Board games for kids
Last checked 24 October 2026
Quick answer: For toddlers, First Orchard is 2+ and everyone plays on the same team. At 4, try Animal Upon Animal, Funny Bunny, My First Carcassonne or Bluey Junior Labyrinth. Five-year-olds can move on to Dragon's Breath, Outfoxed! and EXIT Kids, and King of Tokyo goes down well from 8. Seven of the nine are very easy to teach.
Kids' games run from a toddler's first roll of a die to proper tactics at 8, so we've put these in order of the age on the box, youngest first. All of them work with a grown-up at the table, and most play in 20 minutes or less, which is about right for small attention spans. A few are co-op (everyone wins or loses together), which helps if you've got a sore loser in the house. For older children, our age pages are linked at the bottom.
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1. First Orchard
A first co-op game for toddlers. Roll the colour die and pick chunky wooden fruit off the trees before the raven gets to the end of his path. HABA's simpler take on its classic Orchard.
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Age
- 2+
- Play time
- about 10 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: HABA's simpler take on its classic Orchard, made for toddlers. Roll the colour die and pick chunky wooden fruit off the trees before the raven reaches the end of his path. Everyone's on the same team against the raven, so nobody loses to a big brother or sister. It's 1 to 4 players, 2 and up, about 10 minutes, with 16 wooden fruits that small hands can grip.
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Details last checked 22 October 2026.
2. Animal Upon Animal
Roll the die and stack chunky wooden animals onto a wobbly pile that starts with a crocodile. Knock any off and you take up to two back. First to place all their animals wins.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 4+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Klaus Miltenberger's stacking game starts with a crocodile and gets sillier from there. Roll the die and add chunky wooden animals to the pile. Knock any off and you take up to two back. First to place all their animals wins. It's 2 to 4 players aged 4 and up, about 15 minutes, and the adults are just as likely to topple it.
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Details last checked 20 October 2026.
3. Funny Bunny
Race your bunnies up the hill to the carrot by turning over cards. Some cards make you twist the carrot, which can open a hole under any bunny and drop it out of the race.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 4+
- Play time
- 20 to 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Turn over cards to race your bunnies up the hill to the carrot. Some cards tell you to twist the carrot, which can open a hole under any bunny and drop it out of the race. The gasps when a hole opens are the whole point. It's 2 to 4 players, 4 and up, 20 to 30 minutes.
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Details last checked 20 October 2026.
4. My First Carcassonne
Carcassonne for little ones. Lay road tiles, and when a road gets finished you put your figures on the children of your colour along it.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 4+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Marco Teubner and Klaus-Jürgen Wrede's Carcassonne for little ones. You lay road tiles, and when a road gets finished you put your figures on the children of your colour along it. Turns are just as quick as in the grown-up game, with far less to think about. It's 2 to 4 players aged 4 and up, about 30 minutes.
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Details last checked 19 October 2026.
5. Bluey Junior Labyrinth
Labyrinth cut down for 4-year-olds, with Bluey, Bingo, Mum and Dad lost in the maze. Push a maze card in to shift the walls and open a path to your favourite characters.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 4+
- Play time
- 15 to 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: Labyrinth cut down for 4-year-olds, with Bluey, Bingo, Mum and Dad lost in the maze. Push a maze card in to shift the walls and open a path to your favourite characters. There are 17 maze cards instead of the full game's 34, so it's quicker. It's 2 to 4 players, about 15 to 20 minutes.
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Details last checked 22 October 2026.
6. Dragon's Breath
Pick a gem colour, then the dragon dad lifts one ring off the ice column and gems spill across the board. You keep the ones in your colour, and the most gems at the end wins.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 5+
- Play time
- about 15 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Winner of the 2018 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Germany's children's game of the year), by Lena and Günter Burkhardt. Pick a gem colour, then the dragon dad lifts a ring off the ice column and the gems spill across the board. You keep the ones in your colour, and most gems at the end wins. It's 2 to 4 players aged 5 and up, about 15 minutes.
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Details last checked 20 October 2026.
7. Outfoxed!
A co-op (everyone wins or loses together) whodunit for kids. Gather clues and rule out suspects before the pie-stealing fox reaches the exit.
- Players
- 2 to 4 players
- Age
- 5+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: A co-op whodunit for kids from Gamewright. A fox has pinched a pie, and you gather clues together to rule out suspects before it reaches the exit. It's a gentle first go at deduction (working out the answer from clues), and nobody gets left behind. It's 2 to 4 players, 5 and up, about 20 minutes.
Details last checked 2 November 2026.
8. EXIT Kids: The Great Bee-Scape
An escape room for five-year-olds, and nobody needs to read. You work through riddle cards together to get Betty Bee home, and nothing gets torn, so it plays again with new riddles.
- Players
- 1 to 4 players
- Age
- 5+
- Play time
- about 20 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Very easy to teach
Why it suits this: An escape room for five-year-olds, and nobody needs to read. You work through riddle cards together to get Betty Bee home. Unlike the grown-up EXIT games, nothing gets torn, and each round mixes six new riddles from the 36 cards, so it plays again. It's 1 to 4 players aged 5 and up, about 20 minutes, from Inka, Markus and Emely Brand.
Check price on Amazon for EXIT Kids: The Great Bee-Scape (opens in a new tab)
Details last checked 22 October 2026.
9. King of Tokyo
Play a giant monster and roll dice, a bit like Yahtzee, to attack, heal or score. Whoever's in Tokyo hits everyone else but can't heal there. First to 20 points or last monster standing wins.
- Players
- 2 to 6 players
- Age
- 8+
- Play time
- about 30 minutes
- Our teaching rating
- Easy to teach
Why it suits this: Richard Garfield's King of Tokyo is the step up once they're 8. Play a giant monster and roll dice, a bit like Yahtzee, to attack, heal or score. Whoever's in Tokyo hits everyone else but can't heal there. First to 20 points or the last monster standing wins. It's 2 to 6 players and about 30 minutes.
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Details last checked 19 October 2026.
Shopping for a particular age? See board games for 2-year-olds, board games for 3-year-olds, board games for 4-year-olds, board games for 5-year-olds, board games for 6-year-olds and board games for 7-year-olds. For older children, see board games for 8-year-olds, board games for 9-year-olds, board games for 10-year-olds, board games for 12-year-olds and board games for teenagers. Want one the grown-ups enjoy too? Try family board games for all ages. Want something that uses real skills like adding up or logic? See educational board games.
How we choose and check
We pick games for the situation, and ignore hobby rankings and hype. Player counts, ages and play times come from the publisher's own page or the box. If we can't confirm a detail there, we leave it off the card. The teaching rating is our own view from reading the rules, not a publisher figure. Nobody pays us to include a game. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. See how we make money.