The 5 Best Logic Games from ThinkFun
During a recent after-Christmas sale, we added yet another ThinkFun logic game to our growing collection - Domino Maze. Then our 7-year-old son opened it up, set out all the pieces, and spent hours placing dominos and solving puzzle after puzzle. And, believe it or not, that kind of independence and engagement is still a pretty rare occurrence around here.
ThinkFun has certainly made a name for itself with logic games, and the recent success of Domino Maze with our son got us thinking about which of their puzzle games were our very favorites. So we pulled out every ThinkFun logic game we own and asked our 7-year-old to pick his top 5.
If you’re a regular reader, you’re probably already well-aware of my love for games that introduce logic to children. As a chess coach, I can never stop myself from mentioning the numerous benefits of chess for kids, and we’ve listed our all-time favorite logic games in the past as well too. So it should probably come as no surprise that ThinkFun’s line of puzzle games has always endeared itself to us.
Many of their games follow a tried-and-true formula - featuring a general goal you’re trying to achieve with each puzzle, but being given a different starting setup and a specific set of supplies each time. As a teacher I love the fact that the goal is always very simple to explain so kids can start playing right away. And that the puzzles are always organized from easy to expert providing something for everybody.
Because of that little fact, games like these have proven time and again to be the perfect little independent activity for our son - and for me too. Obviously it’s a huge win if our little guy chooses to independently challenge himself with logic puzzles for hours, so I thought it was a very worthwhile endeavor to ask his personal opinion on which ThinkFun game hooked him the most.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. Clicking on those links will lead you to view the games’ listings on Amazon.
5. Thinking Putty Puzzle
There’s a popular phone game with a very similar concept to Thinking Putty Puzzle - connect the different colored dots with lines that don’t intersect each other. So you may be familiar with the concept even if you haven’t seen this ThinkFun game before.
The obvious upgrade here is the fact that this is a hands-on logic game without the screen. And it also comes included with one of our other favorite toys - Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. You get several colors of the stuff, which is a pretty good deal because it’s a lot of fun to play with by itself. And I think it’s a great idea bringing this puzzle game to life this way. It’s a great concept and it’s definitely more engaging for the kids this way.
4. Code Master
Code Master really shines for two reasons - it has an awesome fantasy theme featuring avatars and crystals and portals, and includes elements of basic coding. I really think it stands out to our son for both of those reasons, because it appeals to his love for games like Minecraft or Portal Knights and his interest in computers.
Using your guide scroll, your job is to “program” your avatar using color codes to traverse the map, collect crystals, and exit through the portal. I think it’s a really smart and stylish game and very cleverly designed. And the theme is a big hit around here.
3. Solitaire Chess
Solitaire Chess is my own favorite game on this list for obvious reasons, but this isn’t my list. It still received quite a bit of love from our 7-year-old though, and for good reason. It’s a very elegant puzzle game and absolutely perfect for chess lovers, but it will appeal to anyone who loves a good challenge.
The goal is simply to capture all of the chess pieces on the board one at a time until there is only one piece left on the board. It begins simply and becomes fiendishly difficult. I could happily spend hours solving these puzzles. And it’s a great trainer for calculation and visualization if you have any chess fans in your house.
2. Laser Maze
Laser Maze has been a big favorite in our house for a long time (as has Laser Chess, which finished just outside the Top 5). And, to be completely fair, the inclusion of a real working laser is a huge part of it. I can’t tell you how many times our kids have just run around the house playing with the laser, and how many times it’s been misplaced because of it.
But, the awesomeness of the laser aside, Laser Maze is a really fun logic game in its own right. As usual you are given a different starting setup and a different number of pieces to work with, and this time your goal is to light up a specific target with the laser. And in order to light it up, you’ll have to make use of mirrors that will split and reflect the laser beam at just the right angles to achieve your goal. It’s a blast.
1. Domino Maze
The aforementioned Domino Maze is clearly a huge success in our house. Like I said, it’s not entirely common for our 7-year-old son to independently busy himself with a single task for hours, so it’s no surprise to me that he chose Domino Maze as his favorite ThinkFun logic game of all time.
The greatness of Domino Maze stems from the fact that it combines the eternal lure of placing dominos in a line and knocking them over with a board that makes them significantly easier to setup. And of course you get a book of increasingly difficult puzzles to solve to give you direction and keep you challenged. It even comes with a second story, little ladders to go up and down, and tiny windmills for changing directions.
It’s fun to see our little guy work on his motor skills too as he tries not to knock everything over as he goes. And every time he solves one of the puzzles he shouts for us to come see him knock them down. He gets really excited about it, and I can definitely see why he chose Domino Maze as his favorite logic game.
Does your family love ThinkFun games as much as we do? What’s the #1 ThinkFun puzzle game in your house? Let us know in the comments.
