The game introduces children to biological concepts, such as adaptations and evolutionary arms race, with an airy excitement that’s certainly lighter than a textbook.Įvolution by North Star Games. To do so, they’ll need to evolve the species’ traits to meet ecological limitations while outmaneuvering their opponents’ ever-adapting beasties. In Evolution, players shepherd an entire species through its evolutionary history in the hopes of staving off extinction. It even includes the one thing the other games on this list lack: a ghost pirate. This reimagining reduces the complexity of trading and building, while maintaining the core principles. Parents of younger children should consider Catan Junior. “Through the complex, artful dance of algorithms and probabilities lurking at its core, Settlers manages to be effortlessly fun, intuitively enjoyable, and still intellectually rewarding.” “ teaching Americans that board games don’t have to be either predictable fluff aimed at kids or competitive, hyperintellectual pastimes for eggheads,” wrote Wired magazine. Unlike Monopoly, Settlers’ mechanics prevent a single Uncle Pennybags from hording everything for himself. If they can’t extract a resource, they’ll need to trade with others in nonzero-sum deals. Children must plan around the probability that they can extract the resources necessary to meet their rural-planning goals. The game tasks players with settling the island of Catan by securing the resources to build roads and settlements. Settlers of Catan is Monopoly done right. We love you, but your table-top spread is too intimidating for this list. The games also need to be playable by the average 10-year-old. This means otherwise excellent board games like Go and Chess will be absent. First, to keep this family friendly, every game here can be played with at least four players. ![]() Less about luck and more about engaging with core mechanics, these games challenge children to plan their moves around probability, cause and effect, and reading other players. New games come out yearly that help children develop skills in STEM, strategy, and executive functions. We’re currently living through a board game renaissance. Parents looking for something more in their children’s entertainment are in luck. Trouble, Mouse Trap, and The Game of Life require little of players beyond leaving the pips to divine success or failure-what game enthusiasts call “roll your dice, move your mice.” Many classic board games fail to engage children beyond bright colors and rote play.
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