Top four fun educational games for children

Education games are a fantastic way for children to improve their learning whilst taking part in fun activities. There is a host of modern and traditional games that children engage in on a daily basis, both at home and at school.

Games that involve numbers, co-ordinates, puzzles or riddles will all contribute to children's development in a number of areas. Below are just a few of these:

Treasure Hunts
A traditional treasure hunt can be used to draw out skills in numeracy, literacy and even history. Ask your child's teacher what history topic your child is currently working on and incorporate this into your hunt. For example, if your child is studying the Egyptians then you could create a desert setting for your children and put them on a mission to discover a lost tomb or hoard of royal jewels. Children can then complete the hunt in character and role play different characters and famous scenes from that period to develop their literacy skills.

Board games
Games such as snakes and ladders, chess, drafts or Monopoly will all require children to use their strategic thinking. They will also help children develop their numerical skills such as counting and handling money. Children will also become familiar with working in groups and making decisions independently.

Traditional games
Traditional playground games such as hopscotch and 'What's the time Mr. Wolf?' could potentially aid children's development in mathematics. Games such as Captain's coming (where children have to move between Bow, Stern, Starboard and Port) will help children become familiar with positional vocabulary.

Follow me
This game is played in classrooms across the country and involves a series of cards, normally enough for pupils to have one each, which follow a loop. As an example, a card will have a question and an answer. If the question is 'What is half of 42, another pupil will respond by saying 'I have 21' before asking someone their own question. The original questioner will then listen for the answer on their card to complete the game.