National Board Game Day: 5 Great Board Games for Kids
Stuck inside on a rainy day? Board games can bring families together and spark laughter on days spent indoors. But beyond just fun, board games can help your children build valuable skills.
Here's a closer look at the many benefits of board games for kids and five board games to try today on National Board Game Day and all year long.
Benefits of Board Games for Kids
Social Skill Development: Board games are a social activity that requires children to cooperate with others. Sharing game pieces, waiting for their turn and listening are all social skills that are strengthened while playing board games. Losing a game can also teach your child how to handle tough feelings.
Cognitive Development: Board games often require counting skills, basic arithmetic, reading and writing skills. Some board games even incorporate scientific elements. Practicing these in a fun game setting is an opportune way to facilitate learning with your child.
Quality Time With Family and Friends: Board games require everyone’s full attention. Playing them is an opportunity to unplug from screentime and focus on quality time with loved ones.
5 Best Board Games for Kids
1. First Orchard
In First Orchard, players take turns trying to pick fruit from an orchard before a raven comes to gobble it up. The colorful fruits help kids learn about shapes and colors while playing. This game also teaches turn-taking, patience and cooperation.
Number of players: 1-4
Suggested age range: 2-4 years old
2. Zingo
Zingo is like bingo but for little learners. In Zingo, one person acts as the dealer and reveals tiles with simple words like “cat”, “pig” and “owl”, then players check their own cards and shout out if they have a square on their card that matches the tile.
This game helps kids develop valuable language skills. It’s also easy to set up right out of the box and perfect for playing a few rounds quickly in a time crunch.
Number of players: 2-6
Suggested age range: 4 years and older
3. Dinosaur Escape
Dinosaur Escape is a matching game where players have to use memorization to find matching dinosaur tokens around an island. The catch is, there’s a volcano in the middle of the island! Players must work quickly together to find the matching dinosaurs before the volcano erupts.
This game teaches kids about planning ahead, strategic thinking and the importance of working together toward a common goal.
Number of players: 2-4
Suggested age range: 4 years and older
4. Animal Upon Animal
Animal Upon Animal is a classic stacking game where players stack animals on top of each other to form a tower. Players take turns rolling a dice and then following the action on the dice. The dice will tell players to take actions like adding an animal to their stack or giving an animal to another player.
This game can help kids develop fine motor skills. It can also teach them about problem solving and cause and effect.
Number of players: 2-4
Suggested age range: 4 years and older
5. Outfoxed!
In Outfoxed, a naughty fox has stolen a pot pie. Players must work together to investigate suspects and find the fox before he escapes! This game is great for teaching kids the value of teamwork and helping them sharpen their deductive reasoning skills.
Number of players: 2-4
Suggested age range: 5 years and older
Give These Best Board Games for Kids a Try!
We hope you’ll try some of these board games for your next family game night. Do you have other favorite board games you love? Let us know in the comments.
Check out our blog for more indoor activities you can do with your kids.