Games For Kids: Perfect Last Minute Gift Ideas
Playing games together is so much fun! Family game night is definitely one of our favorite ways to connect here at The Waldock Way. This Christmas, give the gift of games to the kids on your list with the perfect last-minute gift ideas.
Games are filled with opportunities for learning, strategizing, and having fun together as a family. Whether you’re enjoying a little friendly competition or working together with a cooperative game, you’ll be connecting and making memories together as you play. Keep reading to discover the games that make the perfect last-minute gift ideas for all the kids on your list this year.
Games Make The Perfect Gift For Kids!
Games really are the perfect gift for kids. Unlike toys that get opened, played with a few times, and tossed in the bottom of a toybox, games are something your kids will come back to again and again. Plus, they’re easily worked into homeschool lesson plans and unit studies.
If you’re looking for a gift idea that will get your kids playing together, encourage family togetherness, or help your kids work on their problem solving skills, games are just the thing you need. There are games for math, spelling, grammar, science, history, geography, art, and even special holiday-themed games to play with your family this year. Check out the top three reasons games make the best gifts for kids:
They’re Budget-Friendly
There are games for every price range. You can find simple card games at the dollar store or splurge on special high-quality board games. Whatever your budget, you can find a game to gift your child this year.
Games are for Everyone
No matter what your child’s age or interests, there’s a board game for them. You can find fantasy-inspired games like Dragonwood, art-inspired games like Pictionary, or cooperative games for kids who aren’t competitive like Count Your Chickens.
Games Encourage Quality Time
Connecting and making memories together as a family is really important to us. Spending time together playing games is an easy way for us to foster that connection with one another. Plus, games are fun! If you’re looking for a way to spend quality time together with your kids, giving the gift of a game is a great place to begin.
Games for Kids: Perfect Last Minute Gift Ideas
Games make a great last-minute gift too. You can pick up a great card game or board game for your kids to inspire hours of fun and learning together this Christmas. Check out the perfect last-minute games for your holiday gift list down below.
Storytime Chess
Learning to play chess is full of benefits! Kids can learn valuable problem-solving skills, develop critical thinking, build concentration, and learn about strategy. Storytime Chess uses a fun story format that can teach children as young as three to play the game. It’s an engaging take on the classic game that’s fun for all ages.
Jenga
Want to weave together STEM skills and gameschooling? The game of Jenga is perfect for encouraging your homeschoolers to explore engineering concepts as they work to keep the tower from tumbling on their own turn. Plus, it’s a ton of fun for the whole family!
My First Castle Panic
One thing I love about My First Castle Panic is that kids don’t have to be able to read to play. There are so many family game night games that require kids to be able to read cards, directions, and more. With this game, kids of all ages can get in on the fun. Plus, My First Castle Panic is a cooperative game where the whole family works together to meet the goal.
Smart Farmer
If you’re looking for games to encourage your homeschoolers to develop logic skills, you’re going to love Smart Farmer from Smart Games. All their games are easily played independently which makes them perfect when you’re homeschooling an only child. You can enjoy them with the whole family too by challenging one another to complete more and more difficult puzzles within the game.
Sequence
This classic game is a great way to help homeschoolers build math skills from number identification to counting and memory. These important early math concepts are built right into the game of Sequence. It’s both simple and fun for the whole family.
Sleeping Queens
Sleeping Queens is one of our favorite card games. It’s easy for kids to learn how to play and really entertaining for children and parents too. Plus, this budget-friendly card game fits into a Christmas stocking really easily.
Ticket to Ride
If you’re interested in finding a game you can use to teach history and geography, you’ll definitely want to grab Ticket to Ride. There are many versions, so you can choose the one that fits your current history or geography curriculum the best. We’re currently enjoying the London version of Ticket to Ride.
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
I really like cooperative games for younger kids who need help with gameplay and children who aren’t interested in competition. A game like Sneaky Snacky Squirrel is a great way to focus on cooperation and working together as a family. Plus, it offers kids opportunities to practice skills like counting, one-to-one correspondence, and color identification.
Clue
Clue is great for helping kids learn to think critically and strategize. Plus, this classic board game is fun for everyone! It’s the perfect holiday game for the whole family to play on those cold rainy winter days.
13 Dead End Drive
Do you love Clue? Then, you’ll definitely want to snap up 13 Dead End Drive. This fun three-dimensional clue-like board game will have you strategizing about how to “knock off” the other players in the game.
Scrabble
I still remember playing Scrabble with my family as a child. This classic board game definitely stands the test of time and it’s one your homeschoolers will love playing together for years to come as well. Use this board game to practice spelling, expand your child’s vocabulary, and teach addition too.
Bananagrams
Build vocabulary and spelling skills with your homeschoolers this Christmas by gifting them the versatile game of Bananagrams. Think Scrabble in a bag with way more flexibility and options. Once you start playing this word game, you’ll be hooked!
Dragonwood
If you love fantasy, Dragonwood will quickly become one of your favorite games! This game has dragons, magical enchantments, and trolls. Plus, there are tons of opportunities to work on math skills with your homeschoolers.
Yahtzee
If you’re looking for a game to help your homeschoolers with addition, multiplication, and counting skills, Yahtzee is an easy classic game to do just that. This is one of our favorite family game night games. We also credit it with helping us get started with gameschooling.
King of Tokyo
Do your homeschoolers love robots, monsters, and mutants? Then, King Tokyo is the perfect last minute game gift for them! In this game, you’ll use strategy and lucky dice rolls to win against your opponents.
Dixit
Dixit is a storytelling board game that’s great for encouraging kids to use their imagination and get creative. Homeschoolers can use Dixit to build creative writing skills and practice thinking outside the box.
Zeus on the Loose
Teaching Greek Mythology is so much more fun with Zeus on the Loose! This card game asks players to explore mythology, practice matching, and develop addition skills too. Plus, it’s just the right size for a Christmas stocking stuffer!
Rack-O
We love Rack-O for family game nights. It’s perfect for teaching kids about counting, place value, skip counting, and more. You can use Rack-O to make math lessons more fun in your homeschool this year too.
Camp
Trivia games are definitely some of our favorites to play here at The Waldock Way. Camp Trivia cards cover the 50 states and they’re tons of fun on road trips! You can use these cards in your history and geography lessons with homeschoolers too.
Carcassone
Carcassone is an engaging board game for kids and adults, so it’s a great gift idea for homeschooling families. This game is all about strategy! It’s a fun way to teach your homeschoolers to think critically and plan out their steps ahead of time.
Labyrinth
If you’re looking for a board game that’s easy to learn and still lots of fun to play, Labyrinth might be the perfect game for you. The maze tiles ensure you’re never playing the exact same game twice. The setup encourages kids to practice problem-solving and think ahead to their next turn.
More Gift Ideas For Kids
There are so many amazing gift ideas you can add to your child’s Christmas list this year! If you’re looking for more suggestions, don’t miss these other gift shopping lists for homeschool kiddos:
Do you have a favorite game I didn’t mention? Share your favorite game gift ideas in the comments. I can’t wait to read them and grab a few of your favorites for our next family game night too!