Pedagogical Contraband: Board Games in the Classroom
The following is a condensed excerpt from Ninja Teaching, now available on Amazon.
Board games. A term synonymous with Monopoly, Clue, Checkers, Chess, and Candy Land. I had no idea that board games beyond these simplistic examples existed until a colleague introduced me to Axis & Allies. I then realized games existed for nearly every topic and in numerous varieties. The use of board games in social studies holds promise as an effective tool to bolster student engagement. Rather than starting with my experiences and mostly my mistakes, I want to share the pros, cons, and workarounds I faced using board games in classrooms ranging from elementary school to college.
The Pros
Across several years of piloting board games in various educational settings, I found them to be a unique way to engage students. Written student feedback commonly cited board games as "fun," "engaging," and enjoyable for "strategy" and "collaborating with teammates." Research supports the benefits of experiential learning, allowing students to explore complex concepts, buttress historical knowledge, and improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills. BoardGameGeek is an excellent resource for game discovery, reviews, and learning the rules of games I piloted.
The Cons
Despite their effectiveness, board games have drawbacks. Cost is a major issue, as multiple copies are needed for all students. Space is another problem—games that extend beyond a class period require setup and teardown, making organization difficult. Time is also a factor, requiring learning rules, playtesting, and teaching students before actual gameplay. Classroom management can be challenging as students navigate complex rules and game dynamics.
The Workarounds
Several solutions help mitigate these issues. Duplicating game boards and purchasing additional game pieces can significantly reduce costs. I created a light tactical wargame, Powder and Lead, to simulate the Battle of Bull Run. I printed laminated boards and bought a 500-piece lot of Risk game pieces on eBay for $20. Another great workaround is Junior General, which provides free printable paper models for historical battles from 1300 B.C.E. to Vietnam. These resources allow students to experience history in an interactive and engaging way.
If full classroom implementation is intimidating, consider starting a board game club to experiment with game strategies and student responses in a controlled environment. My colleague and I still meet monthly to play history board games—my favorite kind of professional development.
Digital Workarounds
TripleA is an open-source strategy game engine that allows students to play over 170 historical and fictional games for free, eliminating costs and storage issues. Games can be paused and resumed, making them ideal for class periods. The game variant World War II Revised is the closest digital adaptation of Axis & Allies.
These resources allow students to play independently and compare their game outcomes to historical events. While preparing this chapter, I found myself replaying games in TripleA—it’s that fun!
Examples & Lessons Learned
Once I discovered Axis & Allies, I started playing it before school with a friend. This led to purchasing Battle Cry, an American Civil War game, and an ever-growing history board game collection. I experimented with an American Civil War simulation but found it overly complex, leading me to simplify the rules. Using AI like ChatGPT now makes simplifying rules easier.
My first attempt at using board games in class required significant preparation, including physical boards and figurines. I later realized I could have saved time and money by printing paper soldiers or writing unit locations in pencil. When I repeated the experience in middle school, students again struggled with complex rules, leading to downtime and classroom management issues. A smaller-scale, 1v1 format may have helped.
A major lesson was ensuring game rules were easy to explain, learn, and execute in a single class period. When I created Powder and Lead, I made the rulebook one page (front and back), laminated boards, and used simple playing pieces. This approach was highly successful when I introduced the game to a fifth-grade class. Within 20 minutes, students were playing, and they asked to play again the next day.
Solo Board Games & Final Thoughts
Seven years later, I remain obsessed with board games. Solitaire games, such as Waterloo Solitaire, offer additional options. These book-based games require only dice and a pencil, making them an inexpensive and engaging tool. Wargame Vault provides affordable print-and-play solitaire games, such as The Front Line: Trench Warfare, which simulates WWI combat.
Board games are a valuable educational tool. While challenges exist, solutions like digital adaptations, simplified rules, and free resources mitigate the drawbacks. If you introduce these resources to students, some will engage independently. Now, the only question is which style of contraband you want to smuggle into your classroom!
Dr. Stephen A. Henderson, former elementary and middle school social studies teacher, has taught American history, world history, religion, and geography across grades 5–8. He previously served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Chair of the Education Division, and Associate Professor of Education at William Penn University. He is now the Director of Learning and Development at OpenLoop Health. If he could do it all over, he’d probably be a farmer.