Design of Children’s Educational Board Games Based on Nigerian Geography and Culture

Educational board games represent a powerful medium for stimulating geographical knowledge and cultural awareness among primary school children, yet most commercially available games in Nigerian classrooms are designed around Western cultural and geographical content. This project develops a series of educational board games grounded in Nigerian geography, ethnic diversity, cultural heritage, and civic education, aimed at children aged seven to twelve. A needs assessment conducted in twelve primary schools across Lagos, Kano, Enugu, and Abuja identified significant gaps in students' knowledge of Nigerian states, ethnic groups, traditional festivals, and landmark geographical features. Three game prototypes were designed: a map-based board game involving route planning across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones, a culture-matching card game pairing ethnic groups with traditional attire and festivals, and a quiz-driven spinner game on civic knowledge. Game mechanics were designed to balance competition with collaborative problem-solving. Pilot testing in four schools over three weeks assessed knowledge gain, engagement duration, and teacher usability. Pre- and post-test comparisons showed a thirty-three percent average improvement in Nigerian geography knowledge scores. Teachers reported high levels of student engagement throughout gameplay sessions. The project recommends that the Universal Basic Education Commission consider incorporating locally designed educational games into its school supply catalogues and curriculum support materials. Keywords: educational games, Nigerian geography, cultural awareness, primary education, game design.