Board Games for Kids: Elementary and up
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I am a bit of a game fanatic. Before kids, my husband and I often played games together, from countless hands of Gin to the chess-like game Khet. We still do kid-free game nights with friends, and kid friendly game nights with family.
Once I started introducing games to my kids, I realized what a wonderful way they are for kids to learn. Kids develop so many skills when playing games, from math skills to problem solving to strategic thinking to emotional regulation (dealing with losing/winning graciously). My game loving child has a real skill for math and logic, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’ve been playing a variety of games since they were a toddler. My other kid will play games solo, making up their own rules and ways to playing, which I’d argue is valuable in developing creativity. Our family game nights with the four of us are one of my favorite things to do, and usually result in lots of laughing and inside jokes.
I tried to sort the games into two basic age categories: preschool and elementary. Check out the Preschool board games here. Take my suggestions with a grain of salt; age recommendations are tricky for games because kids are so different. I personally think it’s a good idea to try games even if they seem too advanced. Kids will surprise you, and there are usually ways to make games easier (or harder). If you are specifically looking for math related games, look at Fun Math for Kids: Games and Puzzles.
Spot It and Spot It Jr.- easy to learn and fun. Good for all ages, even preschool for Spot It Jr.
Set- great for math.
Quiddler- a word game for 8+
Sum Swamp- good early math game, more like ages 5-7.
Phase 10- this is one of our go-to games; simple and fun.
Skip Bo- another go-to game for us. They actually sell packs with Phase 10 and Skip Bo together.
Cat Crimes/Dog Crimes: logic games that have fun illustrations and story lines. The cards range from easy to very hard (I had to break out pen and paper to work through the hardest one).
Jump in, Smart Farmer, and similar by Smart Games: a lot of these can be played solo, which is great. These are great thinking games that tend to involve logic, spatial skills, planning/problem solving, etc.
Pop for Sight Words, Pop for Word Families- these are good for kindergarten and first grade (5-7), with development skills for reading.
Yahtzee- have your kid add up the scores for extra math.
Spelligator- good for younger elementary, ages 5-7.
Bananagrams- great spelling game.
Farkle- fun dice game, math in adding scores.
Heap-O-Sheep- this is a funny game where you fling Velcro sheet at a “field” to get them to stick.
Money Bags- we got an old game called “In the Money” years ago from a local parent. It was fantastic in teaching my kids skills with counting money, identifying coins, making change, etc. However I don’t think it’s available anymore. This game seems similar.
Rush Hour- good for the 8+ crowd. Fun logic game that kids do independently. Cards range from easy to hard.
Rush Hour Jr.- an easier version for 5+.
Scrabble Jr. for kids 5+ or Scrabble for 8+.
Prime Climb- this deals with multiplication and division as well as addition/subtraction, so later elementary (8+).
Catan Jr.- great game. We also play regular Catan too, and probably started that around age 8-9.
Gravity Maze- 8+.
Math Dice Jr.- great math game that you can make harder or easier depending on the equations you make/operations you use. Regular Math Dice is a slightly harder version using more operations.
Labyrinth- This game is great for focus and spatial insight. We also have a Harry Potter version we play a lot.
Proof- math game that’s probably better for 8+.
Smath- like Scrabble, but with numbers. Probably 8+.
Space Escape- a cooperative game.
Rock, Paper, Switch- this game is like a combo of rock paper scissors and chess. Good for strategic thinking.
Hive- also a neat chess like game involving strategic thinking.
Word on the Street Junior (7+) or Word on the Street (10+)- helps with spelling and vocabulary.
Wingspan- this is for the older crew. We started playing this with ages 7&9. The artwork on the game is beautiful.
PicWits- fun, quick family night or party game.
Telestrations- hilarious game that’s a mash up of Pictionary and Telephone.
Life Jr. or Life for older kids. Caution: leads to conversations about what constitutes “winning” in real life 😉
Dixit- another game with beautiful artwork. We love this for family game night. The game play is similar to Apples to Apples, but a cool illustrated alternative. You can also buy expansion packs with new cards, which we did after we’d played the game for a couple years.
Kanoodle- tetris type game that’s good for spatial intelligence. Works great for solo play.
Guess in 10- animals, countries, sports, Disney, etc. They have Jr versions, too for 3-6 year olds. These are fun and you learn a lot while you play.
Rack-O- good for math skills (greater than/less than).
The Genius Square- another spatial awareness game, can be two player or solo.
Sequence Dice- involves some math.
Say Cheese- fun multiplication game.
Here to Slay- a strategic card game. Box says 10+ but we played it earlier than that.
Dominion- this is a deck building game. The age recommendation is 12-13, but we introduced this to my kid at age 9 and they did great.
Chess. Or try No Stress Chess as a way to learn chess. I don’t love the card drawing aspect because it does limit your plays, so once your kid gets the idea of chess, I recommend playing without the cards.
Outnumbered- math game, 8+.
24- math game, I played this in school and still love it. Check out my page on Math Games for more versions.
Monopoly, and of course all the different versions. We had a Super Mario Jr version.
Boop- a way trickier version of tic tac toe with cute little cats. Lots of strategy involved.
Zeus on the Loose- fun, fast paced math game that requires addition to 100.
Anomia- ages 10+
Cross Clues- this is a cooperative game, great for the non competitive child
Wilmot’s Warehouse- a fun creative memory game that’s cooperative. Great for family night.