Erica Sanders used to instruct high school students. Now, the former teacher and librarian gives lessons on board games to kids, parents and grandparents, some of whom had to jump into homeschooling when campuses closed to lower the spread of the coronavirus.

Sanders, the store manager at Funagain Games in Ashland, remembers her mom encouraging learning at home with “boring,” strictly didactic activities. Sanders and education experts have found an easier way: Board games and puzzles kids want to play can also be tools to advance logic, critical and creative thinking.

Players can also practice how to win and lose gracefully, all while strategizing and building confidence that may pay off in future testing.

The educational value of playing board games does not go unnoticed by principals, teachers and librarians, who allow it during classroom time and encourage after-school game clubs.

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Sanders makes direct links to specific board game and their academic benefits, from reading and math to geography and history. She shares this information with store customers and offers to help anyone who calls (541-708-6788) or emails her (ericas@funagain.com).

Here are her picks, from classic to new board games, which are available at funagain.com as well as the company’s stores in Ashland and Eugene, and other sources included here:

Language Arts

Dixit: The humorous card game says it’s for ages 8+, but Sanders says younger children can also learn about storytelling and guesswork.

Codenames: The word-based board game improves word association, vocabulary and critical thinking. “It’s our store’s bestselling game, so people are really loving it and aren’t even noticing the learning they’re doing,” says Sanders.

Superfight: This card game is a very silly way to work on debate and argumentative skills.

Letter Jam: This game offers fun times while learning about letters, words and cooperation.

Dungeons & Dragons: This famous fantasy role-playing game is a great way to polish up on story building and enhance creativity, social skills and ingenuity.

Boggle: This word search game tests and expands vocabulary.

Choose Your Own Adventure: There are two board games in this series so far and they both help with reading comprehension, making predictions and cooperation. They also provide a great way to talk with children about decision making and what might happen if they choose one action over another.

First Contact: Deductive reasoning and word association along with expanding vocabulary are prominent in this party game, but that’s hardly noticeable when you’re having so much fun, says Sanders.

Geography

Ticket to Ride: The original railway-theme board game is played on a map of the U.S. and the goal is to connect cities, which are accurately placed. Ask kids, “If this train needs to go from San Francisco to Chicago, what do you think it’s transporting?” for a more immersive experience says Sanders. Other versions and expansions offer a closer look at various countries and the Old West, which includes Ashland.

Pandemic: The original cooperative board game is played on a world map and players work together to save the globe from four illnesses. This is an opportunity to explore geography and research population impact on contamination for each city.

Trekking The National Parks: The Family Trivia Game: This educational and inspirational experience game has more than 600 text and image questions on locations and other topics.

History

Pandemic: Fall of Rome: Another cooperative game, but this one lands you in Ancient Rome where players work together to befriend neighboring nations, protect the city from invaders and save the empire.

Through the Ages: Not for the faint of heart, says Sanders. This civilization building game appeals to teens who are able to sit through a long playing session as they work their way through different stages of history and they learn about different leaders, world wonders and the importance of balance.

Innovation: This is a quicker game of building a civilization while learning about advance technologies and ideas.

Twilight Struggle: This is a great card-driven, two-player game that offers a close look at the Cold War.

Timeline: There are a few different versions of this card game and the goal is to put the events, inventions or topic in historical order, which generates great discussions.

Sid Meier’s Civilization: The Board Game: In the board game version of the award-winning PC strategy game, players learn about historical figures and buildings, and how civilizations are built from the ground up.

Math

Sushi Go!: This fast-playing game’s goal is for players to grab the best combination of sushi dishes and gain points using statistics to gauge the likelihood of collecting certain cards.

Five Tribes: There’s a fair amount of sneaky math in this German-style game and points for certain actions are multiplied.

Escape Rooms in a Box: There are many different versions of this flashback game with logic, math and reasoning puzzles.

Brikks: This tabletop Tetris-like game develops geometry skills.

A Fistful of Meeples: This game forces players to think ahead and consider all forms of outcome for each turn. There’s basic counting that occurs, but more important, each meeple triggers different actions.

Science

Cytosis: This fun, biologically accurate worker placement game involves enzymes and receptors.

Evolution: This is an engaging game with trait cards and provides a thought-provoking way of looking at evolution beyond a textbook. See what helped dinosaurs survive and what became problematic. Evolution: Climate adds climate effects and the faster-paced Evolution: The Beginning works best as a two-player game.

Compounded: Chemistry! Find out what’s flammable and may explode. This game is a great way to talk about different elements without having access to most of them, says Sanders.

Photosynthesis: Learn how photosynthesis works by making a forest. This strategy game can be a little challenging when someone’s tree blocks your tree from the sun.

Terraforming Mars: Sanders’ favorite game prompts discussions on outer space and what’s needed to make Mars habitable for humans.

Astronomy Fluxx: Learn about space flight history or in Anatomy Fluxx, it’s all things related to the human body, from bones to blood vessels. And once kids have been introduced to the fun of the Fluxx games, slip in Math Fluxx, which may change a math-avoider’s mind.

More ideas

Sanders maintains a long list of other board games that teach academic concepts at m.facebook.com/notes/funagain-games-ashland/using-games-to-teach/1646031748884260.

Curious to know more about board games? Since 2000, BoardGameGeek has grown to be the online forum for board gaming hobbyists. Find reviews, images and videos to more than 100,000 different games.

Have board games your family has outgrown? Some game stores want them. The used games section at Funagain Games is a consignment system where people decide what they want to charge for their used game or puzzle, and when it sells, they get store credit.

--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

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