Is your primary school giving your kids too little to do, or too much drivel? Trying to keep your kids to <4 hours of video games and TV all day? Allow me to reinvent myself as Daddy Home School Blogger for a moment, and the educational board games my kids and I love. <thread>

My 7 and 9yo got vacations to Ohio and Colombia confused. And couldn't find Canada on a map. They're now obsessed with where to find Abkhazia while playing Continent Race. You would think this is incredibly boring (and it is for you). But they love it.

https://amzn.to/34tIkUr 

More fun for parents (and educational for US immigrants like myself, who never did figure out where the hell Arkansas was on a map): Scrambled States of America. A card game that compels you to learn state locations and capitals. Kids go bananas.

https://amzn.to/2V1JByT 

Kids liked Math Bingo a LOT more than expected. They even played it when not incentivized by chocolate chips as bingo markers. If, like us you'll do anything to get your kids to finally figure out subtraction or division, this game's for you.
https://amzn.to/2XuKFwT 

P.S. You can do math bingo on your own without paying $15 for a set of cards. Or if you buy the multiplication one, you can easily make it into a subtraction of division game.

Less popular, but elegant, with hopes for future use (especially with chocolate chips) is Proof. You deal nine numbers and then kids have to make equations from them. I really do think they will grow to love this as much as I do. Yes I'm delusional.
https://amzn.to/2VqGgYW 

Kloo's probably a BIT too advanced for my kids, but I predict with 10% more Spanish they get there. I like it. You make sentences in Spanish and get points even if you're not sure what they mean. Then points later if you figure it out through the game.
https://amzn.to/3b2OTQ8 

If you simply want to pay $23 to teach your kids simple division (I am not above this) then a highly useful but short-lived game is Pet Me, where kids learn to distribute treats to pets of different number.
https://amzn.to/2VjS2o6 

Less successful:

Wordplay: Might be good for kids older than 10

Money bags: Too basic, maybe good for 4-6yos

Spanish bingo: Limited number of words learned

Naipes Gacela Loteria Mexicana: Came with no instructions. No freaking idea what to do.

Where in the World: BORING

Recommendations welcome.

I just ordered Yahtzee though that is borderline educational in the sense of concrete skills development.

And yes: I know all board games are educational. We play them all the time because of that. And fun. But these were games for more concrete skills.

OK, back to ignoring Twitter as I try to Internet-school college kids and home-school my kids. Admittedly we have it easier than most. Remind me to write a thread on why an international au pair is often cheaper & better than many child care options, AND stays during a pandemic.

P.P.S. Less explicitly education favorites lately have been:

Ticket to Ride
https://amzn.to/2K3JH2s 

Santorini
https://amzn.to/3b4Hpw9 

Also the Pokemon card game is surprisingly hard and fun for adults. My 7yo kicks my butt.