Best educational Nintendo Switch games for kids 2024

Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite
(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / iMore)

The Nintendo Switch is a great console for kids. Aside from setting your child's console up with one of the best Switch cases to keep it protected, the next best thing is to set it up with some educational games for Switch. That way, your kids can play in a way that's good for their brain instead of just traveling a fantasy land saving a princess, although that is fun too. With the best educational games for Switch, your kids will have so much fun that they won't even know they're learning. Here are a few we recommend.

BodyQuest

This science-based game is for kids age 6+ with different content for age groups 6-7, 8-9, and 10+. Players are trying to save their friend Finn from an evil infection! They are shrunk down to fight off bacteria and viruses. Along the way, they learn about the musculoskeletal, digestive, circulatory, respiratory, and nervous systems.

BodyQuest

BodyQuest

Finn caught an infection! Luckily for him, you are able to shrink down to the bacteria's size and fight off the virus while learning about the body.

Buy from: Nintendo

Game Builder Garage

Learn what it takes to make a game with this visual, step-by-step guide to programming and game design. Through fun, game-like lessons, players will be able to create their own games and play them when they're complete! This is a fun option for middle school kids, parents, and grandparents alike to enjoy some time together learning a new skill. Bring the game of your dreams to life for the whole family to enjoy.

Game Builder Garage

Game Builder Garage

Build a game and get a taste of game design life! After you build it, test it out and see how great of a game you're able to create.

Buy at: Amazon | Best Buy | Walmart

Eat Your Letters

Eat Your Letters Switch

(Image credit: Kistler Benjamin)

Teaching kids to clean their plates and how to look for words in letters all in one! This cute game is all about figuring out how many words you can spell when given a select few letters. Find them all to get to the next level! There is a selection of difficulty levels, so both younger and older children will get just the right level of challenge in the 540 available levels.

Eat Your Letters

Eat Your Letters

In this fun food-based game there are puzzles where you have to find all the words in letters to clean your plate. Choose a difficulty level and dig in!

Buy at: Nintendo

Little Mouse's Encyclopedia

Explore nature as Little Mouse! While you find new things in nature, a new encyclopedia page with all kinds of information on the plants, animals, and other items you discover is created. Interact with the things nearby to choose what you'd like to learn about. This children's-book-illustration-style world has four fun areas to see.

Little Mouse's Encyclopedia

Little Mouse's Encyclopedia

An interactive encyclopedia where players go through the pages as a little mouse, learning about the nature around him along the way.

Buy at: Nintendo

Abbie's Farm for kids and toddlers

Abbies Farm For Kids And Toddlers Screenshot

(Image credit: Asylum Square Interactive)

Being on the farm includes a lot of chores that involve everyday learning! Kids will have a great time learning about animals, how to grow food, counting and cooking in the kitchen, and more. Join Abbie throughout the day and see just how many opportunities life gives you to learn. These simple games are easy and fun for little kids to play and learn.

Abbie's Farm for kids and toddlers

Abbie's Farm for kids and toddlers

Abbie takes kids on a journey of learning through daily activities. Help her out around the farm and in the kitchen and learn about every step along the way.

Buy at: Nintendo

Educational Games for Kids

This game offers 20 different games for kids ages 3-11. Playing these games will help kids learn math, logic, reflexes, memory, and more. Keep things simple and relaxing with a jigsaw puzzle, test your knowledge with a world geography game, and get musical by playing around with instruments. This game will even keep track of your child's progress so you can see what they're learning.

Educational Games for Kids

Educational Games for Kids

Enjoy 20 activities available for kids from ages 3-11. Track progress along the way and see how far your child comes from the beginning!

Buy at: Nintendo

Memory Lane

A great game for all ages, Memory Lane is a simple test of memory. Cards are laid out across beautiful, peaceful backgrounds with a match to each card. Select two and find the one that matches. Remember where you found the matching pair and clear the board!

Memory Lane

Memory Lane

A memory game for players of all ages! There are beautiful cards and backgrounds to choose from while you try to find the matching pairs.

Buy at: Nintendo

while True: learn()

In this cute coding game, you play as a coder whose cat is also good at coding. Build a cat-to-human speech recognition system so you can talk to your cat! This silly game actually teaches kids about coding and programming and how machine learning works. The best part is it's beginner-friendly, no experience needed. 

while True: learn()

while True: learn()

Cuteness, cats, and coding all come together in while True: learn(). Learn coding while you try to build a system that will allow you to talk to your coding cat.

Buy at: Nintendo

Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! is a long-time family favorite TV game show with trivia in many areas. Get everyone involved with Family Mode, adapted for family play. Think fast and test your overall knowledge across several categories. Each question is worth a different amount of money based on the difficulty level, and the person with the most money at the end wins! 

Jeopardy!

Jeopardy!

Bring a game show favorite into your own home for your family to join in on. Test your trivia skills and earn the most points to win!

Buy at: Best Buy 

TRIVIAL PURSUIT Live!

Another classic trivia option with family mode is TRIVIAL PURSUIT Live! There are six general categories throughout the game. You can choose which categories you want to play, the way your questions and answers are entered, and even the difficulty level with a special kid-friendly difficulty setting. Up to four players can join in on the fun. 

TRIVIAL PURSUIT Live!

TRIVIAL PURSUIT Live!

Adjust your trivia categories to fit for little kids, or keep it traditional for an adult game night. This gives your trivia game some options!

Buy at: Amazon | Best Buy

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain

Train your brain with a variety of games and watch your Big Brain Brawn score rise. Choose to focus on building a specific skill or do a variety of activities to get some well-rounded play. You can play together as a family, each with your own score and difficulty level, or play online against other players in Ghost Clash. As you play you even get to customize your avatar with items you unlock by completing goals!

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain

A series of games and activities designed to strengthen your brain. Play as a family with each member playing at the difficulty level that matches you.

Buy at: Amazon | Best Buy | Walmart

Colors Live

Make education creative with Colors Live! Follow the color quests to create different images based on the prompts and learn how to use the different tools together. Participate in weekly challenges to grow your skills even more. This game comes with a special pen to use with your Switch to draw on it.

Colors Live

Colors Live

Creativity on the go! Colors Live comes with a special pen to make drawings and follow color quests that teach you how to use your tools. 

Buy at: Amazon | Best Buy | Walmart

Planet Quiz: Learn & Discover

From cultures to animals, agriculture, and more, Planet Quiz tests your knowledge of all things planet Earth. There is also a complete edition of this game that comes with additional questions about oceans. Choose from four modes: tournament, quizpedia, quick play, and campaign. Although it doesn't allow you to customize the difficulty level for each player, as a group you may choose to do easy, medium, or hard.

Planet Quiz: Learn & Discover

Planet Quiz: Learn & Discover

Check your knowledge on a variety of topics about our home, Earth! Play a quick mode or enjoy a whole tournament.

Buy at: Nintendo

Fun for everyone

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These video games help give kids something fun and educational to do on the Nintendo Switch. Our favorite is Game Builder Garage, as it shows the behind-the-scenes of the games they enjoy playing. Another option for behind-the-scenes tech is while True: learn(), plus it has the bonus of having a cat in the game; who doesn't want to talk to their pet? For more traditional topics get into BodyQuest and have them learn about their body inside and out!

If you are looking for something for a younger audience, get a case on your Switch and check out Abbie's Farm for Kids and Toddlers for simple gameplay that's educational and easy to learn. Or get the whole family involved with the classics, Jeopardy! and TRIVIAL PURSUIT Live! These show that learning can be fun, and video games don't have to be mindless. Your kids are sure to enjoy learning as they play.

Alex Huebner
Contributor

Alex has been working with iMore as a Freelance Gaming Writer for three years. You can also find a few articles of hers on Android Central and Windows Central. She regularly covers Nintendo Switch games and accessories as well as iOS game apps. In addition to the Nintendo Switch, you may also find her playing on the PlayStation and PC. When she doesn’t have a controller in hand she likes to spend her time with her husband, son, and dogs, exploring new places, or hiding away with a book (or comic book). A few of her favorite games include the Zelda franchise, Little Nightmares, and Animal Crossing.