This week I'm sharing one of my favorite game days with you: Thinking Thursday! This is the day for logic and critical thinking activities, and there are so many fun ones out there! Unlike the other subject areas, I have not used a lot of online resources for these activities because I already had quite a few books and games before, but I have started a Pinterest board for them, because there are plenty of free materials out there. Below I've listed some of the books and games we've enjoyed the most, and if you have more ideas, I'd love to hear them!
Books: Several of these appear to be out of print (which isn't too surprising since I purchased some of them when I was in the classroom 10 years ago), but I've linked them anyway because you can still find cheap used copies. Of course if you search Amazon, you're bound to find many more, and I've found good ones at Mardel in the past, too.
Also, books like Encyclopedia Brown are fun because they are short mysteries where kids may be able to catch the clues themselves.
Games: These are some we've found that are good, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. Also, don't forget the basics, like chess!
Murder Mystery Mansion: I purchased this game for my son several years ago when we did a Mystery Summer Adventure Box and we still play it frequently. One player secretly selects a criminal, weapon, motive, and location and the other player tries to solve the crime. It's kind of like Mastermind meets Clue. Unlike Mastermind, though, the order is not important, so it's a little simpler.
IQ Fit: We found this game at Mardel recently and it is nice because there are 100 different challenges that increase in difficulty, so it will last a while.
Animal Logic: This is another game that has varying levels of difficulty, and the easier levels are good even for young kids to play.
Usborne Activity Cards–Logic Puzzles: This set of wipe-clean cards has logic puzzles of all kinds and it's easily taken on the go, which is a big plus for our family.
I hope these have been helpful ideas for you! There are so many resources to choose from, so just jump in and work those brains.