Great Board Games for Kids age 2+

Friday 5 - board games

The first week of our summer holiday has been marked by endless rain. We’ve been outside in our rain gear, gone to the cinema, and been for a treat in the local ice cream parlour, but eventually cabin fever starts to set in. Time to break out some board games. We started playing board games with our older son when he was around 2 years old. He is just starting to grow out of some of those early favourites, but his little brother, who turns 2 later this year, is waiting in the lime light to take over. Here are some of our top choices for boards games for ages 2+. Clockwise from top left:

  • Tempo, Kleine Schnecke* was the first ever board game we got for our son. It’s one we had in our household too when I was a kid. Players work together to get the six coloured snails to the finishing line.  Which snail will get there first? The game teaches colour recognition and taking turns. It’s billed for 3-7 years, but we started playing it with our son at 2 years, and now at almost 6 years he’s definitely outgrown it, so I’d say 2-5 years is more accurate. For 2-6 players. There’s an English version of it called ‘Snail’s Pace Race‘.
  • Memory is a perennial favourite with kids. We started playing with out son from around age 3, with a limited set of pairs, and now at almost 6 years we play with a full set. We have this version* from Ravensburger (my original set from when I was a kid, so ours has a slightly different box) billed for 4-7 years and 2-8 players. But you can find memory games with all kinds of characters, from animals and nature to your children’s favourite movies.
  • Erster Obstgarten* is another popular German game for ages 2+. Together, players race against the fruit stealing crow to harvest wooden fruits from four trees. The game teaches colour recognition and co-operation. Billed for 2-4 years (though our older son, at almost 6 years, still enjoys it – more than the Snail’s Race game above) and 2-5 players. There’s also another version for slightly older kids, with more fruit per tree and smaller playing pieces. The English version if it is called First Orchard.
  • Shopping List* is a game we picked up at a charity shop in Edinburgh, and it’s quickly become a favourite. Who will be the first to fill their shopping trolley? Encourages memory and first literacy skills. Billed for 3-7 years and 2-4 players.
  • And, finally, Little Cooperation is a game we picked up in the gift shop of Gothenburg’s Natural History Museum during our Easter holiday. The title sounds a bit boring, but it’s a really cute game where players again have to work together, this time to get the four animals safely across the ice before it collapses. Billed for 2.5 – 5 years and 2-5 players. This one pops up in various online children’s stores and boutiques from time to time, so worth while doing an online search for it.

Do you have any favourite board games for age 2+ to recommend? Please feel to free to share them in the comments below!


 

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Comments: 3

  • reply
    7 August 2016

    We love the shopping list game too! Will have to seek out some of the others. A is a fan of any kind of matching game at the moment – things like picture dominoes or snap cards- we lay them all put and find the matching pairs.

  • reply

    Hayes Thomas

    24 August 2018

    Thanks for sharing this. Next week is my brother birthday so I’m looking for some

    Good suggestion! Thanks for sharing these best games for kids.

  • reply

    Tokuda

    13 November 2018

    Your article is very useful to me. Thank you!

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