Top 20 Best Board Games for Kids of All Ages
We absolutely love family game night and I get asked all the time what are the best board games for kids, so I thought I would share our top 20!
Board games for kids are not just for fun though they can be used to supplement learning.
Despite these being kid’s board games, it won’t just be the kids who enjoy them.
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What are the benefits of playing board games?
As a homeschool mom who absolutely loves family board games, I can’t stress enough the incredible benefits they bring to our family game nights and homeschooling adventures.
First and foremost, board games are an awesome way to bond and create lasting memories with your loved ones. There’s something magical about gathering around the table, laughing, strategizing, and enjoying quality time together.
But it’s not just about fun and togetherness, board games are secretly educational powerhouses!
They provide a sneaky yet effective way to enhance various skills. Take, for example, problem-solving. Board games often present players with challenges, puzzles, and strategic decisions, allowing kids (and adults!) to flex their critical thinking muscles.
Communication and social skills also get a boost during board game sessions.
From negotiating trades in Monopoly to coordinating strategies in cooperative games, board games provide a safe space for kids to practice effective communication, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
Plus, they learn how to gracefully handle both victory and defeatโa valuable life lesson, if you ask me.
Let’s not forget about academic benefits! Many board games incorporate math, reading, and logic, helping kids sharpen those skills without feeling like they’re doing “school work.”
Whether it’s counting money, reading cards, or solving word puzzles, these games seamlessly weave learning into playtime.
Oh, and did I mention the creativity? Some board games unleash the imagination, encouraging kids to think outside the box and come up with innovative strategies.
It’s amazing to witness their creativity in action as they devise unique solutions and surprise us all with their ingenuity.
So, whether it’s in our cozy living room or as part of our homeschool curriculum, board games have become an invaluable tool for our family.
They bring joy, laughter, and an endless array of educational benefits.
So grab a game, gather the family, and let the learning and fun begin!
Top 20 board games for kids
Whether you are looking for a gift or want to increase your board games these are the best games for kids that they’ll love.
- Age Rating: 6+
- Number of Players: 4-10 players
- Type of Board Game: Party game
Players are given prompts to create wacky and imaginative answers by combining different picture cards. The goal is to come up with the most absurd and hilarious combinations.
This game encourages creativity, storytelling, and laughter, making it a great choice for family gatherings and game nights with kids.
- Age Rating: 6+
- Number of Players: 2-8 players
- Type of Board Game: Trivia/Personality game
A unique would you rather game that focuses on understanding people's perspectives and personal preferences. Players take turns answering questions about themselves, and other players try to guess their responses.
The game aims to promote deeper conversations and strengthen relationships by uncovering interesting insights about each other.
- Age Rating: 7+
- Number of Players: 2-4 players
- Type of Board Game: Card game
A fast-paced and strategic card game where players aim to build the most delicious meal while sabotaging their opponents.
Each player takes turns playing ingredient cards and action cards to create their own unique burritos or tacos. The game combines elements of strategy and luck, and the adorable illustrations add to the fun.
Perfect for family game nights or quick gatherings with friends.
- Age Rating: 10+
- Number of Players: 2-5 players
- Type of Board Game: Adventure/Educational/ Strategy game
Trekking Through History takes players on an exciting journey through time as they explore different historical sites around the world.
Players use strategy and resource management to navigate their way through challenges, collect artifacts, and score points. With its educational component and engaging gameplay, this game is suitable for older children and adults who enjoy history and strategic decision-making.
Check out our Trekking through History board game reviews.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 3-8 players
- Type of Board Game: Family/Party game
In Christmas Rush, players take on the roles of Santa's elves, working together in a fast-paced game to complete toy orders before Christmas Eve.
Players must communicate and collaborate effectively to assemble toys, manage their time, and avoid obstacles along the way. With its festive theme and cooperative gameplay, Christmas Rush is a great choice for family gatherings and holiday celebrations.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 1 player
- Type of Board Game: Puzzle game
Gravity Maze Marble Run challenges players to construct intricate mazes using various towers and pieces.
The goal is to create a path that guides a marble from the starting point to the target tower, while utilizing the effects of gravity. With different difficulty levels and increasingly complex puzzles, this game provides a fun and engaging solo gaming experience that promotes spatial reasoning and logical thinking.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 2-5 players
- Type of Board Game: Trivia/Educational game
The World Game is a trivia game that tests players' knowledge about different countries, cultures, landmarks, and more.
Players travel around the game board answering questions and collecting cards to advance. With its educational aspect and interactive gameplay, The World Game offers an enjoyable way to learn about the world and its diversity, making it suitable for families and trivia enthusiasts.
- Age Rating: 14+
- Number of Players: 2-8 players
- Type of Board Game: Card game/ Educational/Trivia game
In Chronology, players race against each other to correctly place events in chronological order. Each player is dealt a set of event cards and must determine where they fit in the timeline.
The game challenges players' historical knowledge and ability to recall and sequence events accurately. With its competitive gameplay and educational value, Chronology is an entertaining choice for history buffs and trivia lovers of all ages.
This is one of our favorite educational board games too.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 1-5 players
- Type of Board Game: Cooperative card game
The Game is a cooperative board game where players work together to get rid of a deck of cards in numerical order. The catch is that players can only communicate limited information about their cards, creating a challenging and engaging gameplay experience.
The objective is to play as many cards as possible before the deck runs out. The Game promotes teamwork, strategic thinking, and communication skills, making it a great choice for both casual and avid gamers.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 3-20+ players
- Type of Board Game: Party game/Meme-based game
What Do You Meme? Family Edition is a family-friendly version of the popular party game. It still revolves around creating humorous captions for internet memes, but the content is adjusted to be more suitable for all ages.
With its funny and creative gameplay, it's a great choice for family gatherings or game nights with kids and adults looking to share laughter and enjoy meme culture together.
- Age Rating: 6+
- Number of Players: 2-6 players
- Type of Board Game: Family/Trivia game
Guess in 10 Animal Planet is an educational trivia game that introduces players to various animals and their characteristics. Players ask yes-or-no questions to figure out the animal on their assigned card within ten questions.
The game helps develop critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and knowledge about the animal kingdom. It's a great choice for families and younger kids who love animals and want to learn more about them.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 2 or more players
- Type of Board Game: Dice rolling game
Yahtzee is a classic dice game where players aim to score points by rolling combinations of dice. Each player takes turns rolling the dice and strategically deciding which category to score in.
The game offers a mix of luck and strategy, as players try to achieve specific combinations like three of a kind or a full house. Yahtzee is suitable for players of all ages and provides a fun and competitive gaming experience for friends and families.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 2-6 players
- Type of Board Game: Abstract/Educational/Strategy board game
A math game that challenges players to solve various math problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
With its deck of double-sided cards featuring increasing difficulty levels, players can choose their preferred challenge and work towards finding the correct solution. Whether played competitively or collaboratively, Adsumudi provides an engaging and educational experience that promotes critical thinking, arithmetic skills, and problem-solving abilities.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 3-8 players
- Type of Board Game: Party game/Word association game
Blank Slate is a word association party game that encourages creativity and quick thinking. Each round, a word cue is revealed, and players write down a word they associate with it.
The catch is that if any players match their word with someone else, they score zero points for that round. Blank Slate is a fun and light-hearted game that sparks lively discussions and laughter. Making it an excellent choice for social gatherings or game nights the whole family will love.
- Age Rating: 10+
- Number of Players: 4-10 players
- Type of Board Game: Family/Party game
Kids Against Maturity is a family-friendly and age-appropriate version of the popular card game that rhymes with "Cards Against Humanity."
It is designed specifically for kids and adults to enjoy together. Players take turns reading question cards and selecting the funniest answer from their hand of answer cards.
With its silly and light-hearted humor, Kids Against Maturity offers a hilarious and entertaining game experience for families and gatherings with kids.
- Age Rating: 6+
- Number of Players: 2-4 players
- Type of Board Game: Children's game/Racing game
Santa's Sleigh Ride is a charming children's game where players race to help Santa deliver presents before Christmas morning. Players roll the dice, move their sleighs along the board, and try to be the first to reach all the houses and deliver the gifts.
The game incorporates elements of luck and strategy, making it suitable for young children and families to enjoy during the holiday season.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 2-6 players
- Type of Board Game: Mystery/Strategy game
Clue is the classic board game of detectives where players take on the role of investigators trying to solve a murder mystery.
Players move around the game board, gather clues, and make deductions to determine the suspect, the murder weapon, and the location of the crime. With its deductive reasoning and logical thinking, Clue offers an engaging and immersive gameplay experience for older children, teenagers, and adults who enjoy unraveling mysteries.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 1 or more players
- Type of Board Game: Word game
Boggle is a classic word game where players race against the clock to find as many words as possible within a grid of randomly arranged letters.
The longer and less common the words, the more points they earn. It's a fast-paced and challenging game that tests players' vocabulary, speed, and ability to think on their feet. Boggle can be played individually or in groups, making it an enjoyable choice for word enthusiasts of all ages.
- Age Rating: 6+
- Number of Players: 1 or 2 players
- Type of Board Game: Puzzle game
The Genius Square is a single or two-player puzzle game that stimulates critical thinking and spatial reasoning.
Players must strategically place shapes onto their individual grids to match the pattern shown on a challenge card. With limited options and a race against the clock, The Genius Square offers a series of increasingly difficult puzzles that provide a satisfying mental challenge for players of various ages.
- Age Rating: 8+
- Number of Players: 2-4 players
- Type of Board Game: Tile-placement game
Kingdomino is a family-friendly tile-placement game where players build their own kingdoms by placing domino-like tiles on their personal grids.
Tiles depict different terrains, and players must match them to score points and expand their territories.
With simple rules and strategic decision-making, Kingdomino offers a delightful and accessible gaming experience that appeals to both casual players and those seeking strategic depth.
Other board games we love
These are our favorite board games for kids of different age groups:
- Board games for 2 year olds
- Board games for 3 year olds
- Board games for 4 year olds
- Board games for 5 year olds
- Board games for 6 year olds
- Board games for 7 year olds
- Best board games for 8-10 year olds
- Board games for 9 year olds
- Board games for 10 year olds
- Board games for 11 year olds
- Board games for 12 year olds
- Board games for teens
Last Updated on 25 September 2024 by Clare Brown