Some family-friendly math/logic/science games to play over the holidays

Holidays + illnesses + for me, the final weeks of pregnancy, have made for some slower times around here recently. Below are some “educational” games we’ve been playing during our slow-mo mode. Some involve a purchase (sorry! Christmas was only yesterday, I know), but others can be done with stuff from around the house.

Logic, scientific reasoning: Zendo (free; ages 2-3+)

This game is a really great one! It can be tweaked to suit really any age ~2-3+, and use any set of objects that you can construct structures from. We’ve been using magnetic tiles. Essentially, one person develops a rule to which all structures must adhere, and the other players attempt to guess what the rule is through experimentation with structure design. Check out this great video or the wiki link for a mature version of the game (that version has suited our 5 year old). The way I’ve been playing it to simultaneously accommodate our 3 and 5 year olds is:

• One person is the “leader”. They determine a rule by which all “correct” structures must adhere. For example, the rule is that the structure must contain one red triangle.

• The leader builds an example of a rule-abiding structure - e.g. by attaching one red triangle to one yellow square magnetic tile.

• The other players take it in turns to guess what the rule may be. They do so by creating their own structures, testing to see whether these meet their hypothesized rule, and adjusting their hypothesis accordingly.

(Our almost four year old benefits from me articulating this process. e.g. “What do you notice about the original structure? Yes, it has a red triangle, and a yellow square. What are some possible rules? Yes, it could need a shape that is red, or a shape that is yellow, or it could need a triangle, or a square, or it could need two shapes total!” Etc.)

Math: Sleeping Queens (Ages 8+, or any kid who’s learning arithmetic)

(Younger kids will probably need help understanding the logic of the rules).

This card game was conceived by a six year old, which is cool! Correspondingly, the rules are a little on the whacky side, but a fun kind of whacky and easy enough for our five year old to remember. The goal is to collect queens, and there are various tricks for doing so. Part of the process involves using number cards to make equations. An engaging way to practice addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication that is pretty enjoyable for parents, too.

Logic: Three Little Piggies (Ages ~3-6)

This is a puzzle-based game with numerous levels of challenge. In our experience, it was suitable for ages 3.5 to 4 and a bit-ish, but some of the harder challenges are still somewhat enjoyable for me, so you could probably stretch the game’s longevity! It’s based on the tale of the Three Little Pigs. You get given a setup (pig/wolf placement on the board), and need to configure the houses around it. The challenge comes from how to configure the houses, as they are of various shapes, while accounting for the characters’ placement and irregular board shape. A great option for plane trips!

Coding: Indi (Ages 3+)

This is not cheap,¹ but makes for a pretty fun intro to programming concepts (see also Robot Turtles). Indi is a cute little robo car that responds to color. You “program” it to move by laying down different colored tiles, each color corresponding to a different movement. The best movement, according to our 3 year old, is the purple tile that causes it to whizz in circles in celebration! Beyond whizzing, you can make it challenging by using various obstacles or instructions - e.g. please make Indi go from X to Y while avoiding A and B and incorporating C. Fun + cute!

Scientific classification: Metazooa (Ages ~4+)

This is a browser-based game where you guess a mystery animal based on your understanding of animal taxonomy. They serve one game a day, and it’s been a fun little ritual to solve each day’s challenge. Animal taxonomy is, in my humble opinion, a confusing, ever-evolving mess. For non-university level students, I see the following utility: it provides a good excuse to snuggle with your kids on the sofa; it’s fun; it opens their mind to the fact that there are so many different animals in the world!; it’s a good launch pad for discussing evolution; with repetition, it may slowly help them develop connections; it is a good excuse to discuss the ever-evolving nature of science and our understanding of “facts.”

Logic: Nim (free; ages 4-5+)

This is another game that can accommodate any age, and there appear to be many variations, many of which don’t require any equipment. Oz has been playing this with our eldest, and I’m putting it here despite having no direct experience with it, because she asks to play it regularly. It must be fun! Perhaps I’ll write a separate post about some of the variations we’ve enjoyed when I get around to enjoying them myself. Didn’t want my timeline from stopping you in the meantime!

Thanks for reading these posts! I hope to continuing posting on my schedule of whenever I feel inspired, but if I don’t see you for a while, it’s because we’re in the trenches of early babyhood.

1. Unless you live in a country whose social security system will pay for it for you!