Best Board Games for Very Young Children

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This category lists games that are either suitable for younger kids or could be played with both little and older children. As we started playing board games when my daughter was older, we don’t own all of the following games but I have browsed the Internet and visited forums of gaming communities for tips. These games are among the most popular with families with younger kids. The recommended ages are not by the manufacturers but by the community (families who actually played these games with their kids at that age).

I encourage you to read reviews online on Amazon and go to www.boardgamegeek.com where you can find more details, reviews, videos etc.

Ages 2 or 3 and up

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game 
the sneaky squirrel

ThinkFun Zingo
My daughter would beat my son every time they played when he was 3 and she was 5 but what made this game enjoyable for us was the fact that he was so proud of distributing the tiles! My husband, my daughter and I would compete but he was in charge of the tiles! You should have seen his face!
zingo

 

 

 

 

 

Ages 3 and up

Hoot Owl Hoot
Hoot owl hoot

 

 

 

 

Hisss Card Game
hiss

 

 

 

 

Lucky Sock Game (3 or 4 and up)
lucky sock

 

 

 

 

Enchanted Tower

Little Orchard

Loopin’ Chewie

Animal Upon Animal

Robot Turtles

Chicken Cha Cha Cha

 Max

 

Ages 4 and up

My First Stone Age

Rhino Hero

My First Carcassonne

Spot It

Spooky Stairs

Looping Louie

Monza

The Magic Labyrinth

Gulo Gulo

Junior Labyrinth
junior labyrinth

 

 

 

 

Pengoloo
pengoloo

 

 

 

 

Mystery Garden
mystery garden

 

 

 

 

Gobblet Gobblers
Gobblet Gobblers

 

 

 

 

Ages 4 or 5

Enchanted Forest

The Hare and The Tortoise

 

Ages 5 and up

Bug Trails

Race to the Treasure

race to the treasure

 

 

 

 

Whoowasit It is a cooperative game, it is a perfect game to play with kids of different ages. It has a magic feel to it because the electronic treasure chest talks to you and gives you clues when you press buttons.
Whoowasit

 

 

 

 

Happy Salmon (party game)

Outfoxed

Dr. Eureka

Sleeping Queens

ICECOOL

Best Treehouse Ever

Forbidden Island

Zombie Dice

Leo Goes to the Barber

The Three Little Pigs

Ages 5 or 6 and up

Catan Junior

Kingdomino

Ticket to Ride: First Journey

Survive Escape From Atlantis

The Downfall of Pompeii

Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters

 

Ages 6 and up

Castle Panic

Minecraft Card Game

Stuffed Fables (ages 6 or 7)

 

Here are some other suggestions copied off a forum:

My 4.3/4 year-old loves …

– Cube Quest (nearly competitive)

– Beastie Bar (nearly competitive)

– Dead Man’s Draw (yeah)

– Frank’s Zoo (not quite competitive, plus, open information)

– Get Bit (random play mode)

– Ugah Ugah (nearly competitive)

 

My five year old enjoys

Camel Up

Hula Hippos

LCR

 

Another list of games recommended for 4-year-olds is here.

When your kids turn seven, they can start playing many games so I could list tons of them here. Instead I will give you links to discussions or suggestions on Boardgamegeek where parents give you advice based on their experience with their kids. You can find many ideas in each list.

I only started researching and buying board games when my daughter was in 1st grade. We did not have a huge selection. But I know she enjoyed Magic Labyrinth, Ghost Blitz, etc. Ghost Blitz is awesome. I highly recommend it.

Growing Up with Games: Years 4 – 7

My 7-year-old’s Top 25 Games

Top 10 “serious” games I play with my 7 year old

Looking for games for my 7-year-old

Games your 7-year-old can play

Games for 5- and 7-year-old

Games for 6-7-year-olds

Recommend me some games for 7-9-year old

Kids on Board Games Geeklist – July 2017

 

If you have kids of different ages, I suggest you google something like this: “games for ?-year-old and ?-year-old boardgamegeek”. You will probably get a few results and links to discussions where someone asked the same question in the past.

Have fun!

 

 

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