While it may take some time for kiddo to fully understand the process and goals of playing a board game, it’s great to start working on these skills now! Here are some age-appropriate games that can start kiddo’s love of family game nights!
This game helps kiddo work on color identification and fine motor skills to be able to actually ‘catch’ the fish. For younger toddlers, you can start by taking turns putting the fish in and out of the holes by color, counting them, etc. and work up to fishing.
While not a true board game, a scavenger hunt is a great way to work on memory skills and can help kiddo run out some energy on a rainy day. This game can also be done in a homemade version with parents drawing a checklist of images for kiddo to collect.
3. Golf/Croquet
For an outdoors option, golf can be a great way for kiddo to work on hand/eye coordination! Starting with a toddler-sized set will help kiddo learn how to hold the club. Look for a set that includes some arches to give kiddo some hitting guidance.
Chutes and Ladders is a younger version of the original game, and will help kiddo work on counting and taking turns. The spinner is also a fun toy within the game!
5. Twister Jr.
Twister is a great way to work on color identification, taking turns, and coordination/balance.
This game, made in Germany, is the gold standard for kiddo’s first board game. It has a basic premise and fun shapes that are big enough to not be a choking hazard.
Monkey Around presents silly tasks for kiddo to complete individually or with you (for example, put the banana on your head!)- this is a good way to work on pretend play and can help you engage in laughs with kiddo!
A matching game will take practice to build up to kiddo sitting through a full game, but each time playing this with you will help build memory skills and taking turns! Another fun version of this is to print cards with family member photos to play ‘matching.’
9. Guess Who?
The classic guessing game, this will take practice for kiddo to be able to play fully, but it’s a great start in identifying body parts, clothing accessories, etc. A fun way to personalize is to print photos of family members/pets to put on the guessing tiles to help kiddo learn everyone’s names and relationships!
10. Elefun!
This game challenges kiddo to catch butterflies in a net that are blown out of the elephant’s trunk. The butterflies may be a choking hazard to a baby, so this should be played while supervised or away from a younger sibling. The game will help hand/eye coordination and can be a good way to work on catching specific colors or the most butterflies all together.
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