9 Board Games to Supplement Sonlight Grades 3-4 Curriculum

Gameschooling takes many forms. For some, games are the curriculum. For others, it is an intentional supplement to bring their studies to life. Today we are sharing 9 games that that can supplement your Sonlight grades 3-4 curriculum. The curriculum packs are D and E. We are not suggesting you add all of these games to your collection, but if you find 1-2 that you want to add to your school day, great! Have fun with whichever game(s) you choose.

Discoveries: the Journals of Lewis and Clark

This game is about the creation of the nature journals that Lewis and Clark made over the course of their trip. Players use dice to complete portions of the journey. This allows them to add the portion to their journal. The art in the game is beautiful as well.

Mobi

If you have played Bananagrams, this is basically the same game with math. Players create what is basically a crossword puzzle of math equations with the number tiles that they have. It is a great game for practicing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Since the function of the equation is chosen by the players, kids can choose what they are comfortable with or parents can encourage playing with newly acquired skills.

Karuba

Karuba bring the players into the jungles of the Americas. They will be searching for hidden temples and the treasures within. It is a tile placement puzzle game. The tiles are used to cut paths through the jungle to reach the temples.

Catan Geographies

These are scenario sheets that require the normal version of the game to play. They feature various regions of the USA. The sheets have pre made tiles and numbers on it as well as facts about the region. Even the basic game can be great as your students learn about colonization and natural resources.

Timeline Americana
Timeline is a very simple game to play. Players take turns trying to fit their events I to the timeline. Repeated play will help bring the dates and events into the students' memories.

Agricola
This game is about farming. It would be a perfect addition to learning about settling the west, as many were farmers. It is a worker placement game. Players will be growing crops, raising livestock, and growing a family as well.

Planetarium

This space game has players take a hand in developing planets. The features of the planet's will be dependent on the resources they find as the planets orbit. The art was made in cooperation with NASA and is just stunning. The cards also have facts about the features they add to the planet.

Whistle Stop
This is a train game. Players are adding tracks to the board and moving their trains toward their goal. The tracks are like a maze, making it hard to work your way across the board. With trains being a big part of western expansion, this game is a fun supplement.

Bang! The Dice Game
The wild west was a bit crazy. In this game players take on various roles in an old west showdown. It does require 3 players. It is a quick dice rolling game. If you can play Yatzee, you can play this and probably have more fun doing it.

8 Games to Supplement Sonlight K-2 Curriculum

Gameschooling takes many forms. For some, games are the curriculum. For others, it is an intentional supplement to bring their studies to life. Today we are sharing 8 games that that can supplement your Sonlight K-2 curriculum. The curriculum packs are A-C. These games are going to be great for all 3 years and so will give you more bang for your buck. We are not suggesting you add all of these games to your collection. If you find 1-2 that you want to add to your school day, great! Have fun with whichever game(s) you choose.

Similo History
Similo History is a cooperative deduction game with cards. One player gives clues to the others to help them guess which historical person on the board is the selected card. It has historical characters from ancient Egypt to Marie Curie. It is a short game and can add a touch of overall history.

Cardline Animals
Cardline is another small, quick card game. In this one, you each have a hand of animals and you are trying to place them in order in the center of the table. You can order them by height, weight, or lifespan. It is a versatile game and we play it with our 3 and 12 year old often because they both love it.

Kingdom Builder
This is a game about building your kingdom. You are placing settlements in the terrain type your card shows. The goal is to build near castles and accomplish various goals that change each game. The game is simple enough for younger kids and can be modified easily if needed. It has been a hit with everyone I have played it with from small children to elderly seniors.

The Quest for El Dorado
El Dorado is a deck building game. Each person has their own deck of cards that they play through and add to. The cards allow players to traverse the map of the jungle in a race to find the lost city of gold. This one is simple but with great depth.

Imhotep Duel
This game uses a tic-tac-toe type placement to acquire pieces to build monuments and pyramids. It is very easy to pick up and works well with any level of gaming experience. This one is for 2 players and is actually on our "to buy" list. We played it at our local game store and just love it!

Word on the Street Jr.
This is a team word game. Each team will get a topic and need to come up with a word to go with it. The letters in their word will move toward them till they get far enough to be claimed. It is like a letter tug of war. The jr. edition includes all of the letters, which will help early readers and spellers. You can also make your own topic cards based on what you are currently learning.

Carcassonne
This is a board game classic! The players place a tile each turn to build medieval cities, paths, cloisters, and farm land. At the end of the game, the table looks like an old map. It looks different every time. This was our first modern board game and it is still in our collection.

Planet
Planet is a very light game of planet construction. Each person has a 3 dimensional planet that they add terrain tiles to. The goal is to gain animals for their planet based on what terrain they like.

So, those are our 8 games. We are planning on sharing picks for other years of Sonlight curriculum as well. Is there a curriculum that you would like us to give suggestions for? Let us know in the comments below. You could also keep the conversation going by sharing some of the games you have used with Sonlight k-2. Our list is by no means exhaustive after all!