Any child learning game must accomplish at least one of several things. It must either educate about a concept, skill or an historical event, reinforce development or expand on a concept as the child learns to play the child learning game.
The child learning game you decide on for your children will depend on their age and gender, but your child's personal preference is also important.
Children might not enjoy a particular child learning game for a variety of reasons. If you are choosing a game for your own child it is a good idea to take them shopping with you, as a child learning game that you think is a great idea might not appeal to your child. The best child learning game is one in which the learning elements are well-disguised. Children are surprisingly resistant to learning in the sphere of games, and so any child learning game must be fun before it can be educational.
For very young children and toddlers, card games are always a good idea. A child learning game that uses cards usually teaches and reinforces the concept of matching, or contains shapes and colors that the child must identify. In these games a sense of achievement is vital, and without positive reinforcement any child will quickly tire of a card child learning game.
Board games are often more effective, but are usually only recommended for children over the age of around 3 or 4. Before this age there is a danger that a child might swallow one of the pieces of the child learning game. An example of a child learning game of this type is Brain Chain. While this child learning game is a little bit complicated for very young children, it is perfectly suited to any child that is learning to read.
There are many board games that teach and reinforce important skills and concepts, but there are also a lot out there that are either useless as a child learning game or just plain boring. Bright colors are usually a good way to keep a child interested, but simply because a game looks good does not mean it is entertaining or educational.
A last option is video or computer games. While most parents would prefer that their children do not spend a lot of time playing computer games, a child learning game on the computer can produce very fast learning, and encourage the important skill of group cooperation.