Best Board Games for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Erin P.:  One of the best family board games for toddlers and preschoolers that is a rite of passage for every kid! Our kids are turning into such board game lovers, and our house has recently seen some pretty rowdy games of Candy Land. Try and hop onto the Rainbow Trail and don't get stuck in the swamp!

This is the little kids' version of the classic family board game Sequence. Fun for both kids and adults, the goal is to get 4 chips in a row while blocking your opponent.

Jaclyn Keifer:  My son is 5 and we love playing this together. I appreciate that this is a cooperative game and he’s learning that in this game, we work together to win!

Erin P.:  My younger sister loved this game 25 years ago, so it was neat to play it with our son! It's a great game for helping your little one develop basic math skills while having fun picking fruit from the trees and filling your buckets! I think our son was an older two-year old when we started playing this game, so this could be a great "first game" for your little one.

Brittany Kozielski:  Don't Break the Ice is one of my family's all time favorite games. The concept of the game is simple: don't be the one to break all the ice apart. You take turns tapping out pieces of ice one by one. The player to make the penguin fall off the ice loses. I still enjoy this game and I am a grown adult!

Joseph Kelley:  Everyone knows the classic game of charades. This game is great because it comes with pre-generated ideas for you and your family to act out. Each card has both words and pictures so little ones who are learning to read can also join in on the fun!

Kelly R:  This bingo-style family board game is perfect for both pre-readers and early readers. Players race to match words and pictures to the spaces on their cards. We played this A LOT when my kids were little, though we always had to establish ground rules for who got to slide the tile spitter outer (technical term) to release the tiles each turn.

Kristy Pepping:  If you need board games for preschoolers, this is a great option and fun for parents too! Basically, you put all the marbles in the middle and try to gobble up as many as you can.

Lisa R:  In this simple counting and colors game, players take turns feeding the pig hamburgers until his shirt pops open! The cute pig and surprise factor help keep older kids and parents entertained. It's a new favorite in our house.

Vanessa M.:  The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game is great for toddlers and preschoolers (and their grownups) because it is easy to learn and each game plays quickly. The little squirrel and all the game pieces are also too cute for words! Spin to collect acorns, but watch out for Squirrel Storms that blow your acorns back to the tree, and also keep an eye out for that Sneaky Squirrel who likes to steal acorns!

Kelly R:  A wonderful cooperative game for kids where players work together to travel through Busytown and reach Picnic Island before the pigs eat all of the picnic food. Along the way, players work together to find hidden objects on the board.

Erynn:  Chutes and Ladders is a simple game for toddlers that helps kids learn to take turns, and the only skill it requires is counting (plus parents can help with that!). My kids are fond of the Spider-Man themed version of this game, too!

Alexandra F.:  Race to the Treasure is all about teamwork and cooperation, as players work together to find the best path to the treasure before the Ogre gets them. All of my kids have loved this one, and it’s a great game for younger kids that we adults (and even my older kids!) actually enjoying playing with the little ones, too.

Jaclyn Keifer:  This version of the modern classic, Carcassonne, has been adapted to allow players of all ages to play together. No need to count points! Each turn, you place a tile to build Carcassonne. When you close a street with one or more kids of your color, you get to put your pawns on the board. Be the first to place all of your pawns to win the game.

Erin P.:  We just picked up this game for our three-year-old and have already enjoyed a few tense, nail-biting rounds each of us hoping not to be the one who knocks the yeti into the bowl of spaghetti!