After reading aloud to my kids, playing board games and card games is probably one of my favorite ways to spend time with my children. Ella, especially, LOVES playing games, and we play probably 3-5 games a day at our house.
If your kids are also game lovers and you’re looking for ones that won’t make you want to fake a violent stomach bug, here are ten more board games for kids we really love playing with our girls:
10 Best Board Games for Kids
Loot. We bought this one for Ella for her 7th birthday and it’s been a big hit. This pirate-themed game is quick to learn and fun for the grown-ups and simple enough for the kids.
Guess Who? I played this game approximately ten million times as a child (we had a travel version, and my sisters and I played it CONSTANTLY one summer) and it’s been really fun to play it with my girls now.
9 Innings. There are a bunch of versions of this game, some of which are called Golf, and there’s an official version of this you can buy here, but we just play with two decks of regular cards. Both of my girls (7 and almost 5) really enjoy this one, and it’s fast enough for a quick game in 10 minutes or so.
Dominion. I taught this game to Ella a year ago and we played it nearly daily last summer. She LOVES this one, and it’s one of my faves too. I love that it has endless variations, but isn’t hard to learn.
Sequence for Kids. Bart’s sister gave us this board game for kids for Christmas and it’s a fun one to play as a family because it’s fast and easy enough for the three older girls. And even as an adult, it’s enjoyable.
Monopoly Deal. Ella is obsessed with Monopoly right now, but I don’t enjoy Monopoly because it makes me feel like a bad person when I win, plus it takes forever. Monopoly Deal is a much faster version that’s cards only and it’s a very fun family game.
Ticket to Ride. This is one of my all-time favorite board games. Bart and I have played HUNDREDS of games of it over the years, and a year or two ago, we taught it to Ella and now the three of us play almost every Sunday afternoon. It’s a longer game (about 45 minutes or so, if everyone knows how to play) and I love it every single time. We own the European edition and I think it’s better than the US edition.
Speed. This has become our go-to card game after months of Yahtzee playing. I like that this one takes only about 3 minutes to play and that Ani can play too (we just deal her less cards and take more ourselves).
Wackee Six. I played ten thousand games of Nertz in college with my roommates, and then we played this commercialized version a bunch with Bart’s family during a reunion. It took Ella a couple of rounds to pick it up, but then she got super good and was beating us plenty of time.
Connect 4. This is a classic and I love that even Tally (at 2.5) can play it, although not particularly well. Plus, it’ll keep kids occupied for ages just playing around with it.
What board games for kids do you like to play at your house? I’m always in the market for more!
If you liked this post about board games for kids, you might also like these posts:
I love these ideas! Any recommendations for how to play with your game loving 4 year old and your rambunctious totally uninterested 2 year old? ? We like sequence for kids and were recently introduced to a game designed by a dad called Robot Turtle that teaches programming skills.
We got connect four for Jay for his birthday, and him and Em play it for literally hours on end together! It’s awesome! Jay was also recently introduced to Guess Who and Sequence Jr when we were with my in-laws during our move, and I’m sure those are going to be topping the Christmas list this year!
I posted today about board games too! I am sharing some coopertative games that I love playing with my 7 year-old son. I am planning on writing 2 other posts – competitive games and card games in the future. I’ll have to check out some of your suggestions. We’ve played Ticket to Ride with Christopher, and we have Dominion, so we may have to try that one. So fun!
We have a lot of these games or plan to get them for Christmas. Good to know you like the European Ticket to Ride….I was wondering which one to get. I will say Exploding kittens is a lot of fun…but there is a bit of potty humor in it. My 10 and 13 year old boys think it’s hilarious…but it’s not something i would let him play around my mother-in-law. Just thought you might be forewarned :). And Labyrinth is absolutely my favorite game of all time. I will play it anytime anywhere!
My girls love Exploding Kittens. We have found however, that it is much more fun to play in a bigger group. I have my eye on Qwirkle for Christmas this year.
We are also huge fans of Ticket to Ride and Sequence for kids. And we love love LOVE Zingo, and it is a regular gift we buy those we love most. For Quinn’s age we like Cranium’s Cariboo (but it is really spendy- found one at a thrift store for the win!). We also play scrabble’s Alphabet Scoop- which Quinn (2.5) can play along, Surprise Slides (Frozen version), Word Pirates (spelling game), and Diggity Dogs- which is this totally random game where you adopt dogs and my kids think it’s hilarious. Apparently we love games too.
I highly recommend Mixamatou! It’s a matching card game by Djeco. Our 4 year old has no problem playing and winning. I knew it was a winner when my husband said that he would play just the two of us without our daughter!
My neighbor’s kids brought over Dragonwood before Christmas and my son and I loved it. We had to get a copy of it and play it all the time now. The boys are 5th grade, 3rd grade and 1st grade. We played the game over Christmas with my family and it was a hit. My son (1st grade) also loves to play a our version of Farkle (we call it 5000).
Games you won’t hate playing with your kids. Ha! I love lists like this! You have a great mix of classics and new stuff here. Ticket to Ride is probably my favorite on your list. Let me suggest one for you to try next. King of Tokyo. We actually played it without the kids recently so it must be a winner. You can read about it on our website if you want. Thanks for your list!
My whole family loves qwirkle. My 5 year old can play it and my husband and I will play just the two of us. Even my 3 year old can help as she learns colors and shapes.
I have a six-year-old who loves games. The two games I will happily play without wanting to tear out my hair are Tenzi (super fast – I love it because I can say I’ll play five rounds before bed and we get all five games in in less than 10 minutes) and Skipbo (we deal fewer cards out to make it a quicker game with her, but my husband and I also love to play full games of this after she goes to bed). I played a lot of Speed growing up so I think that may be next on the list to teach her.
We love games too! Some of our favorite games are
King of Tokyo (roll the dice, gain superpowers, storm Tokyo as a robot-kitty or penguin in a ice suit or other of the fun monsters.)
Coloretto (Color-based card game that is really easy to learn and quick to play, yet still fun for adults only.)
Azul (Beautiful game modeled after Portuguese tiles, easy to play but tricky to score. My 11 yr old can play solo, but I have to help the younger kids with scoring.)
Splendor (collect different combinations of jewels to score points, my 7yr old loves this one, though she has yet to win.)
We also play a lot of Farkle, Monopoly Deal and Monopoly Empire, Aggravation, Quiddler, Rummikub, Machi Koro, The Wizard Always Wins, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Letter Tycoon, and Carcassonne.
Traverse is a fun game that is a mix of chess and checkers. It uses logic, is faster than chess, has pieces that move across the board but are not captured, and four people can play it. It is no longer made, but can be found on eBay and other sellers.
Ohh yes Dominion, Ticket to Ride, Monopoly Deal are amazing! Kingdomino and Azul are also go-to games in our house. I’ve never heard of 9 Innings I’ll check that one out for sure! Thanks for the list.
My computer glitched. I’m not sure my comment got posted, so I’m trying again. We have been enjoying Labyrinth and Two by two together. My boys really like Mille Borne too.
Wackee Six. I played ten thousand games of Nertz in college with my roommates, and then we played this commercialized version a bunch with Bart’s family during a reunion. It took Ella a couple of rounds to pick it up, but then she got super good and was beating us plenty of time.
I love these ideas! Any recommendations for how to play with your game loving 4 year old and your rambunctious totally uninterested 2 year old? ? We like sequence for kids and were recently introduced to a game designed by a dad called Robot Turtle that teaches programming skills.
We loved FishStix (and still enjoy it with a 8 and 11 year old now). It’s simple but fun.
I bought Monopoly Deal and CAN”T UNDERSTAND IT. I don’t know why I have this block in my brain.
I taught my kids how to play Poker, and we love Apples to Apples.
Can you share how to play 9 innings with just the 2 deck of cards?
We love to play Yahtzee, Farkle, Mancala, and Shut the Box!!
Have you heard of Too Many Monkeys? My kids love it. We also like UNO and Disney Headbands.
We got connect four for Jay for his birthday, and him and Em play it for literally hours on end together! It’s awesome! Jay was also recently introduced to Guess Who and Sequence Jr when we were with my in-laws during our move, and I’m sure those are going to be topping the Christmas list this year!
I posted today about board games too! I am sharing some coopertative games that I love playing with my 7 year-old son. I am planning on writing 2 other posts – competitive games and card games in the future. I’ll have to check out some of your suggestions. We’ve played Ticket to Ride with Christopher, and we have Dominion, so we may have to try that one. So fun!
http://www.momsradius.com/2017/10/family-game-night-cooperative-board.html
We have a lot of these games or plan to get them for Christmas. Good to know you like the European Ticket to Ride….I was wondering which one to get. I will say Exploding kittens is a lot of fun…but there is a bit of potty humor in it. My 10 and 13 year old boys think it’s hilarious…but it’s not something i would let him play around my mother-in-law. Just thought you might be forewarned :). And Labyrinth is absolutely my favorite game of all time. I will play it anytime anywhere!
We love games so posts like this are great! My kids are ages five and seven and current favorites at our house are Sushi Go! and Enchanted Forest.
My girls love Exploding Kittens. We have found however, that it is much more fun to play in a bigger group. I have my eye on Qwirkle for Christmas this year.
We are also huge fans of Ticket to Ride and Sequence for kids. And we love love LOVE Zingo, and it is a regular gift we buy those we love most. For Quinn’s age we like Cranium’s Cariboo (but it is really spendy- found one at a thrift store for the win!). We also play scrabble’s Alphabet Scoop- which Quinn (2.5) can play along, Surprise Slides (Frozen version), Word Pirates (spelling game), and Diggity Dogs- which is this totally random game where you adopt dogs and my kids think it’s hilarious. Apparently we love games too.
I highly recommend Mixamatou! It’s a matching card game by Djeco. Our 4 year old has no problem playing and winning. I knew it was a winner when my husband said that he would play just the two of us without our daughter!
My neighbor’s kids brought over Dragonwood before Christmas and my son and I loved it. We had to get a copy of it and play it all the time now. The boys are 5th grade, 3rd grade and 1st grade. We played the game over Christmas with my family and it was a hit. My son (1st grade) also loves to play a our version of Farkle (we call it 5000).
Games you won’t hate playing with your kids. Ha! I love lists like this! You have a great mix of classics and new stuff here. Ticket to Ride is probably my favorite on your list. Let me suggest one for you to try next. King of Tokyo. We actually played it without the kids recently so it must be a winner. You can read about it on our website if you want. Thanks for your list!
Cover your assets is another great card game that even my 5 year old can play!
My whole family loves qwirkle. My 5 year old can play it and my husband and I will play just the two of us. Even my 3 year old can help as she learns colors and shapes.
My daughter 4.5 and I enjoy playing Spot It!
She also loves Slapjack.
Love all of these. Quixx is one that we take everywhere—everyone can play, the game is quick, and you don’t need a big surface to place.
I have a six-year-old who loves games. The two games I will happily play without wanting to tear out my hair are Tenzi (super fast – I love it because I can say I’ll play five rounds before bed and we get all five games in in less than 10 minutes) and Skipbo (we deal fewer cards out to make it a quicker game with her, but my husband and I also love to play full games of this after she goes to bed). I played a lot of Speed growing up so I think that may be next on the list to teach her.
We love games too! Some of our favorite games are
King of Tokyo (roll the dice, gain superpowers, storm Tokyo as a robot-kitty or penguin in a ice suit or other of the fun monsters.)
Coloretto (Color-based card game that is really easy to learn and quick to play, yet still fun for adults only.)
Azul (Beautiful game modeled after Portuguese tiles, easy to play but tricky to score. My 11 yr old can play solo, but I have to help the younger kids with scoring.)
Splendor (collect different combinations of jewels to score points, my 7yr old loves this one, though she has yet to win.)
We also play a lot of Farkle, Monopoly Deal and Monopoly Empire, Aggravation, Quiddler, Rummikub, Machi Koro, The Wizard Always Wins, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Letter Tycoon, and Carcassonne.
I guess it’s pretty obvious that we love games 😂
Traverse is a fun game that is a mix of chess and checkers. It uses logic, is faster than chess, has pieces that move across the board but are not captured, and four people can play it. It is no longer made, but can be found on eBay and other sellers.
We bought Chicken Cha Cha Cha a few years ago and love it. It can be challenging for adults, too, even though it’s a pretty simple memory game.
We love Zingo! Also, Yeti in my spaghetti is a fun one too.
Ohh yes Dominion, Ticket to Ride, Monopoly Deal are amazing! Kingdomino and Azul are also go-to games in our house. I’ve never heard of 9 Innings I’ll check that one out for sure! Thanks for the list.
I hope you update this list, some of the links are broken.
We love playing Carcasonne as a family! Great game and my 7 year old and 10 year old both caught on very quickly 🙂
Labyrinth, and Two by Two are our current favorites. My boys really like Mille Borne too.
My computer glitched. I’m not sure my comment got posted, so I’m trying again. We have been enjoying Labyrinth and Two by two together. My boys really like Mille Borne too.