Looking for more ways to have fun together as a family? Here are the best board games for kids and families to play together from our family to yours!
Although it would be great for us to stay outside all year round, when the colder months are here, we’re always looking for fun ways to play inside peacefully. Games are a great solution to having fun, using teamwork, acting silly, using those tactile and motor skills and laughing together.
Let this be your guide to the best board games for kids to play together, including games for as young as 2 years old and fun for the entire family to play together.
We’ve tested our share of games over the years but these are simply the best board games for kids and families to play together and have fun!
Check Out All of Our Gift Guides:
- Ultimate Guide: 200+ Practical Non Toy Gifts for Kids That Aren’t Junk
- Best Gifts for Kids Who Love Arts and Crafts
- Best Outdoor Toys for Kids to Promote Active Play & Healthy Habits
- 40+ Unique Stocking Stuffers for Baby – Toddler (Ages 0 – 3)
- Non-Toy Gifts for Giving Children Experiences Not Things
- Gifts for Kids to Receive in the Mail All Year Round
Best Board Games for Kids (& Best Games for Families to Play Together)
Best Starter Games for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Acorn Soup is a fun game for parents to play with their little ones to help with counting, vocabulary and develop hand-eye coordination. The object of the game is to help Squirrel make yummy soups by following the 8 recipe cards that are included in the game, as well as the 24 wooden ingredients. Helps little ones learn to take turns and play with rules. It’s a pretty simple game for adults, but perfect for 2 and 3 year olds.
Hot Potato is a classic game that kids can quickly learn to play. Once the music starts, the object of the game is to pass the potato around and don’t be the one caught holding it when the music stops or you’re out.
Roll and Play is a a great introduction for kids to learn how to follow rules and wait for their turn to come around. With no winners or loser, this is a great game for kids to start with because the premise is to have fun and be silly. The plush dice gets throw and whatever color it lands on, a matching card in the same color is chosen. The card lists the activity a child needs to perform, such as “bark like a dog” or “hop like a bunny.” (the Think Fun and Groove Dance Cube is very smilier to Roll and Play.)
Zoo on the Loose is a fun game for kids 2 – 5 years old and helps children recognize colors, understand spatial relationships and pay attention to detail. With two ways to play, Zoo on the Loose is always the perfect activity whether you want to play quietly or get up and get moving. Includes five cuddly animals who go on an adventure, but at the first sign of a zookeeper, need to get back in place as quickly as possible.
Monkey Around is perfect for 2 and 3 year olds and game with no winners or losers. The premise of the game is to perform silly acts and fill up the board. Each player takes turns picking from the 40 cards and performs the activity listed on the card such as balance on one foot or give a high five.
Best Games for Kids 5+
Color-Cubed Strategy is very much like dominos, but with colors for kids. The purpose of the game is to recognize color patterns and match as many colors as you can on your turn with one card. This is a fun game to help kids spot patterns and develop strategy with their cards.
Eye Found it Hidden Picture Games are excellent for winter months and can be played with 2 – 6 people at a time. Set the clock to 1:00. Once the game starts the clock is ticking and players must work together to get to Cinderella’s castle before the clock strikes midnight. On your turn, spin the spinner and either move, search, or tick the clock forward. If you spin the golden Mickey Mouse ears, it’s time to search! Flip over a Search Card and everyone starts looking for the time on the card. For each item a player finds that is once step forward for all players. If all players arrive at the castle before the clock strikes midnight, everyone wins! Richard Scarry’s Busy Town Eye Found It, Star Wars Eye Found It and Journey Through Time Eye Found It are played the same.
Math for Love Tiny Polka Dot is perfect for kids as young as 4 years old and learning to build their math skills. The game is just right for teaching counting, recognizing numbers in various forms, arithmetic and logic. Includes 16 easy-to-learn games for kids to build a love for math.
Rory’s Story Cubes is fun for creativity and inspiring imagination with your kids. Each 1″ cube has 6 images or icons, with a total of 54 all-different images that can be mixed in over 10 million ways to create fun, unique stories. Each player rolls the 9 cubes to generate 9 random images and then uses these pictures to invent a story that starts with “Once upon a time…” Each narrative must used all 9 icons and the funny stories kids make up are priceless! This is more advanced so kids ages 8+ are recommended because of the complexities with 9 images that need to be used.
NADA! Are you seeing straight or seeing double? Either way, you have to call it fast to win this high energy dice game. Scoop up two batches of dice and let them roll. Quick. All players scan the array for matching symbols between the orange and white dice. The first to call a match gets to grab all the dice with that symbol. No Matches? No problem. It’s another chance to win. Shout “Nada.” to collect all the remaining dice. Think sharp and act fast to match, snatch and win. If you’re really feeling loco for Nada, mix it up with the additional game variations.
Simon Says is a classic game most parents can remember from their own childhood. With two modes for single or 2-player, you’ll follow the game’s commands to Bop it, Twist it and Pull it in the right sequence.
Outfoxed is a fun family game. Mrs. Plumpert’s prized pot pie has gone missing, and now it’s a chicken chase to crack the case! In Outfoxed, you move around the board to gather clues, then use the special evidence scanner to rule out suspects. You have to work together quickly because the guilty fox is high-tailing it towards the exit!
Wooden Memory Matching Game. What I love most about this game is how timeless it is, and works for kids of a wide range. My three year old plays by herself, and my 7 year olds play it together with each other. As a parent, it’s the perfect size to throw in my purse for when we’re waiting at the doctor’s office or watching one of the kid’s activities.
Rapid Cup Stacking is great for eye-hand coordination and more benefits such as when the child is moving their hands so quickly, their eyes must also track the cups and the movement of their hands as they participate in the activity. The eyes naturally cross the midline to accomplish this task. These skills are very important for reading and writing development. Plus, it’s just plain fun!
Table Topics may not be a game, but can spur conversation around the dinner table between family members and keeping those lines of communication open should always be a priorities for families.
Zingo is perfect for up to 7 players at a time and so, so much fun! Players slide the Zinger and grab one of the tiles if the tile matches a picture on the player’s board. The first to collect all the tiles on their board, yells out “Zinger” to win.
Check Out All of Our Gift Guides:
- Ultimate Guide: 200+ Practical Non Toy Gifts for Kids That Aren’t Junk
- Best Gifts for Kids Who Love Arts and Crafts
- Best Outdoor Toys for Kids to Promote Active Play & Healthy Habits
- 40+ Unique Stocking Stuffers for Baby – Toddler (Ages 0 – 3)
- Non-Toy Gifts for Giving Children Experiences Not Things
- Gifts for Kids to Receive in the Mail All Year Round
More Holiday Resources:
- 30 Easy Elf Ideas: Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas For Busy Parents
- Elf on the Shelf Printable “I Caught You Being Good” Notecards
- Letter to Santa & Certificate for Making Santa’s Nice List
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