I always find it easier to watch a video “how to play” a game instead of reading the rules. I usually read the rules afterwards anyway but when I teach the kids in our board game club, I often choose to play a video instead of doing all the explaining.
Here you can find videos in which you will learn how to play a certain game. Just click on the name of the game.
Castles of Mad King Ludwig (or here)
Colt Express (or here)
Flash Point Fire Rescue (Also watch: experienced version)
Imhotep (also here with my favorite group)
Lords of Waterdeep (or also here)
Lost Cities (the board game)
Terra Mystica(or here)
Sharing is good karma:
A game you should definitely own. When your child masters these puzzles, get the 
My daughter really enjoys this one but it is ridiculously expensive on Amazon right now (as their price change all the time, perhaps you will be lucky today) but I found a similar one: Hide and Seek Pirates (right below).
My daughter enjoys figuring out the puzzles but she did not play it before she turned 7.
This is a cute little game that is small and can be taken anywhere. It was a bit difficult for my son to play on his own right after he turned six but with a little bit of help, he did the easier puzzles. I think a 7-year old could play it.
My son has never played with it but my daughter got it when she was 6 I think and she fell in love with it. She still enjoys it.
My daughter got this one when she was 7 and played it quite a lot but not anymore (she is 8 and 1/2). It’s not a game for every day but it is a nice change from the other games and prepares kids to play word games when their vocabulary grows larger.
My daughter became a fan of Sudoku last year so we gave Colorku a try and love it. Instead of solving numerical puzzles you have to place colorful wooden balls in the right spots. They have a very nice feel to them so handling them during the game is almost like a therapy to me. My son just discovered the beauty of this game and fell in love with it. If it were numbers, he’d probably say he doesn’t want to do any math.
My daughter thought it was fun. I don’t think my son would be interested in it because of the lack of pictures or something that would catch his interest. It is probably better for older kids, 7 or 8.
This puzzle is pretty good although my son was maybe too young for it last year (he got it for his 6th birthday). He needed help with the puzzles and I think he will enjoy it more now when he is a bit older.
I discovered this game at a board game store at the mall. It is not as easy as it looks but it is fun—a different type of activity, trying to fit the shapes into the right spot. I bought two sets so that they could compete but if you decide to purchase a different color, someone can be at a disadvantage because I think the orange is easier than the yellow, for example.
When we travel, I try to take some card games with us and this card game was a hit with every kid we met this past summer. It is very appealing to kids because of the pictures and the theme and even a four-year-old can play it. In fact, we played it with my niece who just turned four umpteen times during our visit in Europe. She insisted on this game every night and would not budge when we suggested a different one. J She would always team up with somebody. Although the concept is very easy for younger kids to grasp, you need to be able to do basic addition in order to replace cards you want to discard. Nevertheless, partnered with another child worked great even for another girl who was 4 and enjoyed this game with us.
This is an easier version of 
Everyone probably knows this one but just in case you don’t.
Another favorite of ours this past summer. Although the age recommendation is 6 and above, my son enjoyed this game teamed up with his sister but I guess it depends how much your child is willing to focus. You do need to focus and remember the value of your cards (that you can’t see because they are face down on the table) in order to win the game. I loved it because for once my husband could not beat us all like he does in strategy games. He was actually losing so much the first night we played it that he threw the cards at us saying: “I’m not playing with you anymore!”
This would not be my #1 choice but my kids like it for the change of pace, mostly to take a break from other games where more thinking is required.
Although my husband and I used to play it a lot before our kids were born, we have not tried it with our kids. Now they are old enough to start playing so we will take the game out and I am sure it will be a hit. I can’t wait to give it a shot with my daughter’s friends in our game club.There is a 
We own the Junior Version, which is great. If we didn’t have the Magic Labyrinth, I would have bought this one a long time ago. But based on the reviews it is as good as the junior version so I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it.
Another European strategy game that was recommended to me. A nice game.
The only game I list here that might be hard to obtain. It is a fabulous game though. If it was easy to get I’d have it at the top of my list. You can try to email 
A friend of mine, who was helping me learn English when we came to the US, introduced me to this word game and I fell in love with it. We played it with the girls a few times and I think they enjoyed it. My daughter sometimes plays with me.
You don’t need to get this particular one. It just happens that we bought this set because I bought it on a whim at B&N. We have had so much fun with it since then. Some expressions are more difficult for younger kids but there aren’t too many of those and at least they can learn something new (e.g. metal detector).
We have the former one because I bought it for my students before my kids were even born. But the price shocked me when I looked it up now so I think the game is now sold under the latter title. The girls in our Game Club love it! They never want to stop playing this one. This game is fun for all ages. I used a German version of it with my students in high school (in German language class) and they all loved it—better than sitting down with a textbook.
This game is so much fun that even my husband wanted to play with us when we had my daughter’s friends over for a game night. If you play it more often you need to get the expansion packs though because you’d get tired of the same cards.
If you want to give your kids a creativity boost, this is a good and enjoyable way to do it. The dice are small and you can take them on trips with you. My kids like to create very silly stories.
I used to play this game with my husband and friends before our kids were born. When my daughter was little she’d play with the pieces and placed them on the board. We haven’t played this game with kids yet because I chose other ones that I thought were more fun at that age. I will introduce it to our “game club” this year (my daughter meets with her three friends to play board games once a week in winter).
I know this one is probably not as much fun as the other games but because you can practice math skills while playing a game, I want to include it. When your kids outgrow it, buy the original set: 
