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Do you have a preschooler or young child? This is a great age to implement family game night and start a new family tradition. Board games teach children important skills, like turn taking, cooperation and help lengthen their attention span. Some games will even teach letter and word recognition and encourage their fine motor skills.
So, as a parent, what games are best for young children? You want to make sure the game is fun without being overly challenging or frustrating for the child. In my experience as a parent of three kids, now ages 10, 8 and 6, here are the top 10 games that my kids loved! Hope this list gives you some new family games for your family game night.
1. Candy Land – This is a classic game that is picture based and very easy for preschoolers! I even remember playing this game myself as a young child.
2. Chutes and Ladders – This game is similar to Candy Land and is great for kids learning to count.
3. HiHo Cherry-O – This game is very easy to play and great for children learning to count and recognize colors. It also encourage fine motor skills when they pick up the small fruit pieces.
4. Memory – This is a classic matching game that teaches turn taking and matching. There are many versions of Memory, so you can get your child’s favorite characters.
5. Snug as a Bug in a Rug – This is an award winning cooperative game where players work together to hide bugs before the stink bugs come.
6.Let’s Go Fishing – This game is great for hand-eye coordination as kids catch spinning fish that open and close their mouths.
7. Uno Moo – Kids match the color or critter and be the first to get all their animals back in the barn to win.
8. Suspend Junior – A simple balancing game that teaches hand-eye coordination and no reading required.
9. Zingo – Uses sight words with pictures for a fun, fast paced Bingo style game.
10. Hot Potato – My kids loved passing around this musical hot potato! Great for coordination.
What are your favorite games to play with your preschooler?
We have most of these – and love them. Right now, my 4.5 year old is digging Connect 4! He learned tic-tac-toe over the summer and this is a fancier way of playing that. I love seeing his logic skills develop as he starts thinking 1, 2 or 3 moves in the future!
Interesting lists that kids will surely love to try and learn at the same time.