🎲 Gameschooling: Learning Through Play (And Having a Blast Doing It!)

When you think of “school,” do you picture textbooks, worksheets, and tests? What if we told you that board games, card games, and physical games could do the job just as well—maybe even better?

Welcome to gameschooling—where play and learning go hand in hand.

From a very young age, my son has made everything a game. He still does. Simply brushing his teeth might require a secret passcode to get past one of us, a dramatic winding of the imaginary crank on his back to send him speeding down the hallway, or a challenge to see how many hops it takes to reach the bathroom.

And while at times… I’d love for him to just get it done, most of the time? Honestly, I love it. Once I let go of my boring adultish mindset, his perspective always brings a smile to my face.
That playful mindset doesn’t just make life more fun—it’s become a powerful part of how he learns.

 

He’s picked up so many numeracy and literacy concepts through games and strategy. But more than that, games have become a learning tool he’s actually keen to use. He’s not just learning passively—he’s engaging, thinking, problem-solving, and applying skills in a way that feels meaningful and fun.

And here’s the fascinating part: research shows that when learners are engaged and enjoying themselves, they often retain concepts faster and with less effort. Play-based learning taps into motivation, focus, and emotional connection, making games not just fun but also an efficient way to learn.

And for me? It’s a way this often-too-serious adult can playfully connect with him. We giggle, compete, push boundaries, and take intentional time to just be together.

Gameschooling is exactly what it sounds like: using games as a core part of your homeschool. But it’s more than just an excuse to play Uno on a Tuesday morning. It’s a powerful, engaging way to build real skills—maths, reading, logic, communication, and emotional regulation too.

 

Here’s why we love it:

Here is a few Games we love! 

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👏 Games build connection. Sitting around a board game with your kids creates opportunities for laughter, teamwork, and shared challenges.

👏 Games sneak in learning. You don’t need a workbook to practise fractions when you’ve got pizza cards to divide or pretend money to count.

👏 Games teach life skills. Taking turns, managing frustration, negotiating rules, bouncing back from a loss—these are just as important as academic content.

👏 Games spark joy. Sometimes that’s the biggest win of all. When learning feels like play, kids are in—and so are we.

Whether you’re playing a fast-paced card game during morning tea or diving into a strategy game for your afternoon learning block, games can bring your homeschool to life in ways you might not expect.

So go ahead—deal the cards, roll the dice, and call it EDUCATION. Because it is.

  • What a Performance! (Bit like a little kid version of Cranium)
  • Scrabble Junior (letter recognition, spelling)
  • Monopoly Junior (addition, subtraction, money play, reading)
  • Pop to the Shops (number recognition, addition, money play, vocabulary, memory)
  • Zingo Bingo (letter recognition, sight words or number recognition depending on which one you get)
  • Guess Who? (deductive reasoning, problem solving, social skills, visual observation)
  • Connect 4 (planning, problem solving, fine motor, visual tracking)
  • Bananagrams (spelling, vocabulary, word structure)
  • Sushi Go (maths, strategic thinking, planning, decision making)
  • 4 Way Countdown (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, dice)
  • Blokus (spatial reasoning, maths)
  • Catan (maths, strategy, basic economics and probability, negotiation, social interaction)
  • Sumoku (addition, multiplication, strategic thinking, crossword number puzzle)
  • Phase 10 (maths, strategic planning)
  • Apples to Apples (reading, great group game, funny!)
  • Cranium (reading, acting, sculpting, word play, team work, communication, great group game, hilarious!)
  • Battleship (maths, coordinates, grids, spatial reasoning, strategic thinking)
  • Monopoly (maths, reading, money management, budgeting, investing, understanding financial terms like rent, mortgage, income tax, strategic thinking, negotiation)
  • Ticket to Ride Europe (strategy, planning, spatial reasoning, maths, geography, resource management)
  • Six Second Scribbles (reading, creativity, communication, quick thinking, fine motor skills, funny!)
  • Spot It (visual perception, concentration, matching, quick thinking)
  • Labyrinth (strategic thinking, problem solving, spatial reasoning)
  • Spy Alley (reading, maths, strategic thinking, social deduction, reasoning, logic)
  • Cluedo (reading, critical thinking, problem solving, memory, strategic thinking, social skills)
  • Chess (strategic thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, concentration, decision making, patience)
  • Munchkin (my kids favourite, strategy, social interaction, reading comprehension, maths)
  • Dungeon Mayhem (my kids favourite, strategic thinking, quick decision making, introduction to Dungeons and Dragons)
  • Ghost Blitz (quick reaction, fast paced, kids favourite, funny!)
  • 10 Days in the USA
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