Just because a game is educational, doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Some of the best games conceal their educational elements very well. Kids won’t realize they’re learning shapes if they’re too busy racing snails, fending off monsters, and dodging stinkbugs.
This is great because games are particularly important for young learners as they develop important skills and you look for a way to reinforce them in a fun, intriguing way. And while many games teach social intelligence, logic, and dexterity, you’ll need to be intentional about finding games that teach specific knowledge like shapes.
No need to worry, we’ve done the leg work for you! In our list of best board games for learning shapes, you’ll be sure to find a game for children of all learning levels that will prove educational, while still masking their true intent with a surplus of fun!
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Board Games for Learning Shapes
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
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My First Castle Panic
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 20mins
You and your brave crew need to band together to defend your castle as a group of monsters attempt to storm it. In this cooperative game, you’ll need to work collectively to capture the monsters and lock them in the dungeon before it’s too late!
To catch the monsters, play a card from your hand that matches the shape found on the space the monster is standing.
Players will practice identifying stars, squares, triangles, and circles as the game progresses. Don’t forget to help each other out. If you don’t have a card to play, ask a friend — you’re all in this together.
Drop It
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30mins
In this simple game that combines skill and luck, your child will learn what circles, diamonds, squares, and triangles are by dropping them into the vertical game board one at a time.
But you’ll only score points if the shapes don’t break the rules. If your piece lands on another piece of the same color or shape, you won’t earn any points.
Have your child practice saying the name of each shape as they make their move. You can expand on this by having them tell you which shapes it makes contact with as it lands as well.
The game is fun and intriguing, and you won’t get mad when your child is asking you to “just drop it.”
Monkey Around
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 10mins
Monkeying around isn’t always encouraged, but in this game, it’s required.
Spend some quality time with your little one as you take turns drawing monkey cards that instruct you to perform silly tasks like balancing a plush banana on your head or educational tasks like sorting and matching items by shape or color.
This diverse game will get you up and moving while teaching your children cognitive, language, social, and fine and gross motor skills.
You can’t go wrong with Monkey Around because it’s packed with both tons of fun and ample learning opportunities.
Memory Match: Summer Camp Edition
Players: 1-2
Boost your little cub’s memory, cognition, and of course, shape identification skills as they match fun outdoorsy shapes like trees, fish, tents, and maps.
There’s more to shapes than just rectangles, squares, and circles. Shapes can be found all around us, even when we’re out in the wild. Children will have a blast matching the vibrantly colored, nature-themed pieces. It’s a great learning experience for when you may be stuck indoors for the day, or bring the game with you on your next camping trip for some fun in the wilderness!
Snug as a Bug in a Rug!
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 20mins
Work together to get all your colorful bugs snuggly under the rug before the stinkbugs come and ruin all the fun! It’s as simple as flicking the spinner and finding a bug with a matching shape.
But you better watch out! If there are no matches, a stinkbug will come to crash your party and stink up the rug. Pee-Ew!
Snug as a Bug in a Rug! will not only teach your child shapes, but also colors, numbers, and sizes. As your children get older, increase the difficulty to continue challenging them. You won’t regret letting these bugs into your home.
Go Away Monster!
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 10-15mins
A game that combines interior decorating, monsters, and learning.
In Go Away Monster!, players take turns blindly drawing furniture pieces from the bag in an attempt to complete their unique bedroom set. But the bag is also home to a host of monsters, and if you pull choose one of them, yell “go away monster” and lose your turn.
This is great for introducing kids to irregular shapes as they use their other senses to feel the shapes, count the sides, and generate their own mental image about what the shape they’re holding looks like.
The game is simple and has an adorable theme that your little monster will love.
Zingo!
Players: 2-8
Playing time: 5mins
Bingo with a zing!
In this kid-friendly adaptation of Bingo, players race to be the first person to cover all 9 of the pictures on their gameboard. As the tiles are dispensed, scan your card to find any matching pictures and be quick to claim any.
Throughout the game, reinforce new and learned shapes as players practice identifying those that pop up, like hearts and stars. It’s a great game for vocabulary building also!
Once your child is ready for more of a challenge, flip the green gameboards to the more challenging red side to ramp up the competition.
Ice Cool or Ice Cool 2
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30mins
This 3D game will introduce kids to a whole new dimension of play.
In Ice Cool, the box becomes the board, which creates a school for penguins. Some of these penguins have built up quite an appetite from learning all day and have decided to cut class to go on a hunt for a fishy treat.
While most games on this list are 2D, this game introduces children to 3D gameplay including cubes and penguin and fish-shaped miniatures. As you flick your penguin around the school trying to avoid the hall monitor, you can use the classroom props drawn in the school to teach a variety of different shapes as well.
Kids and adults alike really enjoy this game. But be warned, you may instill a bit of a tolerance for truancy in your child.
Snail Sprint
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 15mins
An exciting race that takes place at a snail’s pace.
Let the race begin with each player drawing a card that tells them which three snails they’re secretly rooting for.
Each snail shell and path tile on the road to victory is marked with a shape (triangle, star, square, circle, flower, or clover) that will help lead you to your win. Each dice roll will reveal something new, giving players ample opportunities to practice identifying and matching different shapes.
Plan your moves accordingly. As each snail inches forward, they’ll stop at nothing to win. Crawling over one another, blocking other players, and causing a multi-snail pile-up just for that first-place spot on the podium.
With a little luck and even more skill, your snail will be speeding toward first place. Well, as fast as a snail can, at least.
Swish
Players: 2-6
Playing time: 10mins
Swish is sure to get your child using their noggin.
In this game, you’ll find 60 transparent cards from which you’ll need to create combinations of colorful circles and dots by stacking and flipping the cards to create the perfect fit.
This game teaches logic and spatial reasoning skills as players try to visualize the matches before calling out “swish!” Each card will earn you a point, so use as many as you can to create your “swishes” and match your way to victory.
With varying levels of difficulty, the perfect swish can be created by players of all abilities.
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of the best board games for learning shapes! These games are fun for adults and children of all ages while helping young children recognize, remember, and identify shapes and patterns.
Educational games can be a ton of fun to play and can easily be incorporated into a lesson in the classroom too!
Have you tried any of the games on this list? Which would you like to play with your child? Drop a comment below and let us know what you think! We would love to hear from you.
Liz has no objections to being referred to as “nerdy.” Maybe it’s the educator in her — or her maturity level— but when it comes to board games, those best suited for children are the ones that spark her interest. When she’s not looking for the next game to incorporate into the classroom or play with her niece and nephew, you can find her trying out nature-themed games like Wildcraft or Trekking the National Parks.