The Best 21 Preschool Board Games You’ll Actually Enjoy, Too
My preschooler’s absolute favorite time of day is after her little sister goes to bed at night because that’s when we bust out a board game or card game to play as a family.
There’s just one problem.
The games specifically designed for preschoolers are kind of…soul-sucking.
The people who invented Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, and Hi Ho Cherry-O must have had some deep-seated hatred for parents of the world because playing those preschool board games will slowly kill off every brain cell that sleep deprivation hasn’t already taken care of.
Those typical preschool board games require little to no strategy. They’re all chance and no thought, and at best they prepare your kid to understand the concept of a lottery ticket.
And yet as much as I’d love to groom my preschooler into a ruthless Scrabble whiz, some of the best family games are just too advanced to be board games for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds.
Looking for toddler board games instead? Head to The Best 25 Toddler Board Games That Will Become Family Favorites
You Don’t Have to Suffer Through Candyland
Ever since my oldest daughter reached board game maturity many years ago, we’ve been on the hunt for the best board games for families. The ones that won’t make you want to gouge out your eyeballs with a junky plastic game piece.
Over the years, we’ve discovered that the world has a ton of absolutely delightful preschool board games to offer families. It’s just that Candyland and its ilk have infiltrated the mainstream psyche as the quintessential board games for preschoolers, so you don’t hear about most of the awesome preschool board games that you’ll actually enjoy playing with your kid.
In our family, we play a board game nearly every night, and we even cleared out our pantry in the kitchen to devote to storing our family board games.
Board games and card games are one of the best ways you can connect with your kids after a busy day, but if you play a mind-numbing game like Chutes & Ladders, it can have the opposite effect.
You’ll be bored out of your skull, and your preschooler will pick up on that. Instead of reconnecting and laughing together, you’ll be anxious for the game to end, leaving your kid to wonder why you don’t want to play with her.
Related: Forget Candyland! This Is the Best List of Board Games for All Ages
21 Awesome Preschool Board Games That You’ll Love, Too
Get those boring preschool board games out of your house and play these kid-approved (and parent-approved!) board games for preschoolers instead.
Because life is too short to be pulling out your hair when you could be giggling with your preschooler. Use this list of fun board games for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds to beef up your family game collection, and you won’t be sorry.
This list grew out of our own experience of being on the hunt for the best family board games and card games for many years. Plus, we researched for hours and hours online to find all the top suggestions of preschool board games for 4-year-olds and 3-year-olds, then market-tested them with our own crew.
Not only will your preschooler love these board games and card games, but you will too. If you need more ideas after you check out this list, head over to Forget Candyland! This Is the Best List of Board Games for All Ages because most games on that list are preschooler-friendly too.
But First, a Warning
When my preschooler was three years old, she swallowed a coin that got stuck in her throat. One emergency room visit, one surgery, and one five-figure hospital bill later, I can tell you firsthand that choking hazards are nothing to take lightly. And we were lucky that we caught it in time.
Some of these games – even the games marketed specifically for preschoolers – contain game pieces like dice that are the perfect size to be choking hazards. Please always keep a close eye on your child when they’re playing with a game that has small pieces. And if you have younger kids, make sure they’re sleeping or otherwise occupied so they don’t find a fallen game piece and pop it into their mouths.
Now for the list of the best preschool board games…
Note: indicates my family’s absolute top favorite board games on the list. These are the games my whole family can’t get enough of! In fact, we love them so much that we stock them in our store. Order from us here, and you’ll be supporting a family-owned business while also treating your own family to a fun new game!
1. Gobblet Gobblers
Time to Play: 5 minutes
Number of Players: 2
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds can understand the basic concepts in order to play, but 4-year-olds will do better with the strategy
Get It: Gobblet Gobblers
This preschool board game is like tic-tac-toe with a twist. Just like in tic-tac-toe, you line up three of your pieces to win. But in this game, your piece can also gobble up another person’s piece (or even your own piece) because the game pieces are like nesting dolls. You can also move any pieces you already placed on the board.
While it can get boring to play tic-tac-toe with a preschooler over and over again, this game shakes things up enough to make it fun for all ages in the family. The game is over quickly, which is a plus for a preschooler’s attention span. My 9-year-old and 4-year-old will sit and play game after game together because they’re having so much fun.
The kids don’t even realize they’re building critical thinking, memory skills, and spatial awareness skills while having fun!
One quick warning though: Be sure to get this wooden version of this game, not the newer plastic version. The reviewers who accidentally ordered the plastic version were bummed because the plastic edition isn’t nearly as sturdy.
If you like this game, the same company also makes another board game for preschoolers called Pengoloo that our family loves too.
Bonus: All game orders placed in our family-owned shop get a $7.99 bonus credit after purchase to spend on instant downloads!
Gobblet Gobblers
“Far and away our family’s favorite game!” – A boy mom
2. Feed the Woozle
Time to Play: 10-15 minutes
Number of Players: 2–5
Minimum Age: Some 2-year-olds can play this, so it’s a great fit for 3-year-old preschoolers and up
Get It: Feed the Woozle
In this cooperative game, you work together to feed the Woozle by balancing snacks on a spoon while you deliver them. And as an added challenge, you’ll have to hula dance, bunny hop, or do something else silly at the same time. But watch out because if a snack falls along the way, the Woozle won’t eat it. When you’ve fed the Woozle 12 snacks, your whole team wins.
Cooperative games like this are great for building teamwork skills while still getting practice with taking turns. Plus, young children don’t always grasp competitive tactics, so cooperative games are a refreshing change of pace for them.
For that reason, this is a perfect first board game for preschoolers to teach turn-taking, foster good sportsmanship as you encourage your teammates, and nurture a sense of collaboration as you work together. And because each game takes around 10 minutes, it’s perfect for short attention spans, too.
This game also helps develop motor skills, gives practice with counting, and builds frustration tolerance. But most important of all, it’s pure silly fun!
Pro tip: When you need a way to keep your kids entertained so you can load the dishwasher (or catch a catnap), this game works great for an older sibling to play with a younger sibling. My kids play this together all on their own at least once a week!
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 3 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) many 2-year-olds are ready for this game.
Feed the Woozle
“My 6-year-old and 3-year-old love this goofy little game! Sometimes, we’ll all play together, and it’s fun to see my kids actually get along for 10 consecutive minutes. But if I’m busy, the setup is easy enough that the two of them can play together without me.” – Jackie
3. Sleeping Queens
Time to Play: 10-15 minutes
Number of Players: 2–5
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds will need a little help to remember all the rules, so 4-year-old preschoolers and up are an even better fit
Get It: Sleeping Queens
This is another card game that’s technically for older kids, but our preschooler has been playing this game since the age of three. Of all the preschool board games and card games in this list, this one is her absolute favorite and our number one go-to as a family. The rules are simple enough for our preschooler to understand, but the game still keeps everyone on their toes.
We really and truly never get tired of this one. Plus, you can play a whole game in about 10 minutes, which is perfect for getting in a dose of family connection before sending little ones off to bed.
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 8 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 4-year-olds are ready for this game, especially if you help them out a bit with the number cards.
Sleeping Queens
“My daughter and I love Sleeping Queens! It teaches them math without them even realizing it – or me, for that matter. I remember my daughter laid down a sequence that was like 1 + 3 + 5 = 9, and I thought ‘How did you know that…?’ Then I realized she just figured it out from doing math in the game. So cool to watch her learn right before my eyes.” – Ann
By the way, when you’re playing card games with your child, this card holder is a must have for little hands. Your child can hold it to see their cards, or they can set the holder down on the table for a break. (This particular card holder has stood the test of time, as opposed to other card holders we’ve tried.)
Readers who bought Sleeping Queens also bought
Little Hands Playing Card Holder“I love the card holder, plus your suggestions for how to play with little kids!” – Linda
4. My First Carcassonne
Time to Play: 10-20 minutes
Number of Players: 2–4
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds can understand the concepts, but 4-year-old preschoolers and up will do best with the strategy
Get It: My First Carcassonne
Whereas some preschool board games are all luck and no strategy, this game gives younger kids a fun introduction to thinking strategically. And of all the games in this list, this game is on my own personal short list of my favorite preschool games to play with my kids – along with Sleeping Queens (see below).
To play, you place tiles to build streets in the city of Carcassonne, so the road-building aspect is fantastic for growing spatial intelligence.
If this preschool board game is your first introduction to the world of Carcassonne, be sure to check out the main version of Carcassonne for ages 7 and up when you’re ready to graduate.
My First Carcassonne
“I play games with my 6-year-old, and Carcassonne and Forbidden Island are GREAT games!” – Michelle
5. Create a Story Cards
Time to Play: 5-15 minutes
Number of Players: 2 or more
Minimum Age: 2-year-olds can play this one (even if their stories don’t make a lot of sense!), so this is a great fit for 3-year-olds and up
Get It: Create a Story Cards
This simple card game for preschoolers is a great way to foster your child’s imagination and build literacy skills.
The game has several variations, but our favorite is this: Each player takes turns picking a random card. The first person starts a story with “Once upon a time…” and then on the next turn, the next person uses their card as inspiration to add to the story.
The stories we come up with as a family always leave us giggling. Even my toddler loves to play!
What’s especially great about this game is you have several versions to choose from, and to kick it up a notch you can even mix different sets together:
This one also makes for a fun travel game to take along on road trips or plane rides.
Create a Story Cards
“This little game is quick, easy, and fun! You pick a card, say “Once upon a time…”, and let your child fill in the details. Then you can ask follow-up questions like “and then what happened?” until they peter out. I love that this requires minimal brainpower from me when I’m tired (which is always) and my daughter LOVES coming up with the stories. Great for her imagination!” – Fiona
6. Sequence for Kids
Time to Play: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds and up can understand and enjoy this game
Get It: Sequence for Kids
We started out with the regular Sequence game, but it was a bit of a stretch for preschooler when she was three, so we got the Sequence for Kids version and it’s perfect for now. Sometimes though, we’ll invite her to join mom or dad’s team so we can play the regular version.
What’s cool about this game is that you’ll notice your kids start thinking ahead a couple turns instead of just playing the second they find a match. To work on letters with your preschooler, Sequence Letters is a fun alternative.
Sequence for Kids or Sequence Letters
“The one we have enjoyed playing most with our 4-yr-old daughter is Sequence for Kids. We loved it so much that she wanted to purchase one for her friend for Christmas. :)” – Kim
7. Hoot Owl Hoot or Orchard by HABA
Time to Play: 15 minutes for Hoot Owl Hoot; 10 minutes for Orchard
Number of Players: 2–4 for Hoot Owl Hoot; 1-8 for Orchard
Minimum Age: Both games are a great fit for 3-year-olds and up
Get It: Hoot Owl Hoot or Orchard
When it comes to cooperative games for preschoolers, these two are our favorites aside from Feed the Woozle above. But because the game play for these two games is so similar, I recommend picking up either Hoot Owl Hoot or Orchard.
My kids love both games, so you really can’t go wrong. The wooden game pieces and picnic baskets for Orchard are super well-made and sturdy, but if that game is a bit outside your price range, Hoot Owl Hoot is just as fun. My kids regularly pull out both games to play together independently!
Pro tip: With Orchard, if your child still tends to put small objects in their mouth, I recommend starting out with the First Orchard edition because it has larger game pieces perfect for younger kids.
Orchard or First Orchard
“We LOVE Orchard and Animal Upon Animal!” – Richard
Side note: We’ve tested nearly every cooperative game for preschoolers made by Peaceable Kingdom, the same folks who make Hoot Owl Hoot. The other games were fun too, but Hoot Owl Hoot has been the clear winner!
Hoot Owl Hoot
“Family games should be fun for everyone! We have five kids, and that is one of the rules of our Friday Family Fun Night. We play a lot of co-op games with our kids — Hoot Owl Hoot and Outfoxed are really fun! … Co-op games are great for teaching kids slowly, as open hands and working together are good.” – Michelle
8. Spot It! Jr. Animals
Time to Play: 10-20 minutes
Number of Players: 2–8
Minimum Age: Even toddlers can play this one, so it’s an excellent pick for 3-year-olds and up
Get It: Spot It! Jr. Animals
This preschool game is similar to the regular version of Spot It! but simplified for younger kids with larger images and fewer images on each card.
My favorite part of this matching game is that it’s so portable. I can throw it in my purse when we’re heading somewhere the kids will have to wait a bit, like the doctor’s office or to a restaurant. The small tin holding the cards also makes this game a great fit as a stocking stuffer for kids.
If your preschooler loves this game, you can also check out Spot It! 123.
Spot It! Jr Animals or Classic or 123
“A must have game for every home perfect for ALL ages…Spot It! It’s a matching game on a whole new level. My husband and I love this game as much as the kids!” – Cristy
9. Qwirkle
Time to Play: 30-45 minutes
Number of Players: 2–4
Minimum Age: Best for older preschoolers aged 4 and up
Get It: Qwirkle or Travel Qwirkle
This game is simple enough for beginners but challenging enough for adults, so it’s the perfect fit when you need a game that will work for all ages. Your child will have fun while practicing math and building strategy skills at the same time.
This game took a little practice for our preschooler at first, so take it slow and end the game early when you’re first teaching young kids. To speed up the game, we skip keeping score and put the focus on matching the colors and patterns. You can play a whole game in about 30-45 minutes, and then after the game our preschooler will extend the fun by building towers with the tiles.
This game also comes in a compact travel version, so we keep it in our suitcase and take it with us wherever we go.
Qwirkle or Travel Qwirkle
“This game is so much fun for the family! We have played it several days in a row, and it’s a fun and challenging way to spend time together. The youngest in our home is 15 and we are all competitive. But this game would be great for a wide range of ages. The game is designed to suit any skill level. This may be the best $25 I ever spent…This game is compelling enough to get teenagers off their phones.” – Sheila
10. Rummikub
Time to Play: 45-60 minutes
Number of Players: 2–4
Minimum Age: Some 3-year-olds can understand the concepts of this game, but it’s an even better fit for 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds
Get It: Rummikub
This classic family game will build your child’s math skills, but they’ll have so much fun they won’t even realize they’re growing their brain at the same time. As a bonus, Rummikub is challenging enough to keep even adults on their toes. When grandparents come to visit, this is the game both kids and grandparents love to play!
This is supposed to be for ages 8 and up, but our preschooler was still able to understand the rules after one practice game when she was three. Several reviewers have said their preschoolers get into this game as well. Plus, it’s great reinforcement for kids who are learning to recognize numbers.
Rummikub
“This is a great QUICK game for all ages! Some family games like Monopoly can take FOREVER, but this one is fast enough that you can even play more than one round if you want. Plus, it’s not way easy like some games for kids, so it’s actually a challenge for me as an adult too! Keeps my brain active. :)” – Rose
11. Sushi Go
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-5
Minimum Age: 4-year-olds can understand the basic gameplay, but 5-year-olds are a better fit for the strategy
Get It: Sushi Go
My family’s top go-to card games are Sleeping Queens and this quirky little card game. My kids will happily sit and play this for an hour or more – round after round after round.
To play, you pick one card from your hand to keep, then pass your cards to the next person. Everyone keeps doing this until all the cards are picked. Then you score points based on which cards you picked to keep: Did you get the most maki rolls? Did you dip your nigiri in wasabi to triple its value?
When my preschooler was three, she loved this game, even though she didn’t get the strategy of which cards to keep. In fact, she didn’t care who won because she had so much fun just picking her favorite cards and passing the rest along. Now that she’s older, she’s starting to pick up on the strategy – and her 3-year-old younger sister is now in that “having a blast picking cards” phase.
Sushi Go or Sushi Go Party
“I can confirm the power of board games. It’s our bonding time where we all have fun together. Sushi Go is one of our favorites when we are short on time!” – Olivia
12. Outfoxed!
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds can play this with a little help, so it’s an even better fit for 4-year-olds and up
Get It: Outfoxed!
This preschool board game is like Clue but for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. A fox stole a pot pie, and you have to figure out which fox it was before they escape into the foxhole.
My kids will regularly play this cooperative whodunnit game independently, and I love watching them work together as a team to solve the mystery.
This is a fun little game to build preschoolers’ logic and deductive reasoning skills.
Outfoxed
“Outfoxed is cooperative so it’s fun for everyone and easy enough for even preschoolers to participate!” – Elizabeth
13. The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: Even toddlers get into this one, so it’s excellent for 3-year-olds and up
Get It: The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
This makes a great first board game for preschoolers because it doesn’t require a lot of strategic thinking, it’s quick to play, and the game rules are easy to understand. Plus, the artwork is adorable!
But here’s my favorite aspect of this game: Kids can easily play this independently while you sneak a catnap on the couch.
If you have more than one child or your child likes to play board games with friends, you’ll likely want to play this with the kids the first couple of times to help them learn the rules, but after that you can peace out.
Here’s the (adorable) setup: Your forest friends are hungry, and they need your help. Be the first to fill your log with delicious acorns, and you win.
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
“Great fun for little ones and adults!!! We play with my 5 year old who loves it and my 2 year old who is starting to understand. It’s one of the few kids games that is actually fun for me to play as well. I highly recommend this game. It is great quality and great design!” – Dan
14. Animal Upon Animal
Time to Play: 10-15 minutes
Number of Players: 1-4
Minimum Age: Even 2-year-olds can play this one, so it’s a great fit for preschoolers as young as 3
Get It: Animal Upon Animal
When your child is ready to move from cooperative to competitive games, this is another fun stacking game for preschoolers to develop their fine motor skills and practice hand-eye coordination. In this game, you stack different wooden animal figurines on top of a large alligator, trying to see how high you can stack them before it all comes crashing down. This game develops your child’s executive functioning skills as they learn they’ll need to be patient and use creative problem-solving in order to get their animals to stack without falling down.
But even when the stack does come crashing down? Giggles all around.
This game is simple enough for young kids to play independently, which is perfect if you need a few minutes to yourself to make an important phone call, take a bathroom break, or sneak a piece of chocolate from your secret stash (I won’t judge).
And unlike some other stacking games for kids that are made with low-quality plastic, these sturdy wooden pieces are made to last. Our copy of this game has lasted through four kids! (Side note: This game is made by the same company who makes Orchard, which my kids also love.)
Pro tip: If your child still tends to put small objects in their mouth, I recommend starting out with the First Animal Upon Animal edition because it has larger game pieces perfect for younger kids.
Animal Upon Animal
“We LOVE Orchard and Animal Upon Animal!” – Richard
Bonus! 7 More Preschool Board Games You’ll Love
If you’ve already played all the games recommended above and you want more ideas, check out the list of even more preschool board games below. Note: We don’t stock the following board games in our shop, so I’ve included links to Amazon for your convenience.
15. Go Fish†
Time to Play: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 2–6
Minimum Age: The matching concepts are a good fit for 3-year-olds and up
Get It: Go Fish Alphabet or Go Fish for Art (cards and companion book)
Playing this classic card game with your kids when you’re exhausted levels out the playing field. I don’t believe in letting my kids win, but our 9-year-old and preschooler beat me and my husband on a regular basis.
We have a couple sets of this game – one alphabet set that helps our preschooler work on letter recognition, and another set featuring the artwork of Van Gogh and other artists. Our kids get exposed to art, and we get to hear our preschooler say “Van Gogh,” which is pretty much the cutest thing ever. (If you like the idea of the art edition of Go Fish, they also have a set with modern artists and another for impressionists.)
16. Uno
Time to Play: 20-30 minutes
Number of Players: 2–10
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds can understand the matching part of the game, but this is an even better fit for 4-year-old preschoolers and up
Get It: Uno
The box says this classic game is for ages 7 and up, but our preschooler has been playing it for a while. When you think about it, Uno is mostly a matching game. And preschoolers love matching games!
When we first started playing, she needed a little help understanding the “special” cards, but after playing it a few times, she’s learned the meaning of the different symbols. And she knows exactly how to unleash the wrath of the Wild Draw Four card on her poor mother.
To simplify this game for your little ones, you can skip keeping score at the end of each hand.
17. Zingo
Time to Play: 5 minutes
Number of Players: 2–8
Minimum Age: Even 2-year-olds can play this one, so it’s a great fit for preschoolers as young as 3
Get It: Zingo
This is a matching skills game like bingo, but what keeps it interesting for older kids and adults is the competitive twist – you have to be the first one to notice a match and snag it before someone else does.
That sounds like a simple enough task, but our kids actually snake a match out from under our noses more often than you’d think. (I’m blaming chronic parental sleep deprivation.)
18. Ruckus
Time to Play: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 2–4
Minimum Age: 4-year-olds can understand the concepts, but older preschoolers tend to enjoy it more
Get It: Ruckus
The box says this card game is technically for ages 5 and up, but my preschooler can’t get enough of this game. In this matching game, you can steal piles of matches from other players, and that’s when the real fun begins.
If you don’t have 20 minutes for a full game, it’s easy to shorten it up by playing to a smaller number of points instead of the recommended 77 points.
Quick tip: We put a box of tissues in front of our preschooler’s hand so she could lay her cards out on the table without everyone else being able to see them.
19. Aquarius
Time to Play: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 2–5
Minimum Age: The game includes variations for players as young as 3
Get It: Aquarius
You probably won’t find this game on most lists of preschool board games and card games because the box says ages 6 and up. But because this game is really just a matching game, preschoolers catch on quickly.
Plus, the instructions come with different variations for different ages as young as three, which makes it easy to modify the game to fit the people playing.
You play the cards kind of like dominoes – which can be a fun preschool board game itself! – and match up different patterns to the cards already on the table.
This is a game my husband and I love to play after the kids are in bed (with the most advanced variation on the rules!) so it’s a cost-effective and flexible addition to your family board game collection.
20. Shopping List
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: Some toddlers can play this one, so this is a great pick for preschoolers age 3 and up
Get It: Shopping List
This preschool memory game lets kids pretend play they’re at the grocery store filling their cart with everything on their shopping list. My preschooler absolutely loves this game, which is probably an indication that I should put her to work at the grocery store more often. My toddler loves to join in on this one too, but her attention span doesn’t last for a whole game.
If your child loves this game, you can get expansion packs for extra fruit and veggies and for clothing items.
21. Richard Scarry’s Busytown
Time to Play: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: Toddlers can play this game with a little help, so 3-year-olds and up are a great fit
Get It: Richard Scarry’s Busytown
Like Hoot Owl Hoot or Orchard, this falls into the category of cooperative preschool board games, and my preschooler loves playing this one too. But game play takes about twice as long for this game, so it’s not as appealing as the other cooperative games we own.
The part that keeps this game interesting for us as parents is the “I Spy” component of looking for little details on the game board. Still, this game isn’t our first choice to play with the kids. We encourage them to play independently, and they have just as much fun!
Want More?
For even more awesome game ideas, check out:
- All ages: The Best Board Games for All Ages
- Ages 18 months to 3 years: The Best Toddler Board Games
Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear
Your Turn
Which are your favorite preschool board games? Share in a comment below!
Pengoloo, Spot It, and Sequence for Kids are all games we love! We never bought kid’s Carcassonne, but our 6 and 8 year olds are already rocking the adult version. Another one you should try with kids is Labyrinth – very good for spacial reasoning, and no reading needed. Ticket to Ride, First Journey is fun too but requires reading.
This is a fantastic list of games. My biggest struggle is not what games to buy but what to dow it’s them once they are in the house. My kids tend to ruin boxes and loss pieces.
Oh wow. This came to my inbox today and was so well timed! As a child, I remember family board games being fun as well as teaching lots of skills, but I was already in school when those memories were formed. With 8, almost 5 and almost 2 year old daughters, we’re ready to throw out Ker-plunk, kids monopoly and ludo. Out the window, hard.
We’re UK so yet to check if we can get all of these here, but this will now form our present request list I think. With 2 kids birthdays in Aug and Sept, then the other in Jan just 3 weeks after Christmas – we always struggle for variety.
We already have Uno, and everyone loves it, and would also echo the other comment that Labyrinth is really good. We also don’t believe in letting the kids win, but that one is great for early strategy practice and 3D thinking.
Thanks for the list!
Smith family, Bristol UK
We love “The Ladybug Game” It was invented by a 9yr. old I believe. No reading is required, great game for kids & adults to play together!
We love Simply Fun games. It is a home based company. The games are fun, quick and grow with kids as they get older with many of the games having different levels and twists to keep kids of all ages interested in the same gave. They also can be geared toward certain needs such as fine motor, problem solving and memory. they are a little more money but well worth the price.
THANK YOU!!! What a great list! I’ve been keeping my eye out for good board games for our Family Game Nights and so glad these are road tested! I am putting ALL of them on my wishlist!
One game that my 6 yr old and 3 yr old like to play together (does require reading) is Silly Street. The game board is a puzzle to put together first then the cards to advance are interactive with the board and each other.
Another one we love is Go Go Gelato. Who doesn’t like playing with ice cream?!
Thanks again for taking the time to play these and share your experience!
We love the game Tenzi. It’s super easy for kids who know how to match patterns as it only involves dice. The aim is to get ten dice to match before the other player/s. You get 40 dice in a set, so up to 4 players. But there are so many variations of this game, you can play in many different ways (e.g Tower Tenzi, where you get ten dice all showing a matching number but you also have to stack them up in a tower!).
My daughter and I love Sleeping Queens! It teaches them math without them even realizing it – or me, for that matter. I remember my daughter laid down a sequence that was like 1 + 3 + 5 = 9, and I thought “How did you know that…?” Then I realized she just figured it out from doing math in the game. So cool to watch her learn right before my eyes.
What an awesome story, Ann! We looooooooooove Sleeping Queens so much :)
Blokus is great fun, but it’s a little difficult for younger kids, even kids around the 8-9 range. They can play it, but they don’t really “get it”, as in they don’t really understand how to place their pieces strategically, so they usually end up running out of space way before you do, which can be frustrating for them.
Colin, that’s a great point, thank you for sharing! I’m chronically sleep deprived and maybe I have horrible spatial intelligence (ha!) so the kids sometimes catch me off guard when we play. But I’ll take that into consideration and update the list with another game that has even wider appeal for preschoolers. :)
Great games for toddlers. We LOVE Orchard and Animal Upon Animal! But if that’s really your game closet, my God you could use some better adult games haha.
Ha! We keep our favorite adult games somewhere the kids can’t reach them. ;-) Glad you enjoyed the list!
Thank you so SO much for your recommendations! We’ve purchased Ruckus, Sleeping Queens, and Stack Up, and my 4 year old LOOOOOOOOooVES these games. Less screen time and more bonding time.
Shirley, that makes me so happy to hear! :) Here’s to more bonding time with our little ones!
Love your suggestions and we play with most of them. How about Chickaboom…lots of fun. A balancing game with strategy and hand eye coordination. Fun and fast. Race to the Treasure and Labyrinth are also really good ones. We like the electronic Labyrinth and the Whoowasit by Ravensburger. My little ones enjoy the game too even if some of the details escape them. Thanks for the suggestions.
Great list!!! We now own many of the games you recommend. My 5 year old’s current favorite is Rat a Tat Cat by Gamewright. I really like how the rules can be adapted for an “easy” and “hard” version of the game, giving the game more longevity. She also LOVES to play Outfoxed. Other favorites are Crazy Eights, Go Ape, and Busytown. She’ll be getting Sleeping Queens this Christmas!! I would love for her to get into RPG such as My Little Pony Tails of Equestrian, but I think she might be too young for that still…. I have Sushi Go but haven’t tried it with her yet because of all the math it has… Wish there was a game like Sushi Go but only with addition and subtraction easy enough for her to practice….
We don’t have any of the above, except Uno. But the GoTro Family Treasure Hunt Game is our newly 4 year old’s favorite! We bought to help create his fourth treasure hunt themed birthday and we play it every night! –
Thank you so much for your great lists of board games- these came in handy for my Christmas list. We also love Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza although it is a little hard for my 3 year old.
I love playing Blokus, Skipbo, and Apples to Apples Disney version which my children loved very much.
My daughter created a new game and I started a project called the Underwater Hunt.