Overview
Elementary Games
At the elementary level, the games feature math skills, word skills, problem-solving, coding, and geography. They also continue to foster social interactions. Click on the game for more information and to check availability . Some games are linked to additional resources and others will link directly to the Media Catalog/SNAP. If you are not already signed into SNAP you will need to login before the game is displayed.
10 Days in the USA
Players use state and transportation tiles to chart a course across the USA. First player to complete a ten day journey where each day connects to the next day wins.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-4
Play time: 20-30 min
Content Area: Social Studies
Subject: Geography, Sequencing, Strategy
Architecto
Players construct 3D models based on illustrations in perspective. From simple shapes to complex structures, players develop stronger notions of geometric concepts and 3D visualization. While providing solid educational skills, it's also captivating and exciting. In Architecto, players progress at their own rhythm, as puzzles gradually become more challenging.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 1
Play time: 20-30 min
Content Area: Art, Math
Subject: Geometry, Design, Spatial perception, Visualization
The Extraordinaires Design Studio
Check availability Resource Guide
The Extraordinaires Design Studio is the creative thinking game for problem solvers ages 8 to 108. If you've ever wondered what it's like to invent a music player for a robot, a remote control for a pirate, or cooking utensil for a vampire teen, this is definitely the game for you. Each set includes dozens of design challenges.
Step 1: Set up a design job: Choose an Extraordinaire to design for and choose an object to design for them
Step 2: Research & Design: Look at the back of your Extraordinaire's card for insight into their world and their specific needs. Then design the best object ever using Think Cards for inspiration.
Step 3: Present it: Present your amazing new object to the people you’re playing with.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 1 to an entire group
Play time: 60 min
Content Area: ELA, Fine Arts, Family/Consumer Science, Business/Technology, Library
Subject: Design, Inquiry, Research, Creative-thinking, Problem-solving, Inventing
Code Monkey Island
Code Monkey Island is a board game that introduces kids ages 8 and up to programming concepts used by real programmers. Code Monkey Island is a board game designed for families. It takes about a minute to learn the rules and 45 minutes to play, and exposes kids to fundamental programming concepts like control structures, data structures, Boolean logic and operators, and assignment and mathematical operations.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-4
Play time: 45 min
Content Area: Computer Science, Business/Technology
Subject: Programming, Coding, Boolean Logic, Problem solving
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time is a game in which players create a story using the cards that show important elements from fairy tales. One player is the storyteller and creates a story using the ingredients on their cards, trying to guide the plot to their own ending. The other players try to use their cards to interrupt them and become the new storyteller.e object of the game is for the players to enjoy themselves and to tell a good story. The player who uses all the story cards in their hand and guides the plot to their ending wins the game.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-6
Play time: 20-30 min
Content Area: ELA, Library
Subject: Storytelling, Narrative
Timeline Cards
Timeline: American History
Timeline: Discoveries
Timeline: Diversity
Timeline: Events
Timeline is a card game played using 109 cards. Each card depicts a historical event on both sides, with the year in which that event occurred on only one side. Players take turns placing a card from their hand in a row on the table. After placing the card, the player reveals the date on it. If the card was placed correctly with the date in chronological order with all other cards on the table, the card stays in place; otherwise the card is removed from play and the player takes another card from the deck. The first player to get rid of all his cards by placing them correctly wins. If multiple players go out in the same round, then everyone else is eliminated from play and each of those players are dealt one more card for another round of play. If only one player has no cards after a bonus round, he wins; otherwise play continues until a single player goes out.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-8
Play time: 15 min
Content Area: Social Studies
Subject: History, Sequencing
Word on the Street
The Hilarious Tug of Words! On each turn, one team flips over a category card. Team members frantically brainstorm words that fit the category while the opposition tries to sidetrack them. The team must agree on a word and pull each letter of that word one lane closer to their side of the street, all before the time runs out. Word on the Street™ will have you in the fast lane to fun!
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-10 or Teams
Play time: 20-30 min
Content Area: ELA
Subject: Word skills, Spelling
ROBOT Turtles
Robot Turtles has a sneaky way of teaching kids – as young as preschoolers - the basics of programming. Inspired by the Logo programming language, the goal is for kids to get their turtle to a matching colored jewel. While kids get to be the programmers and have all the control, grownups act as the computer, following commands and making all sorts of goofy bops and beeps along the way. The Galapagos Rules offer a game variation that is bit more competitive and fun for older players.
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-5
Play time: 15 min
Content Area: Computer Science, Business/Technology
Subject: Coding, Problem solving, Sequencing, Programming
Qwirkle Matching Colors and Shapes
Award winning game. Match colors or shapes on the tiles. Earn points by building rows and columns of blocks that share a common shape or color. Player with the most points wins.
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-4
Play time: 45 min
Content Area: Math
Subject: Patterns, Strategy, Problem Solving
Double Shutter Game - Shut the Super Box
Roll the dice, shut a combination of tiles that matches the total on your dice. Throw the dice until no more tiles can be shut. Lowest remaining tile total wins. Based on a game created during the 17th century in Normandy, France.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 1-6
Play time: 10 min
Content Area: Math
Subject: Number Concept, Addition, Strategy
Code 777
Crack your code first! You can see your opponents' codes but not your own. Using questions and logic, try to deduce which three numbers are hidden in front of you. Once you're reasonably sure, then you can take a guess. But if you're wrong, you have to start over with a fresh set of tiles...
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-5
Play time: 60 min
Content Area: Math, Science
Subject: Number Concept, Logic, Deduction, Problem Solving
Quiddler
Award winning card game draws on players ability to combine letters into words. Players must combine their entire hand into words. In round one, you have three cards, round two has four, on up to ten cards. Bonus points are given for longest word and most words made by a player in each round.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 1-8
Play time: 20 min
Content Area: ELA
Subject: Word skills, Spelling
Koob Game
Try a Vikings-era tossing game of teamwork and strategy. Legend has it the Vikings used to play it with sticks and firewood gathered through their many worldly voyages. Combines elements of bowling and chess for teams of 2-12 players. Can be played indoors or out.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: Teams of 2-12 players
Play time: 30 min
Content Area: Phys. Ed, Social Studies
Subject: Sports, Vikings, Vintage
Rory's Story Cubes
Rory’s Story Cubes are a remarkably simple and effective means for inspiring creative thinking and problem solving in all of us. Simply toss all the dice, examine each of the nine face-up images and let them guide your imagination through a story that begins with “Once upon a time…”.The nine dice, each with an image on six sides, hold a total of 54 images. This means that with every roll, there are over 10 million combinations for you to use as the inspiration for your story.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 1-9+
Play time: 10 min
Content Area: ELA, Library
Subject: Storytelling, Narrative
littlecodr
Littlecodr is an insanely fun card game that introduces code to kids ages 4 and up. Crowdfunded on Kickstarter, this game is now introducing coding and computer programming concepts to kids all across the world. Using simple action cards, kids get to program their parents or friends to do crazy things while they learn concepts like coding and logic, linear thinking, prototyping and debugging.
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary, Middle, High
Players: 2-10
Play time: 10-15 min
Content Area: Computer Science, Business/Technology
Subject: Coding, Problem solving, Sequencing, Programming
Library Skills Line Up
Contains three card games to teach basic library skills. "Be a Book Buddy" reviews the proper way to treat a book. "Fiction and Non-Fiction" helps students tell the difference. "Answer This" helps students determine which reference book to use...atlas, dictionary, almanac, or encyclopedia.
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary
Players: 2-4
Play time: 10-15 min
Content Area: Library
Subject: Book Care, Fiction vs. Nonfiction, Library skills
Library Trivia Quest
In this game, student teams collect tokens by answering library related questions in five categories. First team to get five tokens wins! Contains: 1 Game board; 250 Trivia question cards with 2 grade levels on each card - Level 1 (grades 1-3) and Level 2 (grades 4-6). There are 50 cards in each category (Librarian's Desk, Reference, Non-fiction, Fiction, and Book Nook)
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary
Players: 2-5 or teams
Play time: 10-15 min
Content Area: Library
Subject: Library skills
Master Guru Games
Master Guru Game - Grade 3
Master Guru Game - Grade 4
Trivia type board game tests students' knowledge of concepts in the New York State third & fourth grade learning standards.
Grade Level: Elementary
Players: Teams
Play time: 45 min
Content Area: Math, Science, Social Studies, ELA
Subject: Assessment
Pirates of Plagiarism
Resources for teaching children about copyright, plagiarism, and the ethical use of resources. Contains: 1 Hard cover book: THE PIRATES OF PLAGIARISM/by Kathleen Fox & Lisa Downey - Pirates, determined to steal a treasure chest from the library, encounter children doing research. The students are shocked by the pirates unethical suggestions
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle
Players: Entire class
Play time: 30 min
Content Area: Library, ELA
Subject: Library skills, Plagiarism, Copyright, Research Skills
The Great Coin Caper: A Dewey Whodunit Game
In this board game, students must gather evidence, correctly answer questions about the Dewey Decimal System and use the process of elilmination to determine the culprit who stole a book of coins, the tool used to break the display case, and the Dewey room in which the culprit hid the loot.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle
Players: 2-6
Play time: 30 min
Content Area: Library
Subject: Dewey Decimal System, Library Skills
Duck, Duck, Dewey
The game includes 2 sets of 10 little vinyl duckies, each dressed differently to represent different subject headings.
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary
Players: 2-4
Play time: 10-15 min
Content Area: Library
Subject: Dewey Decimal System
Sticks and Stones: A Game of Alphabetical Order
Help students learn alphabetical order with this matching game. Up to six teams try to match author names on sticks to lettered stones. Three levels allow for alphabetizing to the first, second, or third level of the names.
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary
Players: 2-6 teams
Play time: 15 min
Content Area: Library, ELA
Subject: Library skills, Alphabet, Alphabetizing
Yoga Kit for Kids: Fun and Fitness
Both a game and a teaching tool. Cards feature the name of a yoga pose and a photo of a child performing it on one side and a poem and directions to move into the pose on the reverse side. Helps children develop strength, balance, flexibility, and concentration.
Grade Level: Primary, Elementary
Players: Entire class
Play time: 20 min
Content Area: Health, Phys.Ed
Subject: Fitness, Exercise, Yoga