Learning Leapers

In this article you will be able to find some top educational board games that you can play with your child at home, with all different learning outcomes and ages, you will be able to find something that will benefit your child’s learning development. These are all Orchard Toys board games which are all teacher tested.

About Orchard Toys

Orchard Toys have been around for over 40 years, starting out from a kitchen table making blocks and stencils for a local nursery, to now creating board games for educational purposes around the world. They aim to make ‘learning fun’ for all ages and abilities. All the games are made from recycled board and paper, they are wipe clean games and puzzles so they will last forever and can be passed down through generations.

Match And Spell

In this game your child will learn how to match letters with pictures to spell the words. It’s designed to help improve your child’s language and literacy skills. For all children aged 4 and over. They can play alone or with someone.

1-4 players.

Content –

• 12 double-sided 3 letter word boards
• 8 double-sided 4 letter word boards
• 68 letter titles
• 1 instructions booklet

How it works –

Your child will look at the colourful picture card, identifying what it is first and then using the letters and the number of spaces provided next to the picture, they will try to spell the word correctly. Each picture board is double-sided, one side is a little harder. If you would like to give your child a challenge, make sure they have the 4 letter cards with the harder level side facing up.

Benefits For Education –

• Letter recognition
• Language skills
• Word building
• spelling
• reading
• matching and memory
• discussion skills

Where To Buy –

Here – Amazon.co.uk

 

First Times Tables

In this one your child will learn their 2,5- and 10-times tables, which helps them develop their basic multiplication skills at home. This game is for ages 5-8.

2-4 player game.

 

Content –

• 30 pancake boards and a place setting board
• 1 card spatula, 1 spinner board
• 1 two-part plastic spinners, 3 number line boards
• 1 instructions booklet

How it works –

Your child will use the number line for each of the 2-, 5- and 10-times tables and spin the pancake wheel to see which multiplication problem they will be solving. The aim is to get the most pancakes on their board by the end, answering them all correctly. They can use the spatula after the turn the pancake over and check the answer to see if they get to keep it.

Educational Benefits –

• Multiplication skills
• number and counting skills
• observation skills

Where To Buy –

Here – Amazon.co.uk

 

Magic Maths

In this game the players take turn to solve the maths sums and fill in their board with fun magic items to complete their magic spells. There are a variety of different sums, from adding, taking away and multiplication.

Ages 5 – 7.

Content –

• 4 wizard boards
• 30 spell ingredients cards
• 30 magic sum cards
• 1 instructions booklet

How it works –

Once the players have answered the questions, they can turn over the card and rub it to reveal the answer to check if they’re correct, if they are they get to add a spell ingredient card to their wizard board. The winner is the player who fills in their board first to make a magic spell.

Educational Benefits –

• Developing number and counting skills
• Personal and social skills
• Observation skills

Where To Buy –

Here – Amazon.co.uk

 

Magic Spelling

This one is another magic themed fun board game. This one encourages children (aged 5-7) to practice their spelling the fun way. They also get a spell book in this one, that they collect the ingredients for every time they get the answers correct. There’s a variety of words that are different levels so you can keep it at your children learning level or give them a challenge.

2 – 4 players

Content –

• 4 spell books playing cards
• 36 magic rubs and reveal word cards
• 39 letter cards and 20 ingredients cards
• 1 magic wand
• 1 spinner and timer

How it works –

Race against time to find the hidden letters using the magic viewer, then pick a yucky ingredient to add to your spell book. The winner is the first to fill their spell book correctly and cast their spell. Rub and reveal the cards at the end to check your spellings are correct.

Educational Benefits –

• Develops literacy and language skills
• personal and social skills
• observation skills

Where To Buy – 

Here – Amazon.co.uk

What’s The Time Mr Wolf

This one is perfect to help children develop children’s analogue and digital time telling skills. I personally have played this one with a child before in one of my tutoring sessions and I found it very useful for their development in telling the time, they really enjoyed it so they really got involved in what they were learning.

Ages 5-9.

Content –

• 1 Jigged Forest playing board, 20 double-sided square cards.
• 4 Jigged double-sided collective boards
• 1 large clock face, 1 set of movable clock hands
• 1 slot together 3D wolf
• 1 Dice
• 4 animal character playing pieces and stands
• 1 instructions leaflet

How it works –

Players move around the board, matching the time to the clock in the middle, but they must watch out for the hungry wolf! If they read the time incorrectly, they must post their cards through the wolfs mouth. The board is double-sided so they can either play with digital time or analogue, so they can practice both skills.

Educational Benefits –

• Develops number and counting skills
• Observational skills
• Personal and social skills
• Reading the digital or analogue time

Where To Buy – 

Here – Amazon.co.uk

Catch and Count

This is one for the younger children, it’s for the very first stages of learning development, 3 +. To them it may not seem like its learning to them, but they will be picking up a lot of different early learning skills with this game.

Content –

• 30 bubble cards
• 4 jar boards
• 1 spinner
• 1 instruction leaflet

How it works –

You each get a fishbowl each to fill with the different colourful fish bubbles, start by spinning the spinner to see how many fish you can put in your jar for that turn. The person with the most fish in their jar at the end is the winner. Young children will love the competitive nature of this game.

Educational benefits –

• early learning number and counting skills
• observational skills
• personal social skills

Where To Buy – Amazon.co.uk

 

Tummy Ache 

With this one, you have to try putting together some fun meals without causing a tummy ache! This is a great game for creating fun imaginary meals and stories.

Content –

• Food Cards
• Tummy ache cards
• Individual playing boards

How It Works –

Race to complete your playing card without causing a tummy ache! Watch out for the creepy crawlies’ cards If you catch one, start again! The first to complete the board with all yummy meals is the winner!

Benefits For Education – 

• Encourages creative and observational skills
• Encourages discussion about healthy foods, during this game your kids are likely to want to talk about what foods they do and don’t like, and it will give them an idea of what foods are healthy and which are not so good for them.
• Basic personal and social skills, learning how to play nicely with someone else.

Where To Buy – Amazon.co.uk

These are just a few of the games you can find, there are plenty of Orchard learning board games to pick from. Naturally if a child enjoys a learning activity, they are more likely to engage with the skills being taught, that’s why buying these learning games will always be beneficial to your child. If you buy any let me know how your little one found it in the comments below.