LearnLearn Guide for parents
What are the best periodic table games for kids? 10 honest picks
The best periodic table game for a kid depends on what you want them to get out of it. Quiz games are great for drilling names and symbols, simulations show what's inside an atom, and board and card games get the whole family talking about elements. Below are ten good options, free and paid, with what each one actually teaches.
One thing up front: we make one of these. Elemon is a free periodic table card battle I built for my sons, and it's labeled as ours below. The other nine are made by other people, and they're here because they're genuinely useful, including a few that do things Elemon doesn't.
How did I pick these games?
I looked for games that use real element names and real chemistry, that a parent or teacher can actually get today, and that suit kids rather than college students. Prices, ages and player counts come from each maker's own website, checked in October 2026, so they may change. I haven't played every one of these at our table. Where I'm describing a game from the maker's own description, that's what I'm going on.
The quick comparison
| Game | Price | Online or on the table | Ages (as the maker lists them) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elemon (ours) | Free | Online, in a browser | Elementary school kids | Kids who like card battles |
| The Element Game | Free | Online, in a browser | 7–14 | Drilling names, symbols and table positions |
| PhET Build an Atom | Free | Online simulation | Not listed | Seeing protons, neutrons and electrons |
| ACS Periodic Table Game | Free | Printable cards plus an online version | Middle school lessons | Classroom work on the first 20 elements |
| Periodic | $49.99 | Board game | 10+ | Family strategy and periodic trends |
| Ion | $24.99 | Card game | 8+ | Building real ionic compounds |
| Dimitri's Game | $15 basic deck | Card game | 6+ (basic deck) | Young kids learning elements 1–54 |
| Chemistry Fluxx | $20 list price | Card game | 8 to adult | Quick, silly family rounds |
| Elements Top Trumps | £6 | Card game | 7–14 (RSC levels) | Comparing element properties |
| ChemEd X Chem Cards | Free to print | Printable card game | Middle school and up | Teachers who want an open, editable deck |
Which free periodic table games can kids play online?
1. Elemon (ours): a periodic table card battle
All 118 elements are monster cards, and every move a card makes is named for a true fact about that element. Sodium's moves, for example, come from the way it pops in water, the way it locks with chlorine to make table salt, and the orange glow of old street lamps. Each move shows the real reason behind it. Kids pick five cards and battle a computer trainer on Easy, Normal or Hard, or play a friend on a second device.
- Price: free, with nothing to buy and no ads.
- Where: in a web browser, with no download or account.
- Teaches: element names and symbols, one real fact per move, the main element families (through the nine battle types), and simple compounds like water and salt.
- Honest limits: it won't drill table positions or teach atomic structure, and it's a game first. It works best alongside a short plan like how to teach kids the periodic table.
2. The Element Game: quick quizzes that adapt
The Element Game is a free browser game that its makers describe as being for ages 7 to 14. It has three modes: name an element from its symbol or a fact, place elements in the right cell of the table, and compare two elements. Levels build from familiar elements toward the first 20 and beyond, and it brings back the elements a kid finds hard. If your goal is "know the symbols cold," this is a strong pick, and it pairs well with a game like ours that gives the names a story.
3. PhET Build an Atom: what's inside an atom
Build an Atom is a free simulation from PhET at the University of Colorado Boulder. Kids drag protons, neutrons and electrons into an atom and watch the element, charge and mass change, and a game screen quizzes them on it. It's the best free way I know to show why the atomic number matters. Younger kids will need a grown-up next to them, because this is atomic structure, not element trivia.
4. The ACS Periodic Table Game: a ready-made classroom lesson
The American Chemical Society's free Middle School Chemistry lesson on the periodic table includes printable element cards for the first 20 elements and an online version of the same matching game. Students read clues about protons, electrons and neutrons and match each card to its element. It's written for middle school, but a confident upper-elementary student can do it with help.
Which periodic table board and card games are worth buying?
5. Periodic: A Game of the Elements
Periodic by Genius Games is a strategy board game played on a periodic table. Players spend energy to move along real periodic trends, collect elements and score goals. Genius Games lists it at $49.99, for ages 10 and up, 2 to 5 players and 40 to 60 minutes. It's the most "real board game" on this list, which makes it a good family pick for older kids.
6. Ion: A Compound Building Game
Ion, also from Genius Games, is a pick-and-pass card game where you score by pairing ions into neutral compounds, like sodium with chloride. It's listed at $24.99, ages 8 and up, 2 to 7 players and 20 to 30 minutes. It's the best pick here for kids who are ready to see why salt is NaCl.
7. Dimitri's Game
Dimitri's Game is a chemistry trading card game. The basic deck covers elements 1 to 54 and costs $15, and the maker says kids as young as 6 can play its simplest game, which works like the card game War using atomic numbers, for 1 to 6 players. Add-on decks for compounds cost $12 each. It's a gentle start for younger kids who like holding real cards.
8. Chemistry Fluxx
Chemistry Fluxx from Looney Labs is the Fluxx card game with atoms and lab gear: the rules and the goal change as cards are played. It lists for $20 and is for ages 8 to adult, 2 to 6 players, in 5 to 30 minutes. It teaches less chemistry per minute than the others, but it gets reluctant players laughing about elements, which counts for a lot.
9. Elements Top Trumps
The Royal Society of Chemistry's Elements Top Trumps is a 30-card deck where players compare melting point, density, price, discovery date and atom size. The RSC sells the individual pack for £6 and lists it for ages 7 to 14, with free primary and secondary teaching packs. It's a great way to make numbers on a card mean something.
10. ChemEd X Chem Cards
Chem Cards is an open-source, print-it-yourself deck of 118 element cards published on ChemEd X, for 2 to 6 players. Players match cards that share a property, such as being in the same group. Its author describes four levels starting at middle school. The files are free but need a free ChemEd X account to download, and teachers can edit the cards.
Which game should you pick for your kid?
- Your kid loves card battles and screens are fine: start with Elemon, then add The Element Game for symbol drills.
- You want offline family time: Dimitri's Game for younger kids, Ion or Periodic for older ones.
- You're teaching a class: the ACS lesson, Elements Top Trumps, or our teacher's guide and lesson plan.
- You want to see inside the atom: PhET Build an Atom.
- You want something free to print tonight: our printable first 20 element cards or ChemEd X Chem Cards.
If you're weighing card games specifically, I compared the physical decks in more detail in periodic table card games for kids, compared.
Frequently asked questions
What age can kids start playing periodic table games?
Early elementary kids can start with games built on names, pictures and everyday examples, like Dimitri's Game or Elemon with a parent reading the move facts aloud. Games about atomic structure, ions or periodic trends suit upper elementary and middle school better.
Should kids memorize the periodic table before playing?
No. Games work best as the way kids learn the names, not as a test after memorizing them. Start with a handful of everyday elements and let the game repeat them. Our guide to the first 20 elements for kids is a good companion.
Are online periodic table games good screen time?
They can be, if the time is short and active. Pick games where kids make decisions, keep sessions to a match or two, and talk about one element afterward. Then put the screen away and go find that element at home.
Is Elemon really free?
Yes. Elemon runs in a browser with no ads, no store and no account. You type an optional nickname and play. The site uses Google Analytics to count visits.
Want to try ours first? Start a solo match or browse every card in the Elemondex.