The Best Games For Learning in August

August is almost here! The last full month of summer brings hot days, a return to school, and the final stretch of slow mornings before fall begins again.

Whether you’re interested in soaking up the sun or enjoying indoor play with air conditioning on hot afternoons, August is the perfect time to blend learning and fun. Games can help keep young minds active and engaged while building memories together.

This month is packed with playful themes and celebrations to inspire creativity and create opportunities for gameschooling! There’s something for everyone to celebrate this August, including National Watermelon Day, International Cat Day, World Elephant Day, and National Roller Coaster Day. Celebrate the final days of summer with activities that make August feel like an adventure!

Between pool days, family road trips, and summer nights, take time to connect through games that will have the whole family laughing and having a great time. Don’t miss our printable list of August games, with suggestions for every age to enjoy this month.

The Best Games for Every Month of the Year

Playing games together is one of our favorite family traditions! We have favorites that we will always play, like Yahtzee and UNO. Then there are others that we swap out to keep things fresh and exciting. There’s nothing more boring than playing Candy Land about 100 times. 

That’s why I’m always on the lookout for new games we can enjoy together. Rotating our game selection helps get everyone excited about playing a new game and builds anticipation for family game night. You don’t need to spend lots of money to add some variety to your own game collection.

Clearance games, thrift store finds, games for birthday gifts, and swapping with friends are all ways you can rotate games on a budget. We’ve gathered a list of the best budget-friendly games for every month of the year. They’re all put together in a printable list to make it easy for you to shop and plan your game rotation this August.

Whether you need to break up the boredom this summer or entertain the kids on a long road trip, you’ll love the games on this list. Plus, there’s something for everyone, from preschoolers to teenagers. 

Excited to use games as a regular part of your homeschool routine? Check out our Guide to Gameschooling. It’s filled with tips, creative ideas, and recommendations to help you make learning through play a natural part of your homeschool journey.

August Game Suggestions for Kids of All Ages

In this list, you’ll find games you can play independently or together as a family. We’ve included some of our favorite games for older kids and fun games for preschool and kindergarten learners too. These are suggestions for everyone, incorporating all the fun and meaningful holidays in August. Check it out!

   

 

Blast Track

Blast Track is a fast-paced strategy and building game from Fox Mind that’s perfect for August, especially with National Roller Coaster Day on the sixteenth! In this game, players race to build and extend their tracks, competing to create the longest and most thrilling ride.

Kids will get the chance to practice planning, spatial reasoning, and quick thinking. It’s an excellent way to tie learning into a celebration of theme parks and engineering. 

Pair it with a read-aloud about how roller coasters work or videos of famous coasters to turn your game time into a mini-unit study on physics. Check out how we practice learning physics with roller coasters at Disney World for more ideas! 

Cat Crimes

Need an independent game for your child to play this August? Cat Crimes from Think Fun is the perfect single-player logic game for boosting critical thinking skills with a fun mystery theme this summer. Families can play this game together by taking turns solving the mysteries to celebrate and learn for International Cat Day on August 8th.

Pair it up with our All Things Cats Discovery Deck to learn more about these amazing creatures together with engaging kid-appropriate science videos. This deck is an easy win for homeschool this summer!

Claws Out

Another cool cat game for International Cat Day is Claws Out. This original game is fun for kids of all ages and parents too. Kids ages 8 and up can play this fast-paced game in just 20 minutes. The best part? Up to 8 people can play together, so it’s perfect for play dates and family game nights.

In Claws Out, players race to get rid of all their cards by matching the color and number. They can even use special cards to shift the game into unpredictable territory and gain the victory for the best International Cat Day ever!

   

 

Eager Elephants

August 12 is World Elephant Day. It’s a day to bring awareness to endangered elephants in Asia and Africa. You can celebrate and learn more with elephant-themed games this month. One of our favorites is Eager Elephants from Haba. 

Eager Elephants is a tile placement game for beginners that’s perfect for preschool and kindergarten kiddos. They’ll get to choose which foods to feed their hungry elephants and learn about habitats and elephant diet as they play.

Ecosystem: Savanna

Older kids can learn about ecosystems and elephants with Ecosystem: Savanna from Genius Games. The strategic game is not only engaging but also educational. Up to six players ages 8 and up can dive into the complexities of species interactions, ecological balance, and resource management, mirroring the challenges faced by elephants. 

Exploding Kittens

One of our favorite games just happens to be the perfect choice for International Cat Day! Exploding Kittens is a hilarious card game you can fit in your purse to play on the go. It’s the perfect way to get the giggles while you connect over a card game this August. 

Up to 10 people can play this silly game, or you can play with just two kids ages seven and up. This game is a quick win too, requiring just 15 minutes of gameplay. It’s perfect for keeping kids entertained while you wait for the food to arrive at a restaurant.

   

 

Flip ‘n’ Forecast

If you’re located on the East Coast like us, you probably see lots of extreme weather during August. Since we believe education is one of the best ways to dispel fear of storms, and gameplay is an excellent way to educate, we added a couple of our favorite weather-themed games to this printable list. 

Flip ‘n’ Forecast is a card game from One More Round Games that you can pop into your purse to play in 30 minutes with your children and learn more about weather and meteorology. In this game, players learn about strategy, probability, and making predictions. 

Peanuts and Elephants

Rounding out the card games on our list is Peanuts and Elephants, a 10-minute card game for kids as young as kindergarten to enjoy this August. Players will love this fast-paced, low-pressure circus card game! Plus, they’ll be building early math skills like counting, number recognition, pattern practice, addition, and subtraction.

Really Loud Librarians

Get ready to laugh out loud with Really Loud Librarians from Exploding Kittens. This board game is perfect for Book Lovers Day on August 9th! Middle schoolers, teenagers, and parents will have fun with this word game filled with alliteration and wordplay. Get ready to be a librarian, a really loud one, as you shout out the answers in this game inspired by book lovers for August.

    

 

Roller Coaster Challenge

The Roller Coaster Challenge from Think Fun is another single-player logic game you’ll want to grab for August. This one encourages kids to learn STEM skills and explore physics through hands-on play as they build more and more challenging roller coaster tracks. 

Strato

Do you need a weather-themed strategy game for August that’s perfect for older students and teens? Then, don’t miss Strato from Helvetiq. This card game will require some space and lots of strategy. It’s perfect for learning about the water cycle, weather patterns, and meteorology.

Strato can be played together in teams or independently as a single-player challenge. There are more than 10 levels with puzzles to solve in short 15-minute games, so it’s ideal for a stormy afternoon indoors.

Watermelon Chess

Did you know August 3rd is National Watermelon Day? Celebrate this summer holiday with a big juicy slice of watermelon and a challenging game of Watermelon Chess from the Bubblegum Stuff Store. It’s a twist on the classic chess game where players will twist and trap their opponents by surrounding them. It’s an excellent choice for family game night because kids as young as six can play, and it’s still fun for teens and adults.

Watermelon Smash Game

Another juicy watermelon game to play this August is the Watermelon Smash Game. This exciting hands-on game can be played in just 15 minutes as a single-player game or with up to 8 players at your next summer gathering! 

The goal of the Watermelon Smash Game is to avoid having the watermelon spill water on your head. The whole family will have a great time with this outdoor game to beat the summer heat all month long. 

More Gameschool Excitement for August

We love gameschooling! It’s a wonderful way to learn through play without the pressure that comes with worksheets and textbooks. Gameschooling builds connection, sparks curiosity, and helps kids enjoy learning with just the right amount of challenge.

Here are some inspiring ways to enjoy learning and gameschooling together this August:

How are you learning through play this summer? We’d love to hear your favorite activity ideas! Share them in the comments below so we can see what you’re up to this month.