Educational games for children over 5 years old

However, the most effective way to teach children various skills and satisfy their curiosity is through play. Games provide opportunities to think, discover, react, compete, build skills and laugh. But if they are still played in the bosom of the family, this ensures a harmonious development of the brain.

But above all, board games are a good way to spend quality time with the family. Children need to see that we enjoy our time with them, listen to them and give them useful information. If earlier I told you about some family games that are relaxing and easy to play, today I want to tell you about two more games that also involve learning in the field of mathematics and geography, which I enthusiastically tested for some time with my children.

Plus, an interesting Giveaway awaits you at the end of the article.

Djeco Animals of the World Observation Puzzle {5+ Years}

Adelina received this game as a gift from her grandmother for her birthday . Obviously, the recommendation came from me precisely because it includes a world map puzzle with animals representative of each area (and Adelina loves puzzles). Now she's becoming more aware of continents and oceans (especially after Daddy's many travels), so this game was more than welcome.

The game is an interesting way to teach children about continents and animals specific to regions. In addition to bringing us all together to put together the puzzle, the game trains memory, logic, develops the spirit of observation, but above all develops general culture.

Adelina (4 years old) is now able to build 54-piece puzzles by herself. But being this 100 piece, it needed some help from us. The most difficult part was gathering the edges, because it was mostly ocean and we were only guided by some small details in the image.

With the edges gathered, it was easier to assemble the rest of the pieces following the picture. But to make the task easier, we focus on one continent/region at a time. I would tell Adelina to find me the piece with a certain animal "that lives in Africa" ​​and she would set to work, thus developing her observational spirit and concentration. Next times it was easier to gather it once we got the idea of ​​which way to go.

Although the game is recommended for children from 5 years old, Adelina is already ready to identify the continents, especially since her curiosity had already arisen. Even preschoolers are ready to visually identify the world map and the shapes of the continents, especially if an interactive method is used. But the most exciting thing is finding out where different animals live - new things that Daniel (including me) also learned.

Because the game involves a lot of new information that needs to be processed and memorized, we choose to study one continent or ocean at a time. However, I would recommend starting with animals that are commonly seen or that the child knows and gradually increase the level of difficulty. For example, we challenge him “find the giraffe in Africa! But where is the lion, the ostrich?". At this moment the child applies his observational spirit and concentration.

Daniel also had an educational activity: he consolidated his knowledge about the continents, he remembered which is the biggest ocean and he also learned about the existence of new animals. But the most pleasant moment is still the joint activity with me - and in such conditions learning is more effective.

I have definitely become convinced that geography is best learned by building a puzzle together, obviously not talking about travel.

Strategy game Routes and Kilometers Rallye {6-10 years}

When I got this game, I assumed it would be too easy for Daniel (age 9) who has advanced math skills. But I was wrong - Daniel saw it as very interactive, engaging and strategic, and these things win him over instantly.

Rallye is a logic and strategy game designed to develop reaction and mathematical thinking in a fun way. And if we start laying the foundations of fun mathematics from the very beginning, the child will assimilate this subject much more easily at school.

Rules of the game: each player receives 6 cards with various numbers indicating the number of kilometers (the others are placed in a pile). The first player (smallest) rolls the 2 dice, the sum of the numbers indicating the number of kilometers to be covered. The player who rolled the dice must use various mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) to arrive at the required result. A maximum of 3 cards can be put down. Then the next player announces his calculation and so on for all players. Correct combinations are removed from the game, and the first to run out of cards wins a car and moves on to the next round. Whoever wins 3 rallies (ie 3 car tokens) wins.

A short example to captivate you more: Daniel rolled the dice and the total sum came out 8. To get this sum, he used 3 operations (3 cards): 6+1+1. Other times he used more complicated calculations. But the goal is to get rid of the first of several cards.

In any case, the rules of the game can be adjusted according to age and calculation skills. For beginners only addition will be used and with age we change the difficulty. It wasn't easy for me at first to find combinations either: it makes you think and requires concentration, but also strategy.

Adelina couldn't stand watching us play so addictively for long and insisted on playing a turn too. Thus, I had to completely change the rules of the game in her case: I only used one dice that was thrown one at a time. We had to find the number on the die on our cards (which were face down) and remove it from the game. Ah, the satisfaction he got from playing this game for grown-ups! 🙂

I think that with time she will be able to play it with Daniel in the team with me and, who knows, maybe she will also become as passionate about mathematical calculations as Daniel was at 5 years old.

While I was playing other rounds with Daniel, Adelina again demonstrated that she has a rich imagination when creating games and built a small "parking lot" with the cars and cards from the game :))

Even though it involves cars and you might think it's only for boys, the game is definitely suitable for girls too. Rallye is a great way to practice math and strategy skills in preschoolers and preschoolers.

Being a compact game as well, it can be taken to a picnic, to a coffee shop or in the guests of other children to occupy the time in a useful way.