Are you looking for the best games for kids? Get ready to have so much fun with these great board games, card games, and activities that our kids love!
One of my favorite gifts for kids of all ages is GAMES! They are so much better than toys, am I right?
The best kid games involve the entire family and are great for young minds – specifically strategic thinking and critical thinking. They have simple rules and most of all, they are FUN!
Having a great collection of board games to play with your kids is like opening a treasure chest of laughter, learning, and unforgettable family moments. In the age of screens and digital distractions, board games stand as timeless companions. I love that they foster creativity, strategy, and connection.
Whether you’re a seasoned game enthusiast or a board game newbie, this curated list brings you our family’s best board games for kids – each one promising hours of fun, giggles, and a sprinkle of friendly competition.
I asked my kids (7 year old boy and 5 year old girl) to help out with this one and had them chime in with some of their explanations of why they love each of the games. You’ll see their answers below.
Let’s dive into a world where dice roll, cards flip, and imagination knows no bounds!
This collection of the best kid games contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.
The Best Kid Games
- Bocce Ball – One of my favorite outdoor games that everyone seems to love!
- How to play – Bocce ball is a simple yet strategic game where players take turns tossing bocce balls toward a target, and it’s great for kids because it improves hand-eye coordination and outdoor fun.
- Ladder Toss – The whole family loves this one and it is great for backyard parties!
- How to play – To play ladder ball, toss bolas (two balls connected by a string) at a ladder-like structure with three rungs, aiming to score points based on where they land on the ladder. It is a good one for kids because it enhances their throwing skills in a lively and engaging way.
- Marble Game – This game is known by many names: Wahoo, Aggravation, Parchisi, and more. In our house, it is simply known as “the marble game”. It is a great game that is very easy to learn. I have very fond memories of playing this with my Great-Grandma when I was a kid!
- How to play – Players move marbles around the board to reach the center while trying to send opponents’ marbles back to the start. The game is a mix of strategy and luck; it’s great for kids as it fosters friendly competition and strategic thinking.
- 7 yr old review – “This game is fun to move around on the board.”
- Shark Bite – This is a fun game for young kids to play together and helps with fine motor skills and timing.
- How to play – Players take turns fishing for sea creatures with a toy fishing rod. But beware, because the shark might suddenly snap its jaws shut, creating suspense and surprise during this fun game.
- Don’t Break The Ice – It’s great for kids as it combines a simple task with the thrill of avoiding a “breaking the ice” mishap, adding fun and excitement to the game.
- How to play – You take turns tapping out plastic ice blocks with a little mallet while trying to keep a little penguin character from falling through.
- Skip-Bo Card Game – This is a perfect game for taking on lazy family vacations. We’ve played it for hours before. It is easy enough for most young children (5 and up or so with some help) but also involves a lot of strategies for the older kids to get into as they learn.
- How to play – To play Skip-Bo, players aim to be the first to deplete their stockpile of cards by building sequences in numerical order. It is a good one for kids as it reinforces number sequencing skills and strategic thinking in a fast-paced and fun card game.
- Matching (Memory Game) – This is a great option for younger players and great for their brains! You can get one with the same character or theme as their favorite TV show or movie, like this Frozen one.
- How to play – Flip over cards to find matching pairs, testing your memory skills! It is fantastic for kids as it enhances memory and concentration.
- Pancake Pile-Up – This is a great active game that will get them up and moving around and is great for balance and coordination.
- How to play – Have the kids race and stack the plastic pancakes up and balance as they walk to the other side of the room.
- 7 yr old review – “It is fun to run and try to beat my sister.”
- Monopoly – Definitely a classic game! When playing Monopoly with kids, you may have to set it up in a place where you can keep the game set up for several days since games can take a while. We play the original version in our house, but they also have versions made for younger children that go faster. But this is one of my top picks on this list of the best games for kids. It is a great way to teach money concepts, real estate, business, dice, and counting. My Grandma would play this with me as a kid and taught me how to count back change (the right way).
- How to play – For this classic board game, players buy, sell, and trade properties, aiming to bankrupt opponents by collecting rent when they land on owned spaces on the game board.
- 7 yr old review – “I like to try to get Boardwalk because once I can get hotels on it, I will probably win because you have to pay me $2,000!”
- Magnet Tiles – This is a little less of a traditional game and more of a building activity. These are definitely one of the coolest inventions of the last several years. I wish they would have had these when I was a kid. They are a great time!
- How to play – With magnet tiles, kids can create imaginative structures by connecting colorful, magnetic pieces that effortlessly snap together, encouraging creativity and fine motor skills.
- Marble Run – If your kids are anything like mine, they will play with this for hours!
- How to play – Create intricate marble runs by arranging track pieces to allow marbles to travel through twists, turns, and drops, experimenting with designs for endless marble-rolling fun.
- 7 yr old review – “These are fun to build.”
- Life – This classic game has so many “life lessons” built into it.
- How to play – In the Life board game, players navigate their game pieces (in the shape of a car) through various life stages, making decisions about careers, relationships, and more, aiming to accumulate wealth and achieve the highest overall success.
- 7 yr old review – “I like to earn money and then at the end, you get to add up your money.”
- Super Mario Life – A must-have if you have a Mario fan! It is such a fun twist on this good game!
- How to play – In the Super Mario Life board game, players journey through the different Mario-themed kingdoms, collecting power-ups and coins while facing challenges, aiming to defeat Bowser to win the game.
- 7 yr old review – “That game is fun because my favorite character in Mario is Mario and he’s in that game. You have to beat Bowser to win by spinning 6 or up.”
- Lite-Brite – This is a classic activity that I’m sure you remember doing as a kid, right?
- How to play – With Lite-Brite, kids can create vibrant designs by inserting colored pegs into a backlit board, allowing for endless artistic expression and imaginative play.
- Elefun – This one combines excitement and coordination in a lively and entertaining game. There are always a lot of laughs when we’re playing this game.
- How to play – Kids use nets to catch colorful butterflies that are blown out of the elephant’s trunk by a gentle burst of air, combining excitement and coordination in a lively and entertaining game.
- Wooden Pattern Blocks – These blocks are great for fostering spatial awareness and creative thinking in a hands-on and enjoyable way. We use this version specifically in our homeschool room and the kids love them!
- How to play – Kiddos can explore shapes and patterns by arranging the blocks to match pictures on the cards provided.
- Charades for Kids – This card game is perfect for promoting creativity and communication.
- How to play – Much like the classic version, you act out the words on the cards without speaking, have others guess, and earn points for a lively and engaging game. The cards make this cooperative game into something simple that even the youngest kids can play.
- Candy Land – One of the most simple games you can find, which is great for younger kids. It is a simple and delightful introduction to board games for kids.
- How to play – Children draw colored cards, move their game pieces to the corresponding colored space, and navigate the vibrant board toward the finish line.
- Hedbanz – This is a good one for young kids and even older children! We always have a blast playing this.
- How to play – In HedBanz, players wear headbands with cards displaying objects they can’t see, ask yes/no questions to figure out their identity and aim to be the first player to guess correctly, creating a lively and interactive guessing game.
- Operation – I remember loving to play this one as a kid and it is just as much fun today!
- How to play – Players use tweezers to carefully remove “ailments” from a patient’s body without touching the edges, aiming for a steady hand to avoid the buzzer and making it a fun and challenging dexterity game.
- Simon – This is a stimulating and entertaining memory game that is good for all ages!
- How to play – Follow the pattern of colored lights and sounds that the handheld game makes, and challenge your memory by repeating the sequence correctly.
- Uno –
- How to play – In a race to deplete your hand, match one of your cards with the current card shown on top of the deck by either color or number.
- Connect4 – The kids are always finding a way to beat me at this game on family game night!
- How to play – Players take turns dropping colored discs into a vertical grid, aiming to be the first to connect four of their discs in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally for a quick and strategic two-player game.
- Mouse Trap – This is a great one even for younger audiences!
- How to play – Players build a contraption as they move their mice around the board, aiming to capture opponents’ mice in the trap, combining strategy and anticipation in this fun strategy game.
- Jenga – We love this suspenseful and challenging game of skill and balance! Mix things up with this giant set for outdoor play!
- How to play – You take turns removing one block at a time from a tower of wooden blocks and place it on top, without causing the tower to collapse.
- Velcro Toss and Catch – This is a great game for older siblings to play with little kids who don’t know how to catch quite yet. This is great for cooperative play and developing hand-eye coordination in an engaging way.
- How to play – Players use handheld paddles with Velcro surfaces to throw and catch a soft, Velcro-covered ball that is very easy to catch.
- The Floor is Lava – Our kids are always asking to play this game when their cousins come over.
- How to play – Kids navigate the room by avoiding touching the floor, imagining it as molten lava, and can use the foam game pieces, furniture, or designated safe zones to stay off the ground in a lively and imaginative game.
It’s clear that these timeless classics and modern marvels offer more than just entertainment—they create lasting memories, inspire laughter, and foster invaluable skills for even the youngest players.
From the strategic maneuvers in Connect4 to the suspenseful removal of Jenga blocks, each game on this list brings families together in the spirit of fun and friendly competition.
Remember that with these best kid games, you’re not just playing a game; you’re building a bridge to connect generations, making family game night a cherished tradition.
So, let the games begin!
Which of these best kid games does your family love top?
