You are on summer break – refreshing, regrouping.

While you are and should be enjoying the lazy summer days, learning doesn’t have to stop.

Board games are a great way to incorporate learning, in a hands-on style.

Easily played while keeping cool in the A.C., children learn more playing some board games than they even realize.

Here are top 10 picks for educational board games, that are so fun – the kids won’t even realize they are learning:

Allowance – This fast-paced game is a great way to help kids learn to count money. The players race around the game board, earning allowance for real life examples – feed the dog, wash the car – and also having to spend it on things they want. This game is a great tool for teaching children how to make change and handle money! Ages 5 to 12

Playing a game of Yahtzee is a great way to practice the multiplication tables.  Players earn points by rolling specific combinations of 5 dice.  It’s easy to assist younger players with the strategy part, so this game is great for all ages.  Find extra score cards here.  Ages 8 and up.

 
Postcards from America is an exceptional game where the players learn about the United States by traveling to cities and other places based on actual postcards. Winner of the iParenting Media Award and the Dr. Toy and Creative Child Magazine Award. Ages 6 and up 

Reading Roadway combines reading and geography in one game.  Travel the USA discovering fascinating facts while building reading and listening comprehension skills. Players take turns spinning and moving their cars across the country reading aloud facts based on the state they landed on. The first person to correctly answer the trivia question collects a souvenir.  The rules in this game can easily be modified for playing with younger

The Scrambled States of America game makes learning about our 50  states fun.  Children learn the names, capitals, nicknames, and location of the states through variable visual teasers, language riddles and geography challenges.  Ages 8 and up.

Monopoly – Ahh, the classic game of real estate. Buy, invest, collect rent.  game. Wash, rinse and repeat until everyone else is bankrupt. Suggested for ages 8 and up.

Scrabble – The classic spelling game loved by millions! Use your 7 tiles to build words, creative enough to out score your opponents. This game can be played by even the youngest reader. Not intended for children under 3.

Hail to the Chief – Hail to the Chief is one of our favorites! Questions are written on four levels of difficulty to accommodate many ages. Players move around the outside of the board answering questions on presidents and the Constitution, as you become a candidate. Then travel from state to state on the campaign trail answering history and geography questions to win electoral votes until you become President of the U.S. Ages 10 & Up.

Sumology teaches children how to build equations. Similar to a math version of Scrabble, children will do more advanced math using all four of the basic operators. Players must place their tiles in crossword fashion either horizontally or vertically to create valid equations. Each equation is worth the sum of all the digits used. Play alternates until the pool of tiles is exhausted.

Name That Country teaches locations, capital cities, scenic features and historical facts about 60 countries around the world. Ages 8 and up.

Does your family play board games on a regular basis?

What are  some of your favorites??