Hello there, Gaming Library family!
Children's board games are among the most imaginative, as they frequently combine play and education. Plus, with their wacky themes and silly rules, they're entertaining for everyone. You'll need some great board games to keep the boredom at bay and stimulate those little minds.
"Nothing can substitute for person-to-person bonding, especially between children and parents."
Whilst it’s easy to give kids phones or tablets; place the burden of entertaining themselves on the devices (letting their attention spans go wild), there is a better, more interactive way: BOARD GAMES! Nothing can substitute for person-to-person bonding, especially between children and parents. And what better way to stimulate your kids’ focus and critical thinking, teach them strategy, foster a friendly competition environment, AND have fun all at the same time?
Board games are the perfect family bonding activity. Simple games help younger players identify colors, count spaces, and develop hand-eye coordination in moving cards, pieces, and other gameplay tokens around the board. It teaches kids how to wait for their turn too.
According to Beatrice Tauber Prior, Psy.D., clinical psychologist, author, and owner of the private practice Harborside Wellbeing, “strategy games in particular help teens in developing their frontal lobes which are responsible for executive function skills such as planning, organizing, and making informed decisions.” They can boost language skills, illustrate the value of teamwork, soothe anxiety, and even teach kids how to lose without being sore losers. Moreover, they’re an amazing means for everybody, adults included, to engage in a screen-free activity and just unplug.
We've compiled this list of the best board games for kids, complete with a variety of games for a variety of ages, to ensure that your kids have enough to keep them entertained all spring and beyond! Here's proof that kids' board games can be more than just for fun. Well… How about we show you 10 great places to start, all of which are options available at the Gaming Library?
“YOU. ME. WE ALL PLAY. IT GOOD. IT FUN.” …Is not just how a neanderthal might describe this game, but also how its players will sound when playing, too! This competitive word-guessing game pits player teams against each other as they pick Poetry Cards and describe prompts without being allowed to use more than one syllable. Laugh along with fellow players as you fumble for single-syllable words to describe your prompt and risk getting hit with a big NO! Stick and losing points if you mess up! The goal is to score the most points by correctly guessing the prompts.
…is both a delicious mouthful as well as a simple fast-paced card game. Similarly to Snap and Dobble, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza has players taking turns placing cards from their hands face up in a community pile while saying either ‘taco,’ ‘cat,’ ‘goat,’ ‘cheese,’ or ‘pizza’ in a sequence. Once the cards and the players complete the mantra, BAM! All players slap their hands on the community pile, with the last player to do so picking up all the cards in the pile. Additionally, special action cards such as the gorilla, narwhal, and groundhog, force other players to make certain gestures before racing to slap the deck. The first person to get rid of all the cards in their hand wins! Will you–or your palms–survive a grueling round of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
Like a feline-infused reimagining of Russian Roulette, Exploding Kittens has players taking turns drawing cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten and loses the game. With cards that let you avoid explosions by peeking at cards before you draw, forcing your opponents to draw multiple cards, or shuffling the deck, Exploding Kittens gets more intense as the game progresses! Would you survive this fast-paced cat-astrophic minefield of a card game?
If you’re a fan of party games like Mafia, Last Message takes it a step further. Players take on the roles of either Criminal, Detective, or Victim. The Detectives must work with the silent Victim, whose only means of helping is to draw clues on a whiteboard (which will be tampered with), over the course of four rounds to track down the Criminal. Like the classic party game, enjoy several sessions in succession and play different roles each time to get the most out of your deductive, strategic, or creative thinking!
This fast and fun card drafting game has players mixing up to six different vegetable cards–with different scoring methods–together to build the perfect salad. Draft unique combinations of veggies and point cards strategically to amass the most points and win! Using a variety of strategies built on over a hundred different ways to score points, Point Salad’s unique offer is that every session of the game will always be different from the last!
…Is a cooperative, guess-the-word party game in which players try to discover as many mystery words as possible. Over 13 cards, players will coordinate with one another to give the best clues to help their teammates guess the word. There’s a catch, though: giving clues similar to the last will get you canceled, so be unique!
This territory building game, similar to its predecessor Kingdomino, has players seeking new lands to expand their kingdoms. Players use tiles with two sections, similar to Dominoes, to connect to and further build their kingdoms, making sure that each section of their tiles matches with one that is already in play. Kingdomino Origins introduces new components, additional actions, and new ways to score points, such as the introduction of fire as a gameplay mechanic. The game ends when each player has completed a 5x5 grid (or fails to do so), and points are counted based on the number of connecting tiles and valuable crown symbols. Will you be the lord that builds the biggest kingdom
In Happy Little Dinosaurs, players flip Disaster cards featuring either a Natural, Predatory or Emotional threat and play Point cards, which may feature weapons, trinkets, or good luck charms, in hopes of collecting points and avoiding catastrophe. Work to avoid life’s adversities and laugh with your fellow players as you compete to be the first player to reach 50 points OR be the last dinosaur standing. Will you be the victor? Or will you fall into a pit of lava or–gasp–get ghosted on your dino date?!
…Might be a good introduction to tabletop roleplay for younger players. This competitive roleplaying fantasy strategy card game (say that three times) has players compete to assemble a party of Heroes while slaying monsters. This game from the creators of Unstable Unicorns features items to equip heroes, 1 versus 1 challenge cards, and roll modifiers to help players turn the tides in their favor. Will you be the player to win by first successfully slay three monsters? Or would you win by focusing on assembling your party?
…requires you to think on your feet. Or maybe hooves? Quick thinking and flexibility in strategy are your best friends in this game where up to seven players compete in a tense race of eight horses. Buy horses, place bets, influence moves in the race, and use special abilities to turn the tides in your favor. Dice rolls determine which horses move and what options are available, so think fast! Once three horses cross the finish line, players add their total earnings. The player that makes the most money will be declared the winner. Will you be the dark horse of this competition, and win by a Long Shot?
We've compiled the best children's games that are still super fun for adults, whether you're looking for something to play with your own kids, a gift for someone else's kids, or simply something easy-going to enjoy yourself.
About Gaming Library
Gaming Library aims to be the go-to resource for board games, providing not only titles that can be enjoyed by families, but also to be enjoyed by friends both newcomers and veterans alike. By pulling from different resources from all over the world, we at Gaming Library curate an impressive collection of games for consumers to choose from, suitable for anybody from casual players to hardcore hobbyists. In doing so, we hope to provide the best means to foster activities that strengthen family ties and friendships, while teaching relevant skills and practical critical thinking that can be applied to your everyday life.
