Games played on tables (and sometimes floors, ottomans and parking lots).
Games for Young Kids
Hey all. Doing my job as a parent to get the kids into board games :) Though I'm struggling to find games that 3+ year olds can play with us as family. Any suggestions? Thanks.




I've heard that things like Candyland are good for small kids, because there's no decision making - they just draw a card and do what it says.
Thanks :)
Orchard do some brilliant games. My little'un loves "Where's my Cupcake" which if played properly is a great teaching aid for manners, and "Run, Run, as fast as you can" which is based on the Ginger Bread Man story. All the games are made from thick easy to handle cardboard and have simple, easy to follow rules. They appear to each have a lesson to teach as well as the usual game mechanics.
They appear to have nurtured a love for games in general in her and I'm looking forward to introducing her to more mainstream games by the time she starts school.
http://www.orchardtoys.com/games?viewall=true
If they can handle small dice and some counting I'd suggest Roll For It. Really compact too might be good for travel. Maybe get the really little ones to team up with an older partner to help with some strategy.
ANTS IN THE PANTS!!! :D Okay, not many adults will enjoy it, and it's not exactly an intellectual tour de force, but I have a great fondness for it, even as an adult. We break it out as a late-night-cool-down after our board game parties sometimes. :)
Here's a few thoughts:
Anything co-op can be driven by the parents, but theme is still hard. Castle Panic has a fun sort of "The goblins are going to get us!" vibe and my nephews have enjoyed that, but the game's length is too long for my 4yo to keep focus.
Don't Break The Ice is a fun kids-oriented game, dexterity-based, that is reasonably entertaining for adults too. At least, once my son figured out that the goal is to NOT break the ice, and stopped breaking it for fun.
There's a card game series called Spot It, and while the original is fun, it's a bit hard for younger kids. However, Spot It Jr is fantastic and probably my top recommend. At 3, my son was playing it, and could stick it out to the end of a game. Maybe even 2 or 3 in a row! It was great.
Sequence is an OK game, but Sequence for Kids is a lot more fun. It's a little bit challenging but we're able to play a round and he doesn't need a lot of guidance.
Formula D is great, even though it feels like a weird choice at first. I help my son pick the right gear, he rolls the dice, and we move the cars together. It's a lot of fun, although really he's just a dice roller at that point.
Feed the Woozle is a kids game that is also focused on dexterity, and has lots of Gross Things in it in a way that greatly entertains kids. We have fun with that one on occasion too.
Cootie is TERRIBLE, DO NOT GO THIS ROUTE.
Count Your Chickens is a very basic game, almost in the vein of Candyland, but it's a kids co-op game with at least a small amount of luck involved, and it is possible to lose, which is good for teaching kids some humility (not even being snarky, it's been hard to teach my son not to be a sore loser and this game helps, since we all lose together).
I have been playing games with my nephews since the younger one was 3. It IS difficult to find games that younger non-reading kids can play, but not impossible. I also try to avoid mainstream games with them...like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders (mainly becuase I despise those games).
Mayday Games makes several that younger kids can play. Click Clack Lumberjack https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39206/click-clack-lumberjack Get Bit! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30539/get-bit Hold Your Breath https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150925/hold-your-breath
HABA Games also makes a TON of games for younger kids. I am listing a few of the ones I have played and the kids liked below: Fire Dragons https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/148764/feuerdrachen Animal Upon Animal https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17329/animal-upon-animal Gary Gouda https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/104775/gary-gouda
We play Munchkin Treasure Hunt and both kids love it. It also helps them work on their adding skills. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/166026/munchkin-treasure-hunt
I also like to play family games and maybe simplify them so the younger one can play. Some of the games I have been successful at doing that with include: King of Tokyo (we don't use the special power cards when we play with the younger one) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70323/king-tokyo Pagoda (I play it with the 8 year old and let the 5 year old help me stack my Pagoda pieces and move my score marker) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/154003/pagoda Terror in Meeple City (We just don't use the special powers with the younger one) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/97903/terror-meeple-city
I hope this list helps. I could go on and on and on.
My niece and nephew really like The Magic Labyrinth. Ease is dependant on how you set up the maze :)