Educational Board Games for 10 years Old
Choosing a suitable board game for a 10-year old isn't as simple as picking up the most popular one from the store. You need to remember that at this age, kids are transitioning into a more complex cognitive phase. This enables them to handle more sophisticated games which require strategic thinking. However, they also still love imaginative and physically engaging games tailored for younger kids.
Written by
Máté Lencse
Educator, game designer,
founder of PlayWise
Why listen to him?
Máté has been regularly playing modern board games and classic abstract board games since 2013. He plays because he loves to. He plays because as an educator, it is his most important motivational and developmental tool. He plays because as a father, it is one of the highest quality times spent with his daughter. He plays because it adds to his marriage. He plays to get to know games and as a game designer, to be able to create new ones. Thus, it's not surprising that he often plays through 15-20 games weekly. Learn more about him and his background on his author page or follow him on social media:
Three critical skills that board games can help improve include:
Now onto specific games for 10-year-olds:
Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride is a true classic and an excellent introductory game, as its rules are not too complex, yet there is plenty to think about. The goal is to connect cities through clever card play, and the player who scores the most points wins the game.
To play this game, each player will select their color and places a matching set of train car pieces in front of them. Then, everyone picks up four train cards and three destination tickets. In each round, a player has the choice to either pick up additional train cards, claim a route, or get additional destination tickets. Routes are claimed by playing a set number of matching train cards from their hand.
The game is best enjoyed with 4 to 5 players but can also work with as few as 2 or 3 players.
Ticket to Ride facilitates strong strategic thinking as players have to plan their routes efficiently and adapt to the other players' actions. It also improves basic mathematical skills as players have to add and subtract points. Moreover, it encourages social skills because players need to negotiate shared routes and discuss strategies.
Ticket to Ride Together
In this article, along with several other modern classics, we also examined the gameplay of Ticket to Ride from the perspective of how to give an advantage to younger players.
Catan
Catan is a thrilling board game where players aim to build and develop holdings by trading and acquiring resources. The objective is to be the first to gain a certain number of points, primarily by creating infrastructure like settlements and cities.
Playing Catan starts with setting up the game board with the hexagonal tiles, with each tile representing a type of resource. Each player starts with two small settlements and two roads. Players then take turns rolling two dice, and the number rolled decides which tiles produce resources. The players collect these resources to build roads, settlements, and cities. Trading with other players is also a crucial aspect of the game.
You will need the board game set of Catan for playing this game. The game set includes hexagonal tiles, a number token, settlements, cities, and roads. A traditional Catan game is recommended for 3 to 4 players.
Catan is an exceptional game for developing strategic thinking skills as players need to strategize their resource allocation, infrastructure development, and negotiate trades. The trading aspect of the game undoubtedly improves social skills, fostering interaction between players. While Catan doesn't directly involve mathematical skills, players do need to add up their points and calculate potential resource yields, thus indirectly encouraging players to use simple math.
Cluedo
Cluedo, also known as Clue in North America, is a classic murder mystery board game. The main objective is for players to navigate around the game board, which represents rooms of a mansion, and deduce who the murderer is, what weapon they used, and where the crime occurred.
Cluedo is a classic murder mystery board game. The main objective is for players to navigate around the game board, which represents rooms of a mansion, and deduce who the murderer is, what weapon they used, and where the crime occurred. Playing Cluedo requires each player to select a character. Once the crime cards (representing murderer, weapon, and location) are concealed, players take turns moving through rooms, suggesting possible scenarios of the murder, which other players refute by showing a related card from their hand.
For playing Cluedo, you need a game set of Cluedo, consisting of a board showing mansion's rooms, character pieces, weapon pieces, and Cluedo cards. It's ideal for anywhere from 3 to 6 players.
Cluedo hugely bolsters strategic thinking as players need to methodically interrogate and use their logical reasoning to solve the mystery. It brings out social skills as players interact and argue over their suspicions.
Risk
Risk is a board game of diplomacy, conflict, and conquest. It's a classic game of strategy where players' ultimate goal is to occupy every territory on the board and eliminate other players in the process, thereby establishing supremacy in the world.
Playing Risk involves players distributing armies on their territories, attacking adjacent territories of their rivals, fortifying their own territories, and making alliances. The roll of the dice determines the outcomes of battles, making the game thrilling.
To play Risk, you will need Risk's board game set which includes a world map board, dice, card set, and army pieces of various colors. While the game can be played between two players, it is best suited for a group of 4 to 6 players.
Risk is a splendid game for the development of strategic thinking. Players need accurate judgment, planning, foresight, and risk management aptitude to win. This game unquestionably enhances social skills, as players often have to make and break alliances, negotiate, and interact throughout the game. The basic mathematical skills like counting and probability understanding also get a boost as players calculate probable outcomes of battles and distribute armies accordingly.
