Anything remotely school-related is a total summer-break bummer. But that doesn't mean the learning has to stop. This list of the best summer learning games has titles that are just as engrossing as other at-home games but come with the added bonus of being teacher-approved. These games have what makes games great (player agency, just-one-more-turn gameplay, and challenging scenarios) plus learning outcomes seamlessly blended into the experiences. The results are awesome, super-secret learning games that kids will find fascinating.
Paint vocab words on walls, hear definitions, complete sentences
Bottom Line: Students may find the game fun, but teachers will need to supplement with other vocabulary activities and may object to the focus on tagging.
Play or design text adventures, but creation can get technical
Bottom Line: Text adventures can be a blast to play and make, but the Quest game-making tool, while offering some decent support, can be tough to use effectively without coding experience.
Bottom Line: This physics sandbox ramps up the complexity but not the usability, leaving it up to the right teachers and students to unlock its benefits.
Solve, create, and share puzzles that gush with STEM learning
Bottom Line: This challenging yet kid-friendly set of logic puzzles wonderfully allows kids to solve problems and experiment with light science concepts.
Solve problems, puzzles, brain teasers while creating wacky machines
Bottom Line: Hands-on problem-solving leads to great fun and independent learning with the right curricular wraparound to connect what kids are doing with what they need to know.
Authentic space agency sim focuses on logistics, planning
Bottom Line: This sim is backed by major space agencies, so it's a neat and trustworthy way to learn about the challenges of past and future space exploration.
Design and launch a rocket into space in realistic astrophysics sim
Bottom Line: This accurate rocket sim encourages trial-and-error learning and makes for great (and often explosive) physics and engineering experiments.
Refinement of strategy game formula supports historical exploration
Bottom Line: Like any consumer-oriented game, this experience will absorb and delight students far more than "educational" games, but it'll require open-minded and creative teaching.
Slow but alluring game uniquely depicts how folklore shaped America
Bottom Line: While it's not perfect, it could serve as a nice complement to a unit on American folklore or as a way to inspire students to write their own tall tales.
Charming political campaign sim mixes data analysis and civics
Bottom Line: It's a highly entertaining and surprisingly deep way to help students see the strategy -- as well as ethical choices -- involved in elections.
Philosophical game invites students to ponder everything's existence
Bottom Line: Meaningful and humbling take on interconnectedness, but in that existential sort of way that's highly individual and potentially hit or miss.
Bottom Line: For kids who are new to chess but want to learn how to play, this fun intro to the game provides a well-done tutorial combined with a light overarching storyline.
Spiraling sandbox of adventure and creation gets kids to dig deep
Bottom Line: An irresistible and seemingly limitless incubator for 21st century skills that, with a little guidance, can chart new courses for learning.
Bottom Line: SimCity does a great job teaching kids about cities by putting them in control of designing them, but this game needs a constant Internet connection.
Leave and locate hidden packages in a real-world treasure hunt
Bottom Line: Kids learn problem-solving, teamwork, and mapping skills, but the site doesn’t provide instruction or explanations for most of those topics; educators will have to fill in the gaps.
Bottom Line: Lots of potential and perhaps much better in a year or so of updates; use this in a class about space exploration and the harsh realities of colonization.
