Ion: Fun Chemistry Game for Kids

Learning basic chemistry concepts is painless and FUN with Ion, a compound building game from Genius Games!

Chemistry. Just the word seems to strike fear in the heart of many students.

But what if there were a way to make chemistry less intimidating by introducing basic concepts in a FUN way?

Well, there actually is a way to learn basic chemistry concepts without cracking a textbook. And yes, it’s fun!

I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own; I was not required to post a positive review.

Ion: Fun Chemistry Game for Kids

Ion: A Compound Building Game is an educational science game from Genius Games. Designed for ages eight and up, the game teaches the fundamentals of ionic bonding in a completely painless way.

No prior knowledge of chemistry concepts is required. Players simply follow the game rules to build ionic compounds, and the learning happens spontaneously along the way. Big plus!

Ion: a science card game for kids

Each ion and noble gas playing card is marked with its name, symbol, and charge. During each play, all players must choose one card from their hand and either bond it to another ion or set it alone. At the end of each round, points are awarded for all neutral compounds and noble gases.

During the game, players are naturally absorbing information about the various ions–no boring memorization required! After several rounds, it’s a cinch to remember that magnesium’s symbol is Mg and its charge is +2, and therefore it needs (2) -1 ions to bond with.

3 Things I Love About Ion

1. It works with a large family.

Because the Ion game can be played with two to seven players, it works perfectly for our large family. Many games only allow four players, which can potentially leave someone out of the fun.

2. It’s quick to play.

Let’s face it. We don’t always have hours to devote to a game. Monopoly, anyone?

Ion only takes 20-30 minutes to play. It’s so easy to fit into a busy homeschool day! And even teens can find that much time in their busy schedules.

Want to play longer? Play several games of Ion back to back, and see who can win the most games!

Playing Ion, an educational science game

3. It’s easy enough for beginners, but challenging enough for adults.

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I really don’t like to play games. Most games seem pointless to me, and I find my mind is constantly wandering.

But get this: I really LOVED Ion! And that’s because it kept my mind engaged. I will definitely be playing this science card game with my kids when they play it again!

4. It’s a fun way to disguise learning.

By the end of the first game, my kids had naturally learned several basic chemistry concepts:

  • Ions are always charged, either positively or negatively.
  • Ions with opposing charges are attracted to each other.
  • Ions with opposing charges can be combined to make a neutral compound.
  • Noble gases are stable without combining with anything else.

They won’t easily forget these concepts since they actually experienced how they work in the Ion game.

Science card game for kids

More from Genius Games

In addition to Ion, Genius Games has three other educational science games available:

  • Linkage: A DNA Card Game
  • Peptide: A Protein Building Game
  • Covalence: A Molecule Building Game

I am completely impressed with the quality of Ion: A Compound Building Game, and I’m sure the other games are equally impressive.

If you’d like to try the Linkage game for free, you can get a free printable version when you subscribe for updates (scroll down the page until you see the subscription box).

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4 Comments

  1. Great review, Judy! Gamified science is a fantastic tool for retaining information and encouraging curiosity!

  2. Awesome! Love that the whole family can get involved!

  3. Raising Creative Children says:

    Is this type of game that is replayable many times or does it seem like once you have the compounds memorized it’s no longer fun to play?

    1. Judy Hoch says:

      I definitely think you’ll enjoy playing this game over and over! Each game is different because you have different cards in your hand, and that affects the compounds that you will be able to build. In addition, there is an extra category of cards that can be added to increase the challenge (sorry, I’m drawing a blank on the name of those cards right now). Feel free to ask any questions – if my foggy memory doesn’t cooperate, I will be happy to pull out the instructions for more info! 🙂