Today, we are going to name and discuss the best board games for kids. We will be making a list of our recommendations to you on the best board games for kids and obviously, we will also discuss the points that have led us to our decision. Also with each game, we will be sharing the Amazon link for you to purchase them( and check them out).
Well, we all know the importance of play and games for kids. Board games help kids to grab onto various life skills like focus, cognizance, teamwork and of course, brush up on their social skills since no game can be played alone and if there is one that can, then it is well…. just boring!!
1. Monopoly
Monopoly is a widely popular game and is suitable for both adults and kids. It is based on the basic principles of economy, finance and capitalism. So, basically in this game, each player will try to buy as many properties and collect rent on them as they move along the board. Along with this, the players also have to give rent on properties owned by other players in the game.
This is a great game to teach kids about finance and economy in a fun way. Maybe that is the reason why it has been one of the most sold board games of all time. To spice things up, there are many editions of Monopoly available in the market based on popular character themes like Mario, Bluey and Harry Potter.
2. Operation
Now, here is a fun little game to teach kids about focus and precision. Also, it is a great role-playing game where kids can act as pretend doctors and fix the patient by removing various ailments present in his body.
Now the catch is that you are supposed to take out only the ailment(like a cardboard cavity) with tweezers and must use precision to use the tweezers just on the ailing part because if you don’t the buzzer buzzes and you lose!
3. Chutes and Ladders
Now this one is a classic game of chutes and ladders. So basically you move on the board and go up on the ladder (if you are lucky) or go down on the chute, depends whichever one you land on rolling the dice.
Kids will love this game, especially the younger ones who would love this simple but fun game. Also to make things more exciting, there are various editions of the boards available for this game like the princess edition which kids will love to play on.
4. Candy land
Well, this game is probably more suitable for younger kids (maybe below 8-9 years old). As the name suggests, players move around the candy land by moving on the candy strip and whoever reaches the candy palace first this way wins the game. Now, this one is a great one for younger kids for whom the idea of moving through a candy land is in itself a dream come true.
5. Perfection
The two skills you need to win perfectly in perfection are shape recognition and speed. So the board contains two things – various shaped slots and a timer. So, you will wind the timer which is typically up to 60 seconds and then try to fill all the slots with the right-shaped article but if you fail to do that before the timer completes, the board will pop up and basically throw all the pieces in the air.
This certainly gives an adrenaline rush and is great for young children(typically below 10 years old) who are just learning shape recognition. But even as an adult it certainly is a fun game and a quick focus-building exercise.
6. Labyrinth
Labyrinth is a treasure hunt game. So, basically, you get square pieces which are assembled to form a maze. A player has to move through this maze and collect the treasures sprinkled throughout the maze and whoever does it first wins the game. This can be a great brain stimulus activity for kids as well as adults. Generally, it is a great game for kids 7 years and older.
7. Catan
Catan is a game which is equally entertaining for kids as well as adults. On one hand, it can be a great addition for adult game nights on the other, it is educational and a bit mind-boggling which makes it just the right thing for growing kids.
Catan is all about collecting resources and building your settlements and cities as you move along the game. So you can see how it draws a clear parallel to the real world and can act as a fun real-world stimulus for kids. Points are allotted to players as they build settlements and cities based on the resources they collect. And this way whoever wins 10 points first wins the game.
8. Jumanji
Jumanji is based on the famous movie of the same name and it is safe to say that we all know what that was about. The game is simple but you would have to finish it because if you don’t, you are stuck in the game forever(that part may not be true for our board game though, thankfully!).
So here you have to play as a team and solve each riddle as they come your way during the play. It is a team game so there is no single winner or loser. You either win as a team or lose as a team(another great aspect to induce team spirit in kids). And finally, since Jumanji in itself has been the childhood of generations of kids at this point, it certainly gives a sense of nostalgia and excitement even to adults.
9. Outfoxed
Outfoxed is a cooperative game so you win or lose as a team. A fox has stolen Mrs Plumpert’s prized potpie and to win you need to figure out the thief out of all the suspects. But the catch is that you need to find him before he moves out of the danger zone into the safe spot upon which you will lose the game.
To help you rule out the suspect, there is a cool gadget called clue scanner. As you scan the various clues(pictures of articles of clothing or accessories) scattered on the board it will indicate (by giving the green dot signal) if our thief has those particular articles on him.
10. Enchanted Forest Board Game
The last game that has made it into our list of best board games for kids is the Enchanted Forest board game. This game is great for kids 5 years and above.
The kids love treasure hunting and this game will require them to stimulate their memory as they will look around for clues in the enchanted forest and need to memorize the tree at which the clue is hidden to collect the cards corresponding to these clues. Whichever player collects 3 cards first wins the game of enchanted forest!