Description
Here is a cost-effective slice of some of the best 21st-century games. I’ve curated the collection to span all of elementary school. The main purpose of these games is to inspire a culture of board gaming. This is great during those cold Canadian winter days where students are stuck inside.
Games are a joyous excuse for problem-solving and problem-solving is at the core of a quality mathematics education. That’s why MathPickle is pushing them so hard.
Here is the list of the games. To learn how to play ask a few students to watch a video. The links below are to boardgamegeek.com which is a great place to find these videos and learn more about the games.
Outfoxed!
Lost Cities: Roll & Write
Onitama
Star Realms Frontiers
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
Resistance Avalon
Hanamikoji
Deception Murder In Hong Kong
Sushi Go Party!
Imhotep
Air Land & Sea
CodeNames Duet
You may wonder why there are no “educational” games on the list. That’s because most of them suck. You want to fill your library shelves with excellent games that students want to play. Tough problem-solving exists in all the games on the list. Learning how to beat an opponent or collaborate with a friend is problem-solving at its best. Math worksheets are not nearly as good. My recommendation to schools, parents and teachers is consistent: Create a culture of board gaming and play hard and play often.
Puzzlingly yours, Gord!
PS. You may note that my own games like Santorini are not on the list. That’s because I want to be unbiased in my recommendations 😉
