Ultimate List of Creative Homeschool & Gameschool Resources
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Homeschool Resources:
Click the image below to find a list of favorite homeschool resources, organized by academic subject.
Some of our favorite art resources include pocket watercolors, a portable easel, and delicious books! Click the image above to check out these resources and many more.
Place a dry-erase map of the United States on your playroom floor with colorful dry-erase markers and watch what happens! Click the image above to check out these resources and many more.
We have learned so much from Howard Zinn's A Young People's History of the United States, along with amazing history books and games! Click the image above to check out these resources and many more.
365 Days of Wonder by R.J. Palacio is an inspiring book for family discussions and is perfect for a simple, inspiring daily copywork exercise. Click the image above to check out these resources and many more.
Five Crowns is an addictive game oodles of five-star reviews on Amazon. It's portable, affordable, and fun. And guess what else? It includes a ton of stealth math! Click the image above to see more of our favorites.
Hip Hop Speaks to Children: 50 Inspiring Poems with a Beat is a fantastic book that comes with a CD so you can listen to many of your favorite humans (ahem: Maya Angelou!) read the poems aloud. Click the image above to check it out, plus many more resources.
One of the best ways to study nature is to get out there! Fill a backpack with creative resources like a pocket microscope and some travel watercolors and watch the learning unfold before your eyes! Click the image above for more resources.
Some of our favorite stealth science resources include a click-together periodic table of the elements and a solar-powered rainbow maker prism. Click the image above for more of our family's favorites.
Gameschooling Resources:
Before diving in to gameschooling by category and gameschooling by academic subject, I'd like to share some resources for getting started with gameschooling in your homeschool. From gameschool basics to number of players required to storage and organization, simply click the images below to check out our family's tried-and-true favorites. Then, keep reading for gameschooling by academic subject!
You do not need an overflowing game closet to get started with gameschooling, I promise. You need just a couple of basics and a playful mindset. Click the link above to get started!
We use one-player games all the time in our homeschool. I have used them for quiet time and for when I need to work 1:1 with one child and need to distract another. We have used them in the car while running errands and on the soccer sidelines!
Here is a list of our family's favorite tried-and-true 2-player games. Currently, we are obsessed with Targi and Lost Cities, but we have oodles of ideas if you are looking for 2-player games. Click the image above to check them out!
In order to make gameschooling work for your unique family, you need to have the right type of game. If you have a large family, check out this list for games for four or more players. Our current favorites include Welcome To and No Thanks. Click the image above to see more favorites!
Games with minimal "in-game text" require little, if any, reading in order to play. These games can be helpful for homeschooling families who have children of multiple ages. Readers and non-readers can play together. Click the link above to get started!
If you want to get started with little ones, I highly recommend starting with cooperative games for this age level. By working together, you can build important academic skills and work on social skills in the process! Click the image above to check them out!
Before you can gameschool well, you have to know what you have. In order to know what you have, you need some organization. Here are some of our favorite resources for gameschool organization, including this tool which is a fantastic card game storage hack! Click the image above for ideas and resources.
Building your game closet is best accomplished slowly over time. Play your current collection first! Get to know what you love. If you're ready to add to your collection and you are looking for budget games, here are some favorites that are usually around $10 or less. Click the image above for ideas and resources.
I highly recommend checking out thrift stores, yard sales, and eBay for used games. You can get some fantastic deals. Some of our favorite games in the $15ish range include Dragonwood, and The Mind, but we have many other favorites that fall in this price range. Click the image above to check out some of our family's favorites.
One way to build your game collection slowly over time is to give a game as a gift for every holiday and birthday. Here are our favorite games in the $25ish range, including Forbidden Island, One Night Werewolf, and Genius Star. Click the image above to check them out!
Another way to build your game collection without breaking the bank is to make your own board games and expansion packs. Your children will learn so much from this activity and you'll be making memories to last a lifetime. Click the image above to see my favorite resources for DIY games!
Gameschooling by Category:
Before we tackle gameschooling by academic subject, here are gameschool resources by category. Click the image to see the corresponding resource list.
I love card games because they are portable, affordable, and fun. I always keep on in my car and my purse. We've played in waiting rooms, restaurants, and soccer sidelines. Some of our favorites include Star Realms, Cover Your Assets, and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Click the image above for ideas and resources.
If you are new to gameschooling or having trouble enjoying the play, think back to what you played as a child. It's fun to play games that you enjoyed as a kid with your kiddos! I love to play Clue with my three. Click the image above to check out some of our family's favorites.
Cooperative games are wonderful learning tools. Cooperative games help ultra-competitive kids learn to work on a team, and they help competition-shy kiddos grow in confidence! Some of our favorites include Castle Panic and Magic Maze. Click the image above to check them out!
If you are new to gameschooling, an easy way to play more is to add games to your holiday routine or set up a family game night. Party games are always fun! Some of our favorites include Telestrations and Say Anything. Click the image above to see my favorite resources for DIY games!
From glow-in-the-dark capture the flag to Kan Jam to Giant Jenga, backyard games are tons of fun for the entire family. Click the image above to check out a list of fantastic outdoor and backyard games and activities.
We use one-player games all the time in our homeschool. I have used them for quiet time and for when I need to work 1:1 with one child and need to distract another. We have used them in the car while running errands and on the soccer sidelines!
Travel games are homeschool GOLD. I always keep one in my glove box and one in my purse. They have helped me during errands, car trouble, airports, on the soccer sidelines, and in waiting rooms. Magnetic travel chess is our current favorite. Click the image above to see more favorites!
If you love a fantastic trivia game, check out this list. From Harry Potter Trivia to National Parks Trivia, click the image above to see our favorite resources for trivia games.
Gameschooling by Subject:
Now that we've covered gameschool basics and categories, let's dive into gameschooling by subject. To view the list of resources for each subject, simply click the image. And if you're looking to target specific math and/or language arts skills, you'll want to keep scrolling to the bottom of this page because I have oodles of ideas for you!
Did you know that you can gameschool all of those "elective" subjects, too? It's true! Do you have a favorite art or music game right now? Our current favorite is Mythical Creatures - I use it as directed *and* I have also used it as a writing prompt! Click the image above to see more favorites.
Gameschooling has helped my children learn geography quickly and easily... and we are making memories as we play. Two new-to-us favorites this year include Election Night! and Continent Race. Click the image above to learn more about these and other resources.
Playing history games can help bring history to life for children. Some of our family's favorites include Memoir '44 and all of the Timeline card games. Click the image above to see more favorites!
Connect with your kiddo and work on those language arts skills in a low-key, fun way. Some of our favorites include Apples to Apples Freestyle and Mad Libs Game. Click the link above to read more about these resources and more. If you are looking to target specific language arts skills, keep scrolling down this page!
I love a good logic game! My current favorite is Genius Square. My kids love Kanoodle, Rubik's Cube, and Rush Hour. Click the image above to see more favorites.
Psst!- almost every game on the market today involves some math! We love Milles Bornes and Prime Climb. Click the image above to learn more about these and other resources. If you are looking to target specific math skills, keep scrolling down this page!
I love to go on a hike with my kids and then come back and play a favorite nature game. It really takes our nature study to the next level! Some of our favorites include Wingspan and Wildcraft!. Click the image above to see more favorites!
Science is one of our favorite subjects to gameschool. My kids cannot stop playing with Happy Atoms. It's such a fun resource! We also love to play Valence. Click the link above to read more about these resources and more.
Gameschooling Math: Target Specific Skills
If you are looking to target specific math skills, I've got you covered! Readers frequently ask about specific math pain points, which you will find below.
Shape recognition is an early math skill. Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco is a great shape matching game that littles adore. At this age, each of my kiddos loved Mindware's Imagination Patterns. It kept them busy for hours on end and because it was magnetic, we could take it places and not lose pieces! Click the image for more recommendations.
Color identification in another important early math skills. At this age, our family loved to play The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game. I also used the tiles from Qwirkle to "play" with colors with my kiddos. We just made up our own game using the tiles. Qwirkle is a game that your family will grow into, so if you want longevity on your game shelf, that's another great option. Click the image for more recommendations.
If you're looking to boost pattern recognition skills, Sophie's Seashell Scramble is an adorable game. I also loved to use Tangrams. Sometimes we just used old buttons and made our own patterns together. The sky is the limit when it comes to play! Click the image above to see more favorites!
Do you want to work on those number identification skills? Tiny Polka Dot by the makers of Prime Climb is fantastic! Shelby's Snack Shack Game is super cute. At this age, we also loved to use a wooden Montessori Hundred Board. Click the link above to read more about these resources and more.
Memory and matching are important early math skills. At this age, we loved the Life on Earth Memory Game by eeBoo. It's so gorgeous! Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco is a great matching game for little ones. Click the image for more recommendations.
Learning to tell time can be challenging for some children, but gameschooling helps! At that stage, we loved eeBoo's Telling Time Game. We also had this clock over our kitchen table and it helped to build those skills in a fun, low-stress way. Click the image for more recommendations.
Gameschooling is a wonderful way to teach children how to identify and use money. Money Bags by Learning Resources helped all three of my children learn about money. Another easy way to learn about money is to set up a store or restaurant and use play money. Click the image above to see more favorites!
Most roll-and-play games (think classics like Parcheesi and Chutes and Ladders) work on those addition and subtraction skills. That said, if you'd like to work them a little more, you can play 4-Way Countdown, Clumsy Thief, and many more! Click the link above to read more about these resources and more.
Mastering those multiplication tables can be tricky. Gameschooling can work wonders! Some of our family's favorite games that work multiplication and division skills include Prime Climb, 24 Game, and 4-Way Countdown. Click the image for more recommendations.
My kiddos struggled with place value early on and gameschooling definitely helped. Dino Math Tracks is a great resource, as is this simple Place Value Flip Chart that is simple and incredibly helpful. Click the image for more recommendations.
If you're looking for games that help children understand fractions, you're in luck! Some of our family's favorites include Numtanga, Fraction Formula, and Blobby's Pizza. Click the image above to see more favorites!
Boost connection, make memories, and practice math with your tween or teen through gameschooling. Some of our favorite math games for tweens and teens include Prime Climb, Five Crowns, and Power Grid. Click the link above to read more about these resources and more.
Gameschooling Language Arts: Target Specific Skills
If you would like to target specific skills that fall under the language arts umbrella, I've got you covered. Click the image below to see the corresponding list.
There are quite a few games on the market today that help children master letter identification. Spot It Alphabet, Alphabet Bingo, and Sequence Letters are great options. We used to use the tiles from Bananagrams and create our own game. That way, we had more longevity on our shelf as we have yet to "outgrow" that game! Click the image for more recommendations.
If you want to teach reading through gameschooling, check out Happy Hats and What's Gnu. Just remember that *many* games involve reading and if a child is interested, they will be motivated to learn. My youngest learned to read by playing GUBS and it's not a "reading" game at all! He just loved to play and was motivated to play independently. Click the image for more recommendations.
Before you can become a strong writer, you need to be able to tell a good story! Here are some fantastic games that help children practice narration and storytelling. Some of our favorites include Tall Tales, Snake Oil, Storyline games, and Story Cubes. Click the image above to see more favorites!
If you want to flex those comprehension skills, gameschooling can help. Check out Inference School Days, Comprehension Cubes, and Blurt! Click the link above to read more about these resources and more.
If you would like to boost vocabulary through gameschooling, there are several options available. We love Quiddler! Other ideas include Wordplay, Wordical and Pathwords. Another idea is to play Scrabble with a dictionary nearby. I let my kids use the dictionary and we always learn new words! Click the image for more recommendations.
Gameschooling provides an opportunity for stealth spelling practice! Some ideas include Spelligator, Word on the Street, and Upwords. Our family loves to play Boggle while eating lunch and it has definitely helped my children improve their spelling. Click the image for more recommendations.
When you play games together, grammar practice has never been so fun! Some of our family's favorite games that work on grammar include the Mad Libs Game and Miss Bernard is a Wild Card. Click the image above to see more recommendations!
Boost connection, make memories, and practice language arts skills with your tween or teen through gameschooling. Some ideas include Apples to Apples Freestyle, Balderdash, and Punderdome. Click the link above to read more about these resources and more.
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Gameschooling: Add more play to your homeschool day
{Digital Course with printable resources}
We all know play is an essential part of child development, but how do you fit it in when you have a huge homeschool to-do list?
Homeschooling can be almost all fun and games.
Gameschooling is the intersection of play and homeschooling and it can change your entire homeschool atmosphere for the better!
Play can boost connection, fuel learning, and revolutionize your homeschool routine.
Join Gameschooling 101:
How to Rock THe Most Important Part of Your homeschool Day
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Reading aloud is the single most important thing you can do for your child's future academic success. (And we have decades of research to prove it!)
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