Two-player logic games are FANTASTIC to have in a homeschool family’s game closet. Sometimes two is just the right number and can help siblings practice math-brain reasoning skills during a part of the school day when they need to be more self-directed. That’s one of the ways we use them, anyway! They’ve also been making very frequent appearances on our gaming table all summer long for homeschool summer school, which admittedly, looks a lot like party-city with all the games we’re playing!

Gigamic has a whole series of beautiful, unique, brain-bending, strategy-building two-player logic games. And they’re all made from WOOD, a dream come true! Wooden games are always more appealing to me and many other homeschool families because of the rich texture, wholesome feel, and natural elements. They’re gorgeous games that can last many lifetimes and teach countless lessons and provide innumerable minutes of joy together. 

Here are some we own and have the pleasure of playing often:

PYLOS

PYLOS Game Objective: Place the last sphere at the top of the pyramid. 

Rules: Place one sphere each turn. Creating a square of four spheres allows that player to remove 1-2 spheres back to their reserve. Spheres can be played from a lower level to a higher one. 

QUORIDOR

Quoridor Game Objective: To be the first player to reach one of the 9 squares on the opposite baseline. 

Rules: Fences begin the game in the storage area and pawns start in the center of their baseline. Each turn, players can move a pawn or put up a fence to either protect their pawn or block their opponent. Pawns are moved one square at a time and fences must be placed between two sets of squares. A pawn can jump over another pawn if they are next to each other on the board. 

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Logic games are a big part of our math “curriculum” because they help kids learn to problem solve independently, be persistent about finding solutions, and provide a no-risk scenario in which to make mistakes and learn from failures. Failure is a huge part of any learning process, and I have watched my kids play these games especially and test out many different failing strategies, always adjusting and coming back with better ideas for the next game. Logic games should be part of every family’s homeschool math program.

Check out the other Gigamic Wooden games and give one a try. I promise it will turn your child into a more capable problem solver! Thanks to Gigamic for sharing with us!

Embrace your inner farmer, gather up your extra produce, and head to the market to see if you can have a profitable day! Two to four players can try their hand at this farmer’s market business and see how it turns out in My Farm Shop, a 30-45 minute game for 8+ where the luckiest and most strategic player comes away with empty bushels and full pockets!

The game includes two extra modules besides the base mode, so it’s a 3-for-1 bonus! A Market Board is set up in the center of the play area to hold 6 field cards at a time. Each player gets a Player Board where new field cards from the market are stored and used for better trades and benefits. 

Players also get a Farm Shop Board to hold the gained goods  throughout the game. Players can only have as many goods as will fit on the Farm Shop Board, so don’t hang on to them too long! Goods have to circulate to keep the market strong!

We LOVE games where inactive players get to take actions, and My Farm Shop uses this engaging mechanism, which keeps the game exciting.

The active player takes FOUR STEPS:

  1. Roll 3 dice
    • Choose ONE die and take the card from that numbered Market Stall on the Market Board. (Dice Roll = 5, take Field Card in Market Stall #5)
    • Players can pay burlap bags to alter the die roll, one bag for each increase/decrease. (If you roll a 5 but you wanted the card in stall 3, pay 2 burlap bags.)
  2. Improve your farm
  3. Activate a field (ALL PLAYERS)
    • Take the sum of the other 2 dice and activate the corresponding card from the Farm Player Board
    • Players can pay burlap bags to alter the die roll, one bag for each increase/decrease. (If the sum of the dice = 5 but you want to activate the card in field 7, pay 2 burlap bags.)
  4. Fill the Market with a new Field Card from the deck.

SUNFLOWERS can be gained from certain field cards and placed on the Farm Board. When a field with a sunflower is activated, that player gets to choose/double ONE additional resource.

The game picks up speed as players get more and better field cards to activate. Choosing the right cards and goods requires a good deal of logical thinking, strategic planning, and luck.

Players keep track of their profits on the scoring track around the perimeter of the Market Board. When the Market Board is unable to be 100% full of Field Cards, the game is over. Each player gets to activate any ONE field and then the player with the most coins wins!

One of the things our family loves so much about board games is the exposure to so many different themes that often spark some deep-diving curiosity in one or more of my kids. Playing farmer in this game made one of my children more interested in gardening. Playing games isn’t all about the points and mechanisms, sometimes it can be the catalyst for real life growth, new skills, and life long interests!

My Farm Shop is a fun, educational, competitive board game that is a great transition for kinds into more advanced strategy games. This game isn’t terribly complex, but it has many of the same mechanisms that more complicated games have, so it can help kids learn to think and play in a more complex strategic way. 

The game has ultimate replayability tons of gameschooling target skills. There’s probability, reasoning, strategic decision making, and arithmetic so kids can learn through play, develop strong relationships, and have a great time together.

Thanks to Pegasus Spiele for sharing with us! 

[Check out Space Dragons, another well-loved game by the same maker.] 

*TREK 12* | Roll & Write Himalayan Adventure Math Game

Dice
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Roll and climb your way to the Himalayan summit in this pencil and paper competition of strategy and good fortune! Trek12, an exciting roll & write adventure, is a 15-30 minute experience for any number of players ages 8+, which makes it an excellent educational family or party game! Players can choose from two different […]

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*SKULL CANYON: SKI FEST* Set Collection Strategy Game

Gameschooling
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Well, it’s summer, which means our beautiful white mountains are white no longer and snow skiing is a distant memory, but we’re bringing the snow to summer with a family strategy board game!  It’s Ski Fest at Skull Canyon and the skiers are in for a solid 4 days of powder and sunshine. The goal […]

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*PEEK-A-MOUSE* Memory Challenge Game

Gameschooling
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Imaginary mice are so much cuter than those in real life! Why is that?? How did mice get such an adorable reputation?!?  If you’re a fan of cooperative games, you are going to LOVE Peek-A-Mouse. It’s adorable, unique, quick, and so much fun to play with your favorite little people! The target age is two […]

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*DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET* | Challenge Completion | Tile Placement | Math Game

Board Games
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You don’t have to wait until Saturday to go to the Farmers Market anymore! Just crack open this family board game to fulfill all your market desires and build some practical thinking and math skills along the way! Downtown Farmers Market is a tile placement game with a twist. Players blindly select 8 tiles to […]

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*SPACE DRAGONS* | Trick Taking, Space Hunting Math Game

Card Games
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YOU are the captain of an intergalactic crew of space hunters. Your prey? The legendary, elusive, and dangerous SPACE DRAGONS! Players begin by building their “crew”. Each player is dealt a hand of 9 cards, out of which one is selected and placed face down to keep as a crew member. Players pass their remaining […]

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*MARRAKECH* Rug Merchant Visual/Spatial Math Game

Gameschooling
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Welcome to the bazaar! Will YOU be the craftiest merchant at the market today and sell the most rugs???  Marrakech is a fantastic gameschooling math/logic/problem solving game with some lovely visual elements and very nice quality wooden pieces. Assam is one of my favorite elements OF ALL TIME. (I am tempted to try to make […]

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*DINO MATH TRACKS* Place Value Elementary Math Game

Games
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Playing games for math is a super effective way to teach years’ worth of elementary principles and skills in a very natural way. Learning Resources is a great source of elementary math games that focus on specific skills. Place value is something many children struggle to understand because it’s such an abstract concept. Dino Math […]

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*CLIMBING KNIGHTS* Tactile & Spatial Reasoning Strategy Game

Gameschooling
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Get your climbing gear and stretch your muscles, the King’s Contest is about to begin!  Simply Fun’s The Climbing Knights is a great tactile and physical challenge with moving parts, strategy, and lots of suspense that kids will love! Master gameschool skills like spatial reasoning, strategy, and fine motor skills in this Medieval game of […]

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