The Best Games For Learning in January

I’m so excited to share this new list of January games for kids of all ages with you! Playing games together as a family is our favorite way to transition back to homeschooling after a busy holiday season. We love playing games together every day, but especially on slow, cold, January days.

If you want to start gameschooling or you’re just searching for more fun hands-on ways to encourage learning through play, don’t miss this list. I’ve pulled together some of our favorite games for January. You’ll find budget-friendly games, card games, board games, single-player games, games for preschoolers, and games for teens too.

There’s truly something for everyone on this list of games! Keep reading to get the scoop on our favorites so you can choose fun games to play with your family after the holidays while learning about history, geography, math, and logic.

Gameschooling In Your Homeschool

We love playing games together as a family. Gameschooling has quickly become one of our favorite ways to learn new things, practice critical academic skills, and connect as a family. Whether we’re choosing cards for family game night or a single-player logic challenge, games provide a hands-on way to learn while having fun.

If you want to start gameschooling too, check out our printable Guide to Gameschooling. It’s filled with helpful advice and tons of gaming suggestions to help you get started. Plus, it makes a great shopping list for the after-Christmas sales!

The Best Games For Every Month Of The Year!

Our passion for exciting games has helped to create quite the selection here at The Waldock Way! That’s what has inspired us to pull together these monthly game lists for kids of all ages. Gameschooling is a thrilling way to learn for everyone. Discover our favorite January games for preschoolers, independent play, and family game night too.

We hope this list will inspire your family to fall in love with games. You can weave these hands-on activities into your daily lesson plans and family bonding time every day. Get ready to discover our favorite January games to play!

11 Games For Kids To Play In January

January is the perfect time to begin gameschooling. It’s cold out and we’re all searching for easy ways to have fun indoors. It’s also the time of year we begin searching for cozy ways to bond as we slowly transition back to homeschooling after the holidays.

Returning to a regular homeschool schedule after a busy holiday season can be a little bit overwhelming. Over the years, I’ve come up with some fun low-pressure ways to transition back to our routine after the new year begins. Check out how we are getting back to homeschooling after the holidays for some ideas.

These January game suggestions for kids of all ages include single-player games, two-player choices, and some of our favorites from Family Game Night. Check them out:

Clumsy Thief

I love the way this game sneaks in extra math facts practice for kids. They’ll love the silly thieves and cute candy theme. This game is recommended for ages 8+ but it’s easy enough for younger kids who can complete addition and subtraction equations that equal 20.

Clumsy Thief from Melon Rind asks kids to steal candy from other players, adding and subtracting to form pairs. It’s fun for the whole family to play together and there’s just enough strategy to ensure older kids and parents will still have a good time. It’s the best game for math skills practice in January.

Don’t Break the Ice

This is a game that’s the perfect introduction to logic and engineering for preschoolers and early elementary homeschoolers. Don’t Break the Ice from Hasbro is a fun way to begin exploring cause and effect and start discussions about cold-weather ecosystems.

It’s also a really fun addition to any penguin unit studies you’re planning this winter. Alternatively, check out Don’t Break the Ice: Mammoth Edition for Ice Age learning fun with kids of all ages!

Add Don’t Break the Ice to your January morning basket or play together as a family while transitioning back to a homeschooling routine after the holidays. This game is an easy way to begin encouraging STEM skills and critical thinking.

Endless Winter Paleoamericans

Gameschooling isn’t just for elementary-age learners. Endless Winter from Fantasia Games is filled with history and opportunities for teens to practice history, geography, and logic. This game follows Paleoamericans across North America.

It’s the perfect winter strategy game to fill cold days indoors this January. Build a Paleolithic empire, evaluating risks and crafting strategic plans along the way. It’s a fun way to explore this period in history with the whole family.

Pengaloo

Check out Pengaloo from Blue Orange Games for January gameschooling excitement. This kid-friendly game combines adorable penguins and matching skills practice. It’s perfect for family game night with preschool and young elementary learners and still lots of fun for older kids too.

Penguin Panic

Another fun penguin themed game for January is Penguin Panic from Moose Master. This game will have you laughing out loud in no time! It’s a perfect way to build vocabulary, practice critical thinking skills, and make family memories this January.

To play, you just need a few minutes and the confidence to blurt out the first word you can think up. The person with the most points is the “Penguin Panic Champ.” It will have you yelling out all kinds of silly things and giggling all night.

Penguin Pool Party

Penguin Pool Party from Smart Games is lots of fun for young homeschoolers. It might be too cold for us to swim, but it’s the perfect time for a penguin pool party! This puzzle game has over 60 single-player challenges making it ideal for families homeschooling an only child.

It’s an excellent way to encourage critical thinking skills and teach logic this January. It’s the perfect brainteaser for homeschooling after the holidays!

Risk

Older kids will have lots of fun diving into Risk from Hasbro this January. It’s a game filled with strategy, history, and geography learning opportunities. Games of Risk aren’t quick, so you can spend the day enjoying cocoa and snacks while you take over the world in this board game or play a bit each day while slowly transitioning back to homeschooling after the holidays.

Risk is recommended for ages 10 and up, so it’s not a great choice for younger learners, but families can play on teams to enable younger children to get in on the fun. If you’re a competitive family, this classic board game might quickly become a favorite!

Scrabble

Another family favorite that’s been around for years is Scrabble. This word game is perfect for practicing language arts concepts like spelling, vocabulary, and strategy. Scrabble is recommended for ages 8 and up so it’s an easy win for Family Game Night this month.

A game of Scrabble is an easy way for families to connect, make memories, and learn together on a cold winter day. That’s why it’s one of our favorite January games for kids of all ages.

Sleeping Snowmen

Do you need an easy budget-friendly game to break out this January? Grab my printable Sleeping Snowmen Game to play with your kids this winter. This game has been a favorite of ours for years!

I love how Sleeping Snowmen easily fits in our winter morning baskets. Kids will love saving the snowmen in this printable card game. It’s modeled after Sleeping Queens from Gamewright and encourages kids to practice math skills like matching, addition, and subtraction.

Winter

Winter from Devir is a cozy hygge family game for kids ages 12 and up. This relaxing game requires players to choose key spaces on the board wisely before their rivals. It won the Cardboard Edison Award for excellence in design in 2021 so it’s the perfect addition to your January games.

Try to dominate the frozen parts of the lake before everything unfreezes in this January game while building logic and critical thinking skills. Then, check out another game in the series: Autumn.

Yeti Snowbrawl

I’m excited about hands-on gameschooling fun with Yeti Snowbrawl this January. This game combines cards and soft snowballs you can use to stack and toss at one another. It’s the best way to have an indoor snowball fight in just 20 minutes or less with this January game for kids of all ages.

Books, Printables, and More For January

Gamified activities are experiences that incorporate elements from games like competition, challenges, and rewards. Incorporating gamified activities for learning this January will encourage your kids to practice challenging skills and explore new ideas. There are so many fun ways to incorporate the fun and excitement of games into your homeschool this month!

What are some of your favorite games to play during the winter months? Do you have a favorite January game to add to my list? Share your favorites in the comments so we can all enjoy more gameschooling fun this winter.