Screen-Free Games for Children of All Ages
With the COVID-19 pandemic, nannies are spending more time than ever indoors with their charges. With screens outnumbering people in most homes, it can be tempting to spend time too much time on tablets and not enough time actively engaging children in play.
I reached out to our friends at ThinkFun, the maker of award-winning games that are proven to help stimulate brain development, to learn more about some of the games they offer for children of all ages.
Consider expanding your game library with some of these age-appropriate options below.
Infant & Preschool Category
Roll & Play Plush Toddler game, 2+ players, MSRP: $24.99
Your Child’s First Game
Roll & Play was the first toddler game ever designed. Roll the big plush cube, select a card with the matching color and act out the activity shown – “Make a happy face,” “Roar like a lion.” With every roll, there are endless learning opportunities, including colors, numbers and language skills. This family-bonding toddler game encourages creativity, active play and gross motor skills.
Children Ages 4+
Zingo! Sight Words, Ages 4+, 2+ players, MSRP: 21.99
Teaches Words That Are Essential to Reading!
Zingo! Sight Words is a fun and interactive word game that brings fast-paced excitement and learning to the classic game of Bingo! Players learn to quickly recognize and read sight words, which are words with spelling that is not always straightforward. Sight words are the most frequently used words in the English language and make up about 50-75% of all written material. Learning and mastering sight words is a key step in becoming a successful, fluent reader. The sight words used in this fun word game have been specially selected by leading educators as the most fundamental for reading development.
Zingo! 1-2-3, Ages 4+, 2+ players, MSRP: $21.99
Numbers Bingo
What better way to build a child’s reading and counting skills than with Zingo! 1-2-3, the newest matching game in the award-winning Zingo! product line. With Zingo! 1-2-3, players must match their numbered tiles to their corresponding challenge card. The first player with a full card wins the game by yelling “Zingo!” Two levels of play focus on counting and addition. Zingo! 1-2-3 builds early number sense skills in young players as they associate digits with images and text and supports early math learning through counting and pattern recognition. This fast-paced matching game will have the whole family yelling “1-2-3 PLAY!
Children Ages 5+
Zingo! Word Builder, Ages 5+, 2+ players, MSRP: $21.99
Building Reading Skills Three Letters at a Time
This word building version of Zingo! is the perfect confidence booster for early readers! Ideal for players who are just learning how to put letters together to form words, It’s great for teaching spelling and vocabulary. With two levels of play, this word game is designed to engage and support both beginner and more experienced readers. Just slide the Zinger and claim tiles to fill your Zingo! card with three letter words – pure Zingo “F-U-N!”
Children Ages 6+
Math Dice Jr, Ages 6+, multi-player, MSRP: $8.99
A Dice Game That Makes Math FunMath Dice Jr. is the perfect dice game to introduce or reinforce early math skills in children. Roll the 12-sided Target Die to get your target number, then roll the five 6-sided Scoring Dice. Add, subtract, or add and subtract – use whatever equation you need to hit your target number. For every Scoring Die used, move one space on the Scoring Track. First to the finish line wins! Math Dice Jr. makes math fun!
Children Ages 8+
Cat Crimes & Dog Crimes, ages 8+, single player, MSRP: $14.99 each
Who’s to Blame Logic Game
These are deductive reasoning games where you follow the clues to figure out which pet did the dirty deed, like rip the pillow or tip over the vase. Players follow the clues to catch the culprit. Great for solo play, too.
Gravity Maze, Ages 8+, single player, MSRP: $31.99
Marble Run Brain Game
It’s a maze game. It’s a marble game. Actually, it’s a gravity-powered logic maze game that builds reasoning skills and visual perception. The best part is – it’s fun to play and learn! Use the challenge cards to strategically place towers and create a path for your marble to reach the target. With 60 challenges to test your skills, this fun maze game is definitely a marble run for brainiacs!
Rush Hour, Ages 8+, single player, MSRP: $21.99
Traffic Jam Logic Game
It will take more than a little skilled driving to get the red car out of this traffic jam – it will take brainpower. In Rush Hour, a sliding block logic game, you have to battle the gridlock as you slide the blocking vehicles out of the way for the red car to exit. With 40 challenges, ranging in difficulty, players can progress at their own speed. As one of the best logic games of all time, Rush Hour is a must for every household.
Laser Maze, Ages 8+, single player, MSRP: $32.99
Beam-Bending Logic Game
The challenges and laser make the hugely popular Laser Maze Game fun. The fact that it’s a logic maze game that teaches STEM skills makes it a perfect game for anyone. Laser Maze requires you to use mirrors, beam-splitters, a little science and brainpower to direct the laser through a series of mind-challenging mazes and light up the target. This award-winning maze game is designed for solo play, but it’s so much fun everyone in the family will want a turn. Available on Amazon.
Circuit Maze, Ages 8+, single player, MSRP: $31.99
Electric Current Logic Game
Ignite your logic and sequential reasoning skills with Circuit Maze! Your goal is to arrange the tokens to create a real circuit that lights up the different colored Beacons. These clever circuit-building puzzles provide a boost of brainpower and a wonderful introduction to electrical engineering. With 60 challenges ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert, this logic game will provide engineers of all levels with hours of electrifying fun.
ThinkFun provided samples in consideration for review.