Kids Board Games

Board games have been a family favourite for decades, and for good reason. They provide a fun and engaging way to spend time with loved ones, while also promoting important skills like problem-solving and critical thinking. This is especially true for kids' board games, which are designed to be age-appropriate and educational.

In this article, we'll explore some of the benefits of playing kids' board games and look at some of the best options.

Benefits of Kids Board Games

Playing board games offers a wealth of benefits for children of all ages. They help children learn important skills like taking turns, following rules, and collaborating with others. Additionally, board games promote critical thinking skills as children strategise and plan their moves. Board games also provide a break from screen time, and encourage face-to-face interaction with others.

Top 26 Kids Board Games

There are countless kids board games available, but some of the best options include:

• Monopoly Junior: This classic game has been simplified for younger children, making it easy to learn and play. Kids can learn about money management and decision-making while having fun with their friends.

• Candy Land: This colorful and engaging game is perfect for younger children who are just learning how to play board games. Players move along a path of colored squares and encounter various candy-themed challenges along the way.

• Sequence for Kids: This game combines strategy and luck, as players aim to get a row of five chips in a row. It's easy to learn and can be played with two to four players.

• Apples to Apples Junior: This fun and educational game is perfect for kids aged 9 and up. Players take turns matching nouns with adjectives, learning new vocabulary words along the way.

• Clue Junior: This classic mystery-solving game has been adapted for younger players. Kids can work together to solve the mystery and figure out which suspect, weapon, and room are involved.

• Spot It! is a fast-paced card game that challenges players to find matching symbols between two cards. Each card has only one matching symbol with every other card, making the game more difficult as the number of cards increases. The game is designed to improve visual perception, attention, and quick reflexes, making it a great choice for children and adults alike.

• Snakes and Ladders is a classic board game that originated in ancient India. The game involves players rolling a dice and moving their token along a numbered grid, encountering ladders that allow them to climb higher and snakes that send them lower. The game is often used as a teaching tool to help young children learn about counting, probability, and the consequences of their actions.

• Sequence for Kids is a simplified version of the popular card game, Sequence. It is designed for children aged three to six and helps them develop skills like counting, matching, and strategy. The game involves players trying to get four chips in a row on the board by matching cards from their hand to corresponding pictures on the board.

• Sorry! is a classic board game that has been enjoyed by generations since its release in 1934. The game involves players moving their tokens around the board to reach their "home" space while trying to send other players' tokens back to the start. Players draw cards to determine their moves, and can use "sorry" cards to send another player's token back to the start or swap places with them.

• Sleeping Queens is a fun and engaging card game designed for children aged 8 and up. The game involves players trying to wake up the most queens by collecting and playing number cards and special action cards. The game helps children develop strategic thinking, counting, and memory skills, while also providing a whimsical and imaginative experience.

• The Game of Life Junior is a version of the classic board game that is designed for younger children aged five and up. The game involves players moving their car tokens along a track, making choices about their path and collecting stars and coins along the way. The game helps children learn basic counting, decision-making, and money-management skills, as well as providing a fun way to spend time with family and friends.

• Guess Who? is a two-player guessing game that was first introduced in the 1970s. Each player chooses a card with a character on it, and then takes turns asking yes or no questions to try to guess the other player's character. The game is designed to help develop deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills.

• Connect 4 is a classic two-player strategy game that was first released in 1974. The game involves players taking turns placing colored discs into a vertical grid, with the goal of getting four discs of their color in a row. The game is easy to learn, but offers a surprising amount of depth and complexity as players develop their strategic thinking and pattern recognition skills.

• Sushi Go is a fast-paced card game designed for 2-5 players that involves players drafting cards to create a meal of sushi. The game involves strategic thinking, as players must decide which cards to keep and which to pass to their opponents. With its cute sushi-themed art and easy-to-learn gameplay, Sushi Go is a popular choice for game night and family gatherings.

• Trouble is a classic board game that was first introduced in the 1960s. The game involves players rolling a dice and moving their colored pieces around the board, trying to get all four pieces back to their home space. Players can "bump" other players' pieces back to the start and use special spaces to move ahead or switch places with other players. The game is easy to learn and provides a fun and engaging experience for players of all ages.

• Jenga is a popular game that involves players taking turns removing wooden blocks from a tower and placing them on top, without causing the tower to collapse. The game requires steady hands, careful strategy, and a bit of luck. Jenga is enjoyed by players of all ages and can be played in a variety of settings, making it a classic choice for parties, family gatherings, and more.

• Uno is a classic card game that was first introduced in 1971. The game involves players taking turns playing cards of matching color or number to try to get rid of all their cards. Special action cards like "skip," "reverse," and "wild" cards add strategic depth to the game, while penalty cards like "draw two" and "draw four" can quickly turn the tide of the game. Uno is easy to learn, fast-paced, and can be played with 2-10 players, making it a popular choice for game night.

• The Great Australian Road Trip Game is a board game that simulates a road trip across Australia. The game involves players traveling across the country, stopping at landmarks and answering trivia questions about Australian culture, history, and geography. The game is designed for 2-4 players, making it a great choice for family game night or a fun activity to play with friends.

• Scrabble Junior is a version of the classic word game that is designed for children aged 5 and up. The game involves players taking turns to build words on the game board using letter tiles, with different point values assigned to each letter. The game is designed to help children develop spelling, vocabulary, and basic word-building skills in a fun and engaging way.

• Rat-a-tat Cat is a fun and fast-paced card game designed for children aged 6 and up. The game involves players trying to have the lowest total score at the end of the game by swapping out high-scoring cards for lower ones. The game helps children develop strategic thinking, counting, and memory skills, making it a great choice for family game night.

• Ticket to Ride: First Journey is a version of the popular Ticket to Ride board game designed for younger children aged 6 and up. The game involves players collecting and playing train cards to claim railway routes on a map of North America. The game helps children develop strategic thinking, spatial awareness, and basic geography skills, while also providing a fun and engaging experience.

• Carcassonne: My First Journey is a version of the popular Carcassonne board game that is designed for children aged 4 and up. The game involves players placing tiles to build a medieval landscape, and placing wooden figures to claim features like roads, cities, and farms. The game helps children develop spatial awareness, counting, and basic strategy skills, while also providing a fun and immersive experience.

• Kangaroo Feud is a card game that pits players against each other in a kangaroo court. The game involves playing "evidence" cards to try to win cases and earn points, while also playing "objection" cards to disrupt the other players' cases. The game is designed for 3-6 players.

• Emu Ranchers is a strategy game that involves players competing to build the most successful emu ranch. The game involves managing resources, breeding emus, and fending off predators to build up your ranch and earn the most points. With its unique theme and engaging gameplay, Emu Ranchers is a popular choice for board game enthusiasts looking for a new challenge.

• Quirkle is a tile-based board game that involves players building a grid of tiles by matching shapes and colors. The game is easy to learn but provides a lot of opportunities for strategic thinking and planning. With its colorful tiles and engaging gameplay, Quirkle is a great choice for game night or a fun activity to play with friends and family.

• Brolga is a two-player abstract strategy game that involves players moving bird-shaped pieces around a board to try to capture their opponent's pieces. The game is inspired by the mating dance of the Australian brolga bird and is designed to be simple to learn but challenging to master. With its unique theme and engaging gameplay, Brolga is a great choice for players looking for a new strategy game to try.

Conclusion

Kids' board games are a great way to spend quality time with family and friends, while also promoting important skills like problem-solving and critical thinking. With so many great options available, there is sure to be a game that appeals to every child.

So, gather up some snacks and a few friends and start playing today!