development, the benefits do not plateau after primary school. Play is the foundation for intellectual curiosity for all ages! Studies show teenagers also tend to do better on tests when they are engaged in what they are learning.

Ready to play? Game On! Break out some of these fun educational board games for kids, puppet theatre, or jigsaw puzzles, and let’s make education an immersive experience for a lifetime of learning through play!

Making time for play can significantly boost our mental and physical well-being. An unplugged playful moment can set the tone for our day and spark joy and positivity for all those involved. Whether it’s an impromptu living room dance party or a round of your favorite card game, why not commit to the daily practice of play with a Play Promise?

What is a Play Promise?

Everyone should make time for play regardless of their age or circumstance. We get it; making time for play sounds fun but may seem out of reach on days when we feel depleted or overwhelmed. However, like all healthy habits that enrich our lives, carving out time for this regular practice can vastly improve our well-being.

In fact, play has many health benefits due to the release of endorphins that studies show relieve stress, boost mental clarity, and spark creativity.

Shouldn’t everyone play if it’s so good for our mental health?

The answer is a resounding YES! Play is for mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, babies, teens, and everyone in between. We all benefit from play! The healing benefits of play are just too good to be ignored. Not to mention, play is one of the most accessible measures we can take to strengthen cognitive function and relieve stress. Thanks to kids' board games, educational activities that improve listening skills, memory skills, mathematics, and logic can be fun for the entire family. And the best part? These fun and interactive games are suitable for all ages!

Did you know adults need play just as much as children do?

Studies have shown that humans are hardwired to play, which may explain why those who lack playful tendencies may struggle with stress and depression. If you’ve been feeling stressed lately, it may be a sign you need to make more time for play!

Furthermore, The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends doctors prescribe play for children, not just for development but to reduce the toxic effects of stress. Perhaps adults need the same prescription? We think so!

Why start a Play Promise in your home?

Let’s face it, some days are tough. We all have those “missed the bus, flat tire”- kind of moments. Still, a Play Promise is a small, daily gesture that allows families to check in with each other and promote positive feelings. Even a small commitment of 20 minutes a day has major returns on our well-being.

As tempting as it may be to classify playtime as non-essential, make no mistake, play should be taken seriously. Did you know playing can boost your productivity? Include creativity, collaborative skills, and cognitive function into the mix, and you’ll find playtime to be one of your essential daily tasks. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity for kids to stimulate their brains outside of the classroom, developing skills like working as a team and solving problems.

How to work play into your day

• Play an educational board game, card game, or marble game after dinner.
• Turn bedtime reading into playtime.
• Go outside on a nature scavenger hunt.
• Have 10-minute mini-sessions throughout the day.
• Work on puzzles a little at a time.
• Do fun crafts together.
• Start a dinner-prep dance party.
• Play a social board game, like Arctic Riders in as little as 30 minutes.
• Explore a fantasy world with a strategy board game, like Plundering Times.

Choose fun activities for everyone, and don’t be afraid to mix it up! If you need to schedule playtime into a planner, make it fun with colored gel pens and stickers, And why not get the kids involved in the planning!

Remember: play is essential and should be your non-negotiable healthy habit, so resolve to start a Play Promise today!

by Dr. Toni Linder

Social Play, Skills, and Development

Make time for play! Playing and learning with games is not only fun, but it can also help children develop essential social competence that will benefit them throughout life. Children need to be able to communicate their own thoughts and feelings and read others’ social cues. This means they need to be able to recognize the meaning of facial expressions, gestures, and words, and understand the reasons behind other’s actions.

Children learn these things through interactions with others, particularly in play. Emotional regulation, or the ability to control and express emotions in appropriate ways is also necessary for positive social interactions. We are socially attracted to people who are happy and fun to be with. On the flip side, children who are grumpy, easily frustrated, or angry are not so fun to play with! Behavioral regulation, or the ability to act in ways that are expected for the situation, is a companion skill to emotional regulation.

Another important social skill is being able to communicate (verbally or nonverbally) with others in a way that acknowledges the value of each other’s contributions to an interaction. Furthermore, learning to negotiate and compromise is another positive ability kids practice in gameplay.

These social skills develop through all interactions, beginning with initial care and play interactions with caregivers. Because play is such a pleasurable form of interaction, and children, therefore, seek out play, it is one of the best paths to gaining social competence! Many forms of play encourage interaction among peers. Block building, sports, gross motor play, and dramatic play all support developing social skills.

Games Encourage Social Play

Supporting social play is simple! The best educational kid board games and card games help children learn positive social interactions with people of all ages.

Here are three ways they benefit children:

• There is no need to negotiate how to play because the rules are built-in. However, you may find that younger children like to make up their own rules!
• Turn-taking is required, so children learn to wait for their turn (e.g., patience). This also provides an opportunity for kids to pay attention to someone else’s play (e.g., social awareness).
• In most games, someone wins, and the other players lose. Consequently, players need to learn to be a “good loser.” Being a good loser means being able to feel good about another person being happy. This helps children understand and respond to another’s feelings. A good loser is also able to contain sad or frustrated feelings without acting out (e.g., modulating emotions). On the other hand, players must learn how to be a “good winner,” who is aware of others’ feelings and doesn’t gloat (e.g., empathy). Games of chance, where luck is primarily involved in winning, are often the first games children play, so they have little control over the outcome, which can be challenging!

Strategy Games Encourage Social Play in Older Kids

Games of strategy for older children have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as learning opportunities. A sense of pride accompanies winning a strategy game while losing requires the child to reflect on what could have been done differently (e.g., self-reflection and flexible thinking).

With strategy games, players learn spatial reasoning, risk and reward, and sometimes specific academic skills. Players can discuss their moves and talk about their thinking. Paying attention to someone else’s ideas provides a way for children to learn strategy through observation and conversation. Whether the play was a good one or not is determined by the results, helping children consider their actions and consequences.

Our Award-Winning Games of 2024 range from early-learning board games for little kids and educational board games for elementary students, to educational family games everyone can enjoy on game night! The best part? They are just as fun as they are educational, making learning a new subject engaging and interactive.

Let’s take a look at our award-winning and fun board games for kids of 2024!

Arctic Riders

Arctic Riders is a thrilling math card game that makes mastering addition and subtraction an exciting adventure! Did you know it received the 2024 Academics’ Choice “‘Brain Toy’” Award? Academics’ Choice recognizes outstanding games chosen by educators for their cognitive development benefits. Players quickly add and subtract double-digit numbers to feed hungry narwhals, earning points whenever the narwhal munches or swims by their treats. With magical self-check cards, answers appear instantly, adding fun and confidence to math practice!

Fossil Sweep

Fossil Sweep is a captivating strategy game that brings the thrill of paleontology right into your home! Awarded a 2024 NAPPA Award, a 2024 Mom’s Choice Award (Gold) for top board games for children, and recognized by Parents’ Picks for Best Educational Products, Fossil Sweep is praised for its educational value and engaging play. Players match fossil layers strategically, uncovering ancient treasures while enhancing decision-making skills in this quick, fun-filled game.

Kids on the Go Card Set

Kids on the Go Card Set turns preschool concepts into portable fun! Winner of the 2024 NAPPA Award, these four vibrant games help children learn colors, shapes, letters, and numbers. They also give children opportunities to practice, important social skills like turn-taking. Easy to pack and play, it’s perfect for busy families and educators who want engaging activities on the go!

My Fun Set

My Fun Set is specially crafted to make preschool learning playful and interactive! This award-winning set, recognized with the 2024 NAPPA Award, includes colorful toys like a wooden activity board, sensory cloth book, and wooden blocks. Children aged two and up joyfully explore colors, shapes, and seasons, and even tell time, building key foundational skills through hands-on fun!

My Fun Shapes

My Fun Shapes is a delightful stacking game that received several accolades in 2024, including the PAL Award, PAL ‘“Top 10’” Preschool Category, Mom’s Choice Gold Award, and Parents Best Toy Award. Children stack and balance colorful blocks with guidance from Tibbar Rabbit and fun activity prompts, enhancing fine motor skills, color matching, and shape recognition. It’s playful learning at its best!

My Mine

My Mine combines risk, reward, and math excitement in a lively dice game! Proud winner of the 2024 Academics’ Choice “‘Brain Toy’” Award and NAPPA Award, My Mine challenges kids to roll dice strategically, collect gold nuggets, and manage their claims. It’s an entertaining way to teach probability and strategic thinking through playful competition.

Plundering Times

Set sail with Plundering Times, a pirate-themed game that makes math skills an adventure! Honored as a 2024 NAPPA Award Winner, Mom’s Choice Award (Gold), and featured among Parents’ Picks Best Educational Products, this game encourages multiplication, addition, memory, and problem-solving. Lead your dragon pirate crew to treasure-filled islands, practicing math while building your treasure hoard!

Prickly Path

Prickly Path takes children on a delightful desert adventure to build strategic thinking and spatial reasoning skills! Awarded the prestigious 2024 Mensa Select Games seal, NAPPA Award, Mom’s Choice Gold Award, PAL Award, PAL ‘Top 10’ Preschool Category, and recognized by Parents’ Picks, this game has players rolling dice and grouping cactus pieces for points. This engaging game offers valuable educational experiences wrapped in fun desert-themed play!

SlideAscope

SlideAscope is an exciting tile-placement game celebrated by multiple awards, including the 2024 Academics’ Choice ‘Brain Toy’ Award, NAPPA Award, Mom’s Choice Gold Award, PAL Award, Parents’ Picks Award, and The Toy Insider's ‘Top Summer Toy’ Award. Players strategically match and slide tiles, enhancing spatial reasoning and critical thinking. It’s pattern-matching fun that parents, teachers, and kids love!

Sumology

Sumology makes math practice fast-paced and so much fun! Recognized with the 2024 Academics’ Choice 'Brain Toy' Award, this exciting tile-placement game sharpens quick thinking and mathematical fluency by creating equations strategically. Kids compete and build confidence in their math abilities, making learning an enjoyable challenge!

Time Jumpers

Time Jumpers invites kids to explore history through age-appropriate challenges! Winner of the 2024 Academics’ Choice ‘Brain Toy’ Award and the coveted 'Recommended by Mensa' Award, this engaging game guides children through key 20th-century events, discoveries, and achievements. Players strategically collect and arrange historical cards, boosting their sequencing skills and understanding of timelines through immersive fun.

Walk the Dogs

Walk the Dogs brings counting and math skills to life through play! Awarded the esteemed 2024 Academics’ Choice ‘Brain Toy’ Award, players strategically line up adorable dog figures by breed to collect points, reinforcing skills like counting, multiplication, and prediction. Easy to learn and fun for the whole family, Walk the Dogs makes math practice joyful and rewarding!

When was the last time you relaxed and played? Playtime for adults shouldn’t be limited to rare occasions.

You might think playing is just for kids, but children's games are incredibly beneficial for adults. After all, wouldn’t it feel great to get that child-like joy back in your life?

Now’s the perfect time to make time for some adult recess.

More Time with Your Kids

Kids learn a wide variety of skills through play. That’s why playtime is so important for them. Why not join in on the fun? “Not only do you get to feel like a carefree child again. You also get more time with your kids. Younger kids will love the extra time, and you’ll wonder why you ever stopped setting aside time to have fun.

Reduce Your Stress

Being an adult isn’t easy. Can you think of a day when you didn’t feel stressed out? It’s not healthy for you. Play takes you out of your normal routine and instead of stress, you start feeling pleasure and joy. Even when you’re being competitive, you’re enjoying yourself. Regular playtime helps keep your stress at a manageable level.

Improve Relationships

When you’re less stressed, it’s easier to connect with others. Plus, if you take the time to play games with other adults and/or kids, you’re creating a bonding experience. You’ve probably noticed a surge in social and party games. They’re silly and make you laugh but also bring people together.

Boost Learning and Productivity

Taking a break from a hectic schedule gives you time to refresh your mind. Think of how much sleep benefits you. Play does the same thing. When you’re playing, you feel happier and more confident. You also relax. Those feelings carry over into the rest of your life. You might find that you have more energy, retain information better, and are more productive at tasks. Kids use play as a form of education, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that playing helps adults learn better, too.

It doesn’t matter how old you are. You’re never too old to play. Play fun kids board games with other adults. Act out silly scenes from a book with your kids. Whatever you do, set aside dedicated time to play.

It’s not unusual for a child to either lose interest or not be interested in learning at all, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ignite that interest! This is easy to do, especially through educational board games.

Now is the perfect time to get your child excited to learn with new games. With the right methods, your child will be eager to absorb knowledge and try out new skills.

The more time you spend fostering a child’s interest now, the easier it’ll be for them to learn as they get older.

Uncover Their Interests

Children of all ages and even adults learn better when the topic is something they’re interested in. For instance, a kid who loves basketball may absorb math concepts more easily if basketball and math are tied together, rather than just trying to get a child to memorize math concepts via flashcards or a dry lecture.

The first step to igniting a passion for learning is to tie education to something the child already loves. If they have a favorite cartoon character, educational board games involving that character may get them excited. So much so that they won’t even realize they’re learning.

Make Learning Less Obvious

Structured learning is necessary sometimes, but it can also be extremely boring. Interactive or playful learning works much better. For instance, adults attending iPadpalooza didn’t sit through dull lectures but learned about technology concepts through a fun race filled with playful challenges.

The same approach works for older and younger kids. For instance, teach them reading skills by playing an educational game that involves reading silly jokes off their cards. Or ask them to read you a bedtime story instead of you reading to them.

Eliminate Consequences

Sometimes children, especially school-aged children, lose interest in learning because every mistake seems to lead to lasting consequences or feedback comes too late to make a difference. With free play and games, mistakes don’t matter. Instead, a child feels safe and wants to try again to do better.

As children build confidence through play-based learning, they also retain their interest in learning in other ways.

Focus On Having Fun

Learning should be fun. Ignite your child’s interest in learning by focusing on letting them learn naturally through games, free play, and their natural interests. Don’t try to force the issue. Your child will learn, but they’ll be more interested if they enjoy the process.

Most of us think of play as a fun thing to do when we have time. What we don’t realize is that play is made up of nine specific activities that each bring added value to family life and skill development for your little ones. Just look at these benefits:

1. Gross Motor Play: Developing control of body movements for activities like sports, dance, and balance.
2. Art Play: Building creativity, expressing a vision, and creating an awareness of shapes, colors and forms.
3. Pretend Play: Exploring different worlds and roles, and creating empathy and understanding of differences and likenesses.
4. Reading and Narrative Play: Learning to communicate our ideas and understand others.
5. Fine Motor Play: Developing control of our fingers for writing, eating and all the small things that require precision movements.
6. Construction Play: Building spatial reasoning by working with forms and objects to create something new.
7. Sensory Play: Exploring our feelings including joy, laughter, pleasure, and a sense of achievement.
8. Music Play: Exploring the rhythms and cadences that are mathematical in nature.
9. Game Play: Developing resiliency and a sense of fairness through winning and losing, taking turns, and being honest while using strategic thinking to solve problems.

Ok, now you might be thinking, “How do I fit all that into my family life? Our days are packed already!”

You may be pleasantly surprised at how many types of play are already in your daily life:

• Does your child run and jump? (Gross Motor Play)
• Does your child do collages? (Art Play)
• Does your child become a superhero, fireman or other character? (Pretend Play)
• Does your child read or tell stories? (Reading & Narrative Play)
• Does your child draw and color? (Fine Motor Play)
• Does your child make forts or stack blocks? (Construction Play)
• Does your child repeat activities that are funny or snuggly? (Sensory Play)
• Does your child hum and sing? (Music Play)
• Does your child play educational board games? (Game Play)

We are all pre-wired to learn through play and gravitate to these activities naturally. Encompassing all forms of play may be worth adding to your list because play builds skills that can be used throughout our lives.

Isn’t it wonderful that play is not just a little word, but a big powerful word that can help your child grow and have fun simultaneously?

Make a quick playlist of your own. See how many types of play your little one engages in weekly. Note where they excel and where they may be falling short. Incorporate some activities or educational board games that touch on their strengths and challenges and have a little fun while you’re at it.

By Patty Pearcy, SimplyFun CEO

At SimplyFun, we believe children deserve an opportunity for success in the world. We also believe play, particularly educational board gameplay, can help kids learn and practice skills to help them navigate the challenges they face in adulthood.

Stop for a minute and think about what happens when you play a great game. You likely see both math and language skills being used, which is great! But look a bit deeper, and you will see kids practicing skills like focus and self-control, good decision-making, working towards a goal, building healthy social relationships, and physical competence. Basically, the skills we use at the game table are just "table size" versions of the skills we need to achieve a successful life.

The future is in the hands of those who follow behind us, those youngest members we care for today. They will be faced with solving many of the growing problems in our world, which will require creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills – all of which they can learn through gameplay.

Our mission at SimplyFun is to create smarter kids and stronger families through the amazing power of play. It is a mission we take seriously. We intentionally pay attention to the length of gameplay, repetitive play value, and expanding play across age groups to remove common barriers to getting the family around the game table. And as an added benefit, we make it fun.

The benefits of play are amazing, and we hope you take a moment to add play to your family life and share with us what happens.

By Patty Pearcy, SimplyFun CEO

When you think of kids playing, you often think of small groups running around together. While kids love this, it’s not just about having fun. Social play is also a vital part of a kid’s development.

Think about how much you enjoy spending time with your friends. The same is true for kids. Friendship is a special connection formed during playtime that helps kids grow mentally and socially.

Introducing Social Play

There are four introductory levels of social play for kids as established by Mildred Parten. These levels are still used today to show how quickly kids advance through socializing through play. When introduced to peers their own age, kids may start exhibiting social behavior as early as 18 months, though most start at around 24 months.

At this point, kids’ naturally inquisitive behavior leads them to show off toys, learn to share, and even communicate simple feelings of happiness or disapproval. By three years, social situations teach them how to play together, express goals, and work out differences.

Develop Vital Skill Sets

Social play has the unique advantage of teaching some of the most vital skill sets for a child’s development. Playing with both peers and adults helps them to learn and improve:

• Cognition
• Social and emotional skills
• Self-regulation
• Language
• Relationship building

One other noticeable skill is stress management. Studies have shown that kids who play together have a more prosocial brain and can, more effectively process and manage toxic stress, which can hinder development if not managed properly.

Social Play Proven at Daycare

If you need more proof about the benefits of social play, look no further than daycare. A study tracked 1,428 kids from 12 months to 8 years to determine how children developed under different childcare situations. Children in daycare had better cognitive, academic, language, social, and behavioral skills than their counterparts. Why? They constantly engaged in social play with their friends and childcare workers.

While solo play is great, social skills are vital to a child’s growth, and what better way to develop them than by letting them play with friends? Studies have shown that kids with friends, even just one or two close friends, tend to be happier and healthier. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Who doesn’t love playing with an infant!? We all love peek-a-boo, tic-tac-toe, and chase games accompanied by bursts of giggles and laughter. At preschool age, children love finger plays, songs, and tea parties, but as children move into school age, they often entertain themselves, playing alone or with siblings or peers. While this independence is frequently welcomed, something valuable may also be lost.

Playing with your child allows you to discover their interests and passions. Follow your child’s lead and play with them with whatever they choose. If they want to play school, be the student. If they want to build with construction materials, play a cooperative game together. If they want to play an educational board game, learn together. Watch what motivates them. What toys do they examine in the toy store? What children board games or card games do they select and play repeatedly? Children’s choices reflect their motivations, interests, and thinking styles.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s mother saw her child loved building structures and provided many different construction possibilities. Another child loved dressing in wild costumes and makeup and creating her plays. She became a fashion designer. A young boy dressed as a paramedic for Halloween and asked for a CPR training dummy for Christmas. He is now an EMT. Children’s passions and strengths emerge early, often evident in their play.

Playing with your child also provides a fun arena for addressing areas that need encouragement or assistance. For example, you may see that your child has difficulty sharing or being a good sport about losing during play. By joining in the play, you can demonstrate how to be resilient and how to rebound from a loss with a smile and congratulate the winner on a “good game.” You can provide encouragement, model problem-solving strategies, and reinforce sharing or positive social interactions.

Another key benefit of playing with your child is nurturing creativity. As children move into academic programs at five- and six-years-old, focus shifts to more structured learning, memory, and testing. The wonderful creativity shown in children’s art, dramatic play, and movement activities can be dampened as learning becomes more formalized. Creative thinking is a valuable trait that should be cultivated. Generate ongoing opportunities for your child to express their creativity by making up stories, dramas, artwork, structures, dance, and music.

Make a point to get involved in your child’s or grandchild’s favorite activities and watch what happens. While these activities can be done with just kids, the mutual pleasure, expansion of ideas, and pure delight of all family members participating create strong family bonds and treasured memories for all to share.

It’s not surprising that play benefits mental health in everyone, especially children. Maintaining good mental health is important to your overall well-being. What better way to support your child’s mental health than through play? Let your child select their favorite learning board game or fun educational board game and watch their mindset shift, in a really good way.

“Time to play is more important now than ever,” says Dr. Toni Linder, a leader in the field of early childhood development. “Play of all kinds engages the pleasure centers of the mind, releasing endorphins associated with feelings of happiness.”

Benefits of Play

Play, especially social play, is one of the best ways children learn! It both helps them develop essential social skills, and aids in developing verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

Plus, play is tons of fun! Children inherently love to play and will almost always say yes to a playtime opportunity. Play creates a foundation of stable mental health by allowing the brain to relax, which can relieve stress. It also enhances empathy, increases creativity, and promotes resourcefulness.

Many Ways to Play

There are many different ways to play to encourage strong mental health in children. Imagine or "pretend play", dramatic play, active play, and gameplay are all great examples of incorporating play into your child’s day.

Take the Play Promise Challenge

Play. Changes. Everything. Make it a priority to play as little as 20 minutes a day, and you’ll find it to be a transformative habit, and notice the benefits to your mental health. So pull out markers and paper, or an educational board game. The more you do it, the better you’ll feel; the better you feel, the more you’ll want to play.

Ready to make your day with play? Find great educational board games for young kids at a price you’ll love. Shop today!