Until very recently, my son was obsessed with pirates. Luckily, there are a plethora of pirate-themed games from which to choose, so we have played quite a few. If your family likes relatively simple card games, and especially if they
Carmen Sandiego
🎶 Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? 🎵 If you just sang that, too, then you’ll want to check out the card game based on the ’90s computer game! Build note-taking skills and familiarity with famous landmarks from around
Chemistry Games
You can learn a lot from games, but some subjects are easier than others. In the summer of 2025, my family began learning about chemistry. Crash Course and Khan Academy formed the backbone of our first introduction, but I wanted
Compounded
Chemistry, strategy, and competition, oh my! Compounded might be just the game to round out your chemistry studies. Careful, though; if a lab fire occurs, you could lose everything! This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on
Ion
Need another small-ish card game to support your child’s chemistry studies? Ion (another Genius Games favorite!), with its unique gameplay, may be just the thing! This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on it and make a
Valence
Are your kids learning about chemistry? Does your family love fun, fast-paced card games? Then you definitely need to consider Valence! Chemistry, ninjas, elements, molecules, and chemical attacks! What could be better? This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if
Coding Games
Coding is an important skill that even very small children can learn! As our world is more and more saturated with technology, coding is one of those skills that can only help our children. However, we don’t necessarily want our
Mad Gab
Do you need a great party game? Or do you want to encourage more creative thinking in your kids? Mad Gab may be just the game you need! It works best with bigger groups and people that are familiar with
Potato Pirates
Potato puns, coding, and pirates; what could be better? Okay, it’d be really great if Potato Pirates was cooperative, but unfortunately, it’s not. Other than that, though, if your kids love pirates or you’re exploring coding, you need to check
Bulls and Cows
Bulls and Cows claims to be the “original code-breaking game” and after some research, it does seem to be around a century old. The earliest reference I can find to Mastermind is 1971. Both games are great code-breaking games. This
Empire Engine
I saw Empire Engine on Miniature Market during a really good sale; I think it was only $1! Since the game is so small and it was such a good price, I picked up two, in case we ever wanted
Dungeon Mayhem
Does your family love Dungeons and Dragons? Or maybe you have a battle-obsessed child like mine. Either way, you’re going to love Dungeon Mayhem, by Dungeons & Dragons. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on it
Shadowed Kingdom
I got Shadowed Kingdom on sale because it’s Disney-themed, without reading anything else about it. It wasn’t until we played it for the first time today that I realized it’s another 2-player cooperative game! My family loves 2-player games because
Coup
Does your family enjoy quick games of strategy and subterfuge? If you enjoy Bluffaneer or Love Letter, you should give Coup a try! Coup is faster than Love Letter and more cutthroat than either Love Letter or Bluffaneer. However, since
Open Sesame
Do your kids need to work on their memory skills? Do you enjoy the Arabian Nights or Aladdin? Then Open Sesame might be just the perfect game for your family! This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click
Games for 6 or More Players
Most games work best for 3-4 players, with some made for as many as 5 players. However, sometimes a bigger family wants to be able to play together, or maybe you even want to play with friends. Not to worry;
The Oregon Trail Card Game
Nearly everyone who grew up in the 90s in public school remembers dying while playing The Oregon Trail. This video game is now only playable using an Apple 2 emulator (and there are plenty of options for this), but we
Here to Slay
Does your family enjoy Unstable Unicorns or Llamas Unleashed? Here to Slay is by the same company; Unstable Games. If you enjoy Dungeons and Dragons and other related games, you’ll probably like Here to Slay. This post may contain affiliate
Codenames
Codenames is a game of clues, guesses, and out-of-the-box thinking. We have the Disney version, but there are others. Players divide into two teams and on each team is a clue master and at least one guesser. This post may
