Get Logical Thinking! A Collection of Game Ideas to Build Thinking Skills
Why not take on some tough challenges that aren’t so easily solved? There are plenty of unique games that build your thinking skills, like palindrome quizzes and “UMIGAME no Soup” (lateral-thinking riddles).
They help sharpen logical thinking, spark new ideas, and boost communication skills, so you can grow while having fun with friends.
Stimulate your curiosity with quizzes and debate showdowns, and discover something new! From kids to adults, we’ll guide you through a world of brain-teasing games, complete with hints to help you crack the puzzles.
Build your logical thinking! A collection of game ideas to develop thinking skills (1–10)
tic-tac-toe
https://www.tiktok.com/@haco_asobi_edu/video/7550645060535127304The game where you draw circles and crosses in a 3×3 grid has simple rules, but it’s said to help develop thinking skills.
It’s usually played on a single grid, but increasing the number to nine makes it even more exciting.
The next player writes an O or X in the 3×3 grid located in the same position as the cell the previous player marked.
Try to outmaneuver your opponent and keep them from winning as you play.
With multiple 3×3 grids, it becomes a strategy game that offers a different kind of fun compared to the usual tic-tac-toe.
Sorting Game
https://www.tiktok.com/@haco_asobi_edu/video/7548231806328311048Line up colorful marbles and develop logical thinking.
Take randomly placed red and blue marbles and arrange them so that marbles of the same color form a single row.
By arranging them in specific orders or shapes, you can train your logical thinking.
Swap the vertical or horizontal positions of adjacent marbles to align the same colors in the same row.
You can make it more fun by timing how long it takes until all colors are aligned and competing, or by having someone else specify the positions of the colors to arrange.
Besides logical thinking, this activity also helps improve concentration and color perception.
Mitsukaruta
It’s a fun game where your vocabulary decides who wins.
Prepare stacks by placing seven cards, each with one hiragana character, and layering more cards on top to form piles.
Everyone playing draws one card from any of the seven piles, and the game begins.
Use three or more of the visible letters on the piles to come up with a word and say your answer.
It’s also okay to use words that include letters not currently visible on the piles.
You get to keep the cards for the letters you used.
There’s no set turn order—first come, first served.
Keep calling out all the words you know!
Puzzle game
Block-based puzzles and ones with pictures or illustrations have an irresistible charm that makes you focus and try your hardest.
Puzzle games where you fit differently shaped blocks together have a different kind of fun, too.
In these puzzles, when you try to fit block pieces into a rectangular frame, there’s always one piece left over.
It might make you think, “Finishing it is impossible,” but there is actually a way to fit all the blocks into the frame and complete the puzzle.
When you try various ways to combine the pieces and finally get that last piece to fit perfectly, you can’t help but feel a rush of joy.
Avalon
Abalone is a game that exercises your mind while you have fun, played with black and white marbles.
Your goal is to push your opponent’s marbles off the board.
Marbles attack and defend in ways unique to this game, using both linear and lateral movements.
By the way, pushing your opponent’s marbles is called “sumito.” As the game progresses, what looks simple becomes deep and strategic—you might find that attacking opens you up to being attacked.
Think through your tactics and be the first to push 6 of your opponent’s marbles off the board.
Algo Basic
Argo Basic is a game where you deduce your opponent’s number cards starting from a single number card.
There are some slightly complex parts, like arranging and flipping cards according to the basic rules.
However, once you get the hang of it, it helps you develop skills such as focusing, thinking things through, and analyzing the numbers on the cards from your opponent’s answers, strengthening your logical thinking.
It’s also appealing that people of a wide range of ages can play, making it great fun at home.
In addition, a collection of Tsume Argo problems—puzzle-style challenges that let you enjoy Argo like tsume shogi—has been included.
Logical Choice
It’s a game where even young children can have fun while developing logical thinking skills.
Logical thinking is useful in conversation and communication, and it’s considered important for helping others correctly understand your ideas.
Because it’s the ability to think things through step by step, it’s something you’ll want to cultivate in childhood when thinking about the future.
Logical Choice is a game where you look at various illustrations presented as four-choice options and solve problems.
Since the problems consist only of illustrations, you consider what’s being asked and make judgments accordingly.
By repeatedly working through the problems, it’s said that children can gradually build their thinking skills.
Exit 8
Exit 8 is a hugely popular game starring Kazunari Ninomiya that was even adapted into a film.
The player aims to escape from Exit 8 of an endlessly continuing underground passage.
If you notice something strange in the passage, turn back; if nothing seems off, keep going and try to escape through Exit 8.
The rules are simple, but it’s a challenging game because spotting anomalies is difficult.
As you get used to the visuals, you might overlook changes—like failing to notice an anomaly or a poster that’s subtly changed size.
There are also jump-scare-style moments, such as a man sprinting toward you or creepy posters.
It’s the kind of game that seems fun to play while chatting with family or friends, discussing the anomalies as you go.
Werewolf game
The party game classic “Werewolf” is a game of repeated conversation and deduction to identify the werewolves hiding among the players.
Participants are divided into Villagers and Werewolves.
Since the Werewolves disguise themselves as Villagers and join the discussion, you must carefully figure out who is lying.
By day, players vote to execute one suspicious person; by night, the Werewolves attack.
If the Werewolves are executed, the Villagers win; if the Villagers are reduced until they are equal in number to the Werewolves, the Werewolves win.
A key feature is that some Villagers have roles like Seer or Medium.
Make good use of role abilities and play skillfully to pinpoint the Werewolves.
Matchstick Quiz
https://www.tiktok.com/@notorequiz/video/7546234161086876946To solve the classic brain-training “matchstick puzzles,” you need flexible thinking and creativity.
You have to consider various patterns and experiment to figure out which matchstick to move to form the target number or shape.
Isn’t it perfect for building thinking skills? Even if you don’t know the answer at first, learning it can lead to new discoveries and broaden your imagination.
There are plenty of fun, game-like problems you can tackle, so kids and adults alike should give them a try.
The joy you feel when you solve one might lead to a love of learning.