Board games for young kids

Lotti Karotti (4+)

– consists of rabbits jumping over holes. It’s very fun, exercises counting and a bit of strategy after a couple of games.  See here for the game.

Monopoly Junior (5+)

– buying property, paying rent, earning a salary and going to jail. It’s a fun way of teaching kids about money (cash or card depending on the game), they also learn a bit of math with minus and plus. It seems hard at first but trust your child to get used to it very quickly.  See here for the game.

Ludo or Don’t get Angry (4+)

– tokens racing from start till finish, rolling a dice. This game as old as time exercises counting, the child’s patience and the ability to keep his emotions in check. See here for the game.

Catan Junior (6+)

– trading goods with castles and ships, conquering new territories. This game is tricky and requires patience, focus, memory and the ability to strategize. A bit difficult, but an amazing family game, which the children enjoy by simply working together with their parents and not against them. See here for the game.

Monster Slap (5+)

– hilarious cardboard pictures of monsters are getting slapped by gluey hands. This game is one of the most fun I ever played, and teaches kinetic accuracy. See here for the game.

Speed Cups (6+)

– various colored cups which need to be assembled in the right order after various models in a race against time. This is an amazing game, which tests memory, concentration and the ability to act fast. See here for the game.

Jenga (6+)

– wooden blocks assembled in a tower, removing them piece by piece while the tower is still standing is very tricky. Requires kinetic accuracy, strategy and focus. See here for the game.

Small Ravensburger Games (6+, 5+)

– such as How to train your Dragon (which teaches the child to add with numbers till 6) or  Cars–Piston Cup (which is a fun racing game full of obstacles). These are perfect when you don’t have enough time to play a big game, they take about 10 minutes at most. See here for the game.

S.O.S. Monkey Alarm (5+)

– lots of colorful sticks are stuck in a palm tree and a bunch of monkeys are hanging by their tails on them, removing every stick without letting too many monkeys fall is extremely problematic. Also physical skill and concentration are the main focus of the game. See here for the game.

Shopping List (3+)

– cardboard shopping lists, groceries and shopping cart, who is the first to complete the shopping list? Here literacy is needed, the child learns new important vocabulary in various languages, depending on the language of use for the game. It’s a great way to teach a child a foreign language. See here for the game.