One-Player Games That Kids Love

If you have been following our Board Game Challenge, you already know that we are a bit game-obsessed over here. We’ve been playing multi-player games for our challenge but we also adore one-player games, in addition to other activities that can keep children happy, engaged, learning, and -often- quiet.

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One-player games can help a desperate mama on days with crummy weather or kids who are under-the-weather, and they can also help to keep quiet time quiet. In addition, many of these games travel well and some can even be used while traveling. So, in no particular order, I present to you some of our family’s favorite.

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Rush Hour

Rush Hour is one of my favorite keep-Leo-busy games. It is a logic game and is recommended for ages 8 and up. I love how the game comes with a travel pouch, so you can travel with it and even play it in the car. Rush hour has four levels of play to keep your child challenged. It comes with playing cards and each card provides instructions as to how to set up the various cars in the puzzle grid. The goal is to move the various cars within the grid in order to free the red car so that it can be freed from traffic.

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Clik here to view.Laser Maze

This is another game that Leo adores. This logic game is made by Think Fun and is recommended for ages 8-15 years. Do you want to know the part that kids will love about this game? There’s a legit laser, folks. The goal is to set up your playing board according to the challenge card that you select. Then it’s up to you to position the various tokens (some of which are mirrors) so that the laser hits the targets indicated on the challenge card. This logic game involves planning and sequential reasoning skills. The challenging game has levels from beginning to expert so it has a lot of longevity.

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Clik here to view.Gravity Maze

Gravity Maze is another one-player logic game from Think Fun, recommended for ages 8 and up. It is similar to Laser Maze in that it includes a game grid and challenge cards of increasing difficulty but instead of getting a laser to its target, you must construct a marble run. The colors in this game are great and the challenge is even better. The game involves planning, sequential reasoning, and visual spatial skills. Like Laser Maze, it’s just as much fun for the grown-ups as it is for the kids.

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Clik here to view.KataminoImage may be NSFW.
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We wrote about Katamino in yesterday’s Board Game Challenge update. In addition to being a beautiful game that you want to leave out on your coffee table, Katamino is versatile. It can be played with one player or two, and it has won a number of awards. It is recommended for ages 7 and up. This game has several different playing variations and many challenge levels. This game would be perfect for a child, a teen, a family, for display, or for your office. Warning: it is addicting!

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Clik here to view.Simon

This guy has been around forever, hasn’t he? Leo loves this game, just as I did when I was a child. You can play Simon by yourself, against the computer, or you can set it for a two-player game. The goal is to memorize and follow increasingly difficult light and sound sequences. Once you start playing, you’ll want to keep playing. Leo holds the Simon record in our house at the moment!

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Clik here to view.Rubik’s Cube

Keeping with the 1980s theme, Leo has recently discovered the joys and frustrations of the Rubik’s Cube, the world’s best-selling puzzle. The recommended age is 8- adult. In case you are unfamiliar with this puzzle, each side of this cube has nine colored squares. The goal is to make each side of the cube one color. If you get too frustrated, there are cheat-sheets online, folks!

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Clik here to view.Swish

This is another awesome game from Think Fun. Clearly, we love Think Fun over here! This game is for one or more players and is recommended for ages 8 and up. These transparent cards are heavy-duty and hold up well over time. This game is enjoyable for children and adults, making it a great family game. This fast-paced game taps into players’ spatial skills. The goal of this game is to make matches, known as swishes, by getting balls into hoops of the same color. This game can be played with multiple players, or as a solitaire. And, this is random, but every time I play it I think to myself that I wish I had this game back when I was a swimmer. It would have been perfect for long meets and the plastic cards would hold up well.

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Clik here to view.Perplexus

These challenging maze balls are amazing. Have you guys seen these things? There are a whole bunch of different Perplexus maze balls, with the hardest level known as Perplexus Epic. These mazes are an extremely challenging and frustratingly-fun experience. The goal is to get the little metal ball bearing through the entire maze. Good luck!

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Clik here to view.Suspend

This is a game by Melissa and Doug was another Christmas winner in our house, gifted to us by the beloved Santa Kate! Suspend is a balancing game for 1-5 players, recommended for ages 8-15 years. This game is simple to learn and yet challenging, offering several levels of play. Use your patience, kids!

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Clik here to view.Word A Round 

Word A Round is not technically meant to be a one-player game but we use it as a one-player game. The goal is to find a hidden word on each card. There are three rings per card and there is a hidden word in each ring.

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Clik here to view.Bananagrams 

What can I say about this game, folks? I grew up playing Scrabble. It’s one of my all-time most favorite games ever. Bananagrams is like a throw-it-in-your-purse Scrabble. You can carry it anywhere, and play it anywhere. I will often bring it to restaurants and go over letters and words with the kids while we wait for food. Leo and I love to play it together. When Schizz lets me play with him, I kick his tush in Bananagrams. Best part? You can play a solitaire version!

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Clik here to view.IQ Twist 

This is yet another fantastic one-player logic game, recommended for ages 6 and up. It comes in a compact case so it can be easily stored and is perfect for travel. The challenges start of easy and get quite difficult. Leo loves this game, folks!

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Clik here to view.Pathwords

This is a fantastic word search game by Think Fun. Each puzzle tells you which tiles to use and you have to place the tiles in such a way so that each tile covers a word. The puzzles start off easy and get increasingly difficult. Our Pathwords came in a cool little travel case so you can play it in the car or at a restaurant.

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Find It

These tubes keep kids occupied during quiet time, in waiting rooms, and at restaurants. Last weekend, I had to bring Miss T to the ER (she’s fine) and this thing saved the day. You guys know that we are I Spy obsessed, and this is like an I Spy game that you can carry with you. There are a ton of Find It tubes out there and each one has a list on the top of the cylinder of items to find within the cylinder. Lots of fun for kids of all ages.

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Clik here to view.Puzzle Blox 

This is a complex puzzle using cubes. There are 130 cubes and, with them, you can create 6 different puzzles based on well known works of art. This puzzle is recommended for ages 12 and up. The puzzle blox come in a plastic carrying case to prevent loss, and so that you can work on your puzzle and then close it up and save it for later. It’s challenging and quiet.

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Clik here to view.Logic Links

I love this game because the box is small and portable and the logic challenge cards start out quite easy but grow more challenging over time. The goal is to follow the clues to arrange the links in the correct order. It gets tricky very quickly and is a fun challenge.

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Clik here to view.Mastermind for Kids

This is the classic Mastermind but geared toward young children. Using colorful animals and a jungle theme, you must use logic to break the code. There are several levels of play so you don’t outgrown this game too quickly!

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Clik here to view.Snap Circuits

Snap Circuts are right up there with Magnatiles as one of the best parental investments Schizz and I have ever made. They are recommended for ages 8-13 years. While technically a game, Snap Circuits are fun, hands-on, and extremely educational. There are oodles of different Snap Circuit kits (although, if you think your family is interested, I would recommend one of the larger ones because you’ll just want more), and Snap Circuits have won a multitude of awards. With the Snap Circuit Pro SC-500 (our first Snap Circuit kit), you can create 500 different projects. Leo received this gift for Christmas last year, when he was five and a half. He was reading well at that time and could complete projects happily and independently. Although, to be honest, you’ll want to join your kids with this one.

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Kapla Blocks 

These are second only to Magnatiles in our home. Recommended for ages 3 and up, we received these blocks as a gift and they make a great addition to our Melissa & Doug unit block set, and are more challenging. This set contains 200 blocks and it is amazing what kids create with these blocks. You can also use them to play your own version of Jenga, which is also fun!

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Clik here to view.Magnatiles

I cannot mention games or toys to keep kids occupied without mentioning our favorite parental purchase of all time. Our friends had Magnatiles for years before we finally decided to buy them ourselves. Every time we’d go to their house for a function, boys and girls of all ages were playing with the Magnatiles. Every. Single. Time. For years. I kept thinking to myself, “But, gosh they seem expensive!” and then one day I asked my friend about them and she gushed. She told me that, by far, they had been the best parental investment they had ever made. They were played with daily, by boys and girls, by kids of all ages, they are easy to clean, they are easy to clean up (um… they’re magnetic! They clean up in a minute!), they are easy to store (again: magnetic!), and they are virtually indestructible. They don’t hurt your feet like Legos (which I love, but I love Magnatiles more), they will never end up in your vacuum, and they are incredibly fun. If I had to think of one con about Magnatiles, it would be that you can never have enough. You always want to build bigger, higher, more. We have had them for several years now and they are played with daily.

And that’s my list of games and activities to keep a kiddo occupied, happy, and quiet. I hope you enjoy. Please share your favorites with me. I’m always looking to expand my game knowledge (and maybe add to our game closet but please don’t tell Schizz!).

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My work is a game. A very serious game.

~M. C. Escher

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Looking for more ways to keep those kids busy and happy? Look no further, folks:

Follow Cait Fitz @ My Little Poppies’s board Games, Games, Games! on Pinterest.

Follow Cait Fitz @ My Little Poppies’s board Crafts, DIY, & Kid Activities on Pinterest.

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