Kingdomino Game Review: It’s fun, it feels like a puzzle… and it teaches multiplication!

Kingdomino is an award winning tabletop game for kids.

It’s great fun, it feels like a puzzle… and it teaches multiplication!

To play, players use the domino tiles to create their kingdom. This is done by matching the pictures on the domino tiles, and connecting them to create a 5x5 grid. The more matching connections you have in your grid, the more points you can get.

However, that’s not all. Some tiles also have crowns included in the illustration. This is what determines your score. If your matching domino group includes dominos with two crowns, you multiply the number of matching squares by 2. If the connection includes 3 crowns, you multiply the number of matching squares by 3. And if your matching domino connection includes no crowns, you multiply the number of matching squares by zero… and yep - you get no points for that connection!

It’s a game of strategy, puzzles, problem solving, kingdom building, maths skills… and it’s FUN!

Along with skills such as strategic decision making, turn taking, patience, and puzzle solving, Kingdomino also teaches the following maths concepts and skills:

✅ Numerical order up to 48

✅ Multiplication

✅ Addition  

✅ Grids

Here’s some other noteworthy aspects which I love about Kingdomino:

👑 Playing Kingdomino is like completing a puzzle. The game can be competitive, but it’s also a mindful activity.

👑 The way Kingdomino teaches multiplication is very clever. The concept isn’t pushed during the playing of the game (which could ruin the game for those who find multiplication difficult). Instead, it’s the way that the scores are added at the end which brings multiplication into play. However, the more the kids practice multiplication, the more they can start using that skill during the game as well (if they choose to), when planning the domino placement in their grid.

👑 My kids love putting the tiles in numerical order. They don’t even realise that this has only been included in the game for educational purposes!

👑 Simple addition is also used in the scoring. Players need to add the points from their various connections to work out their total. Again, addition isn’t pushed while actually playing the game, but rather when working out the score instead. This means that kids who find maths difficult, can still enjoy playing the game.

👑 Along with 48 large, illustrated “dominos”, each player also gets a 3D castle. This is where their kingdom begins. And each player also gets a cute wooden meeple (a small person-shaped figure) which players use to choose their dominos. This makes the game a tactile and 3D experience rather than just picking up cards or tiles. As you can imagine - these 3D features make kids love this game even more!

👑 There’s no “gotcha” aspect to this game. Players compete by each trying to build the best kingdom that they can, rather than trying to sabotage others. (Yes, players can choose to take dominos from the selection which others may want for their own kingdom, however it’s rarely anything which would ruin someone’s chances. There’s always other options, and this is where the problem solving kicks in).

👑 Parents and teachers - Kingdomino may be a kids game, however you won’t get bored when playing it with them! It’s actually fun, and a nice challenge for you too! This is a major win when it’s something you’ll end up playing over and over!

Kingdomino is a wonderful addition to the family game collection. I highly recommend it!

Playing Time: 15 minutes

2-4 Players

Ages 8+

(Kingdomino is also available to be purchased in store from our brick and mortar store if you're lucky enough to be local to Bunbury, Western Australia!)

Would you like more in depth instructions on how to play? Here's a wonderful video tutorial with detailed instructions on how to play Kingdomino!