Find the best games for kids of every age and stage: from simple matching games for toddlers and cooperative games for preschoolers, to board games, card games, and party games for older kids and even adults. Explore puzzles and jigsaws for every skill level for additional screen-free fun! Discover engrossing strategy games for a family game night, brain games that offer head-to-head challenges, and tabletop games or arcade-style games for your family playroom that bring back memories – and help create new ones. Check out safe kids’ games for day-care settings and playdates – the kind that get the big belly-laughs – and learning games and icebreaker games that help with getting-to-know-you jitters in school situations (and beyond)!
Games bring us together
Aside from a few kinds of solitary brain games and logic puzzles, the most popular and best games for kids (and for grownups) are the ones that are played together, with friends or family. Even very young kids enjoy racing to finish a matching game first or playing simple board games that don’t require reading. There are many top-rated new cooperative games for kids that require players to work together to win, avoiding any hurt feelings. Older kids enjoy card games and tabletop games that are faster-paced and more challenging, or word games that reward creative thinking. Games that the whole family can play – like popular world-building strategy games or classic board games – can stretch out over hours and even days, maybe seeing you through an entire Christmas holiday! Portable puzzles and card games are great choices for summer road trips and winter vacations when long stretches of boredom threaten.
Games are sneaky skill-builders
Many kids’ games have educational elements built-in: fun and colorful matching games can teach kids to recognize letters, numbers, colors, shapes, animals, and more. Preschool or toddler games where the goal is to collect the most of something, or where players roll dice or spin to make moves on a game-board hone counting and other math skills. Some of the best-selling games of all time are word games for kids that boost literacy, classic games like chess or checkers that sharpen strategic thinking; or board games like Monopoly that hone money-management skills. More creative party games that reward players’ ability to draw, act, or sing can become learning games, too: these demand lateral thinking and creativity! And even popular table games like foosball and tabletop hockey or outdoor games like horseshoes or beanbag toss are exercises in physics that can also teach hand-eye coordination. But the best part of all this learning is that it’s wrapped up in having fun together.
Games offer screen-free fun
In an era of being always, or at least often, online, there’s a lot of joy to be found in unplugged entertainment. Games for kids – especially very young ones – can be a source of screen-free entertainment in preschool and day-care settings, especially. Simple games like bingo, memory matching, and active games like hopscotch, beanbag toss, or hot potato make terrific games for play dates or birthday parties. Floor puzzles or easy jigsaws featuring popular characters are great activities for a few friends to do together, too. Jigsaw puzzle building is an activity the entire family can do together, and puzzles with seasonal themes like Christmas, Easter, or Halloween can be a wonderful, meditative holiday pastime. Cool card games and top-rated board games or strategy games offer older kids some competitive thrills, and trivia and pop culture games can bring generations together around a table, too.
Kids Games FAQs
How do games help children?
Games can help children work on cooperation, teamwork, and taking turns when played with their peers; solitary games for kids can help them develop their recall and critical-thinking skills; board games for kids can help them work on problem-solving, counting, and other math skills; word games for kids can build their vocabulary and their reading skills.
What are the positive effects of playing games?
Playing games can help children work on cooperation, teamwork, and taking turns when played with their peers; board games and card games can offer screen-free fun; and word games and other brain games can build skills in critical thinking, math, and literacy.
What are best games to play indoors?
The best indoor games include classic games like chess or checkers, card games, board games, and table games or arcade games like foosball or tabletop hockey.
What is the best game for little kids?
Young children enjoy matching or seek-and-find games; cooperative games that require teamwork with peers to win; active games like beanbag toss or hopscotch; and board games that have silly elements and favourite characters.
What game can a 3-year-old play?
Three-year-olds can play simple card games and board games that involve seek-and-find tasks or picture matching; they can also play active games that involve simply throwing and catching, hopping, dancing and other gross-motor skills.
How do you entertain a 2- and 4-year-old?
A four-year-old can help a two-year-old with cooperative games that involve matching cards, seek-and-find games and other games involving pre-reading skills; the four-year-old can also be the leader in active games and simple sports like catch.
How do I keep my 5-year-old busy?
Five-year-olds can be kept busy with individual activities like jigsaw puzzles or word puzzles, seek-and-find games; they also enjoy head-to-head games like simple card games, beanbag toss, or horseshoes; and tabletop games like four-in-a-row, or stacking challenges.
How do I entertain my kids for hours?
Try long-play board games, classic strategy games like checkers and chess; and world-building strategy games or large-scale jigsaw puzzles that can keep kids busy for hours at a time; or try card games like Go Fish or euchre and playroom games like foosball or table hockey that can be concluded quickly but lend themselves to many rounds as kids keep score.
How do I entertain my child at home?
Teach your child classic strategy games like chess and checkers; card games like Crazy Eights, UNO or euchre; and popular board games that you also enjoy as a way to have fun as a family; for more individual entertainment, try jigsaw puzzles, popular 3D puzzles or brain games.