Through my years of working in preschools and helping out in elementary schools, I always loved to see how excited the kids would get for game time. Whether it’s board games, card games, or something else, kids’ eyes will light up when it’s time for play.
If you have a child/children and you’re looking for the best board games for 5-year-olds, it can feel tricky. They’re right at that age where you wonder if they’re old enough to play certain games that you enjoy.
While they’re right near the cut-off, there are still age-appropriate games that will be tons of fun for the whole family! I’ve compiled this list from my years of experience in the board game community. I’ve thought about educational games, too, since board games can be a valuable learning experience.
Read this guide on the best board games for 5-year-olds today and make family game night a weekly activity!
Bottom Line Up Front
There are various options to choose from for the best board games for 5-year-olds. If I had to choose a favorite, though, I’d have to go with Risk Junior.
Risk Junior is perfect since it’s for the ages of five and up. If you’ve played Risk, you realize how much strategy and thinking are involved in the game itself. This is a pirate-themed age-appropriate game for your child.
My Top Picks at a Glance
- Risk Junior-A great option when you’re looking to play Risk but for kids. The pirate theme is so much fun too!
- SEQUENCE for kids-No reading required, and it’s an excellent game for your child to develop thinking skills.
- Hasbro Gaming Candy Land Unicorn Edition Board Game-No list for 5-year-olds is complete without Candy Land! Experience nostalgia as you take a trip to Candy Land.
- Monopoly Junior Dinosaur Edition Board Game-Whether or not your child is a dino-fanatic, Monopoly Junior will have a similar game-play. This game will be more fun for children!
- Don’t Break the Ice Game-Play this game and take a trip down memory lane with your child while you’re trying to stop the penguin from falling into the ice.
- Pretty Princess: Disney Princess Edition Board Game: I know that I would have loved this as a kid! I was crazy about all of the princesses and loved imagining that I was one as well. This is a great game to increase your child’s imagination through play.
- Hasbro Gaming Clue Junior Board Game for Kids-I love Clue and recently played it with my nieces. My young niece beat us all! Clue Junior is a fun spin on the traditional game with kids in mind.
- Zobmondo! The Ladybug Game-This award-winning game is unique and fun for the entire family. The object of the game is to bring the ladybug home safely.
Tips for the Reader
As you go through this list, think about your child’s hobbies and what you’d like them to improve upon.
Remember that even if a game doesn’t seem educational, it still could be. When your child plays board games, they need to focus and practice thinking about their next steps. Be sure to check the age requirement for each game since some might be too difficult or a choking hazard for a younger child.
Selection Criteria
I think about what games your child will love. Again, there are various choices, including Mr. Potato Head, unicorns, dinosaurs, and more!
Lastly, I consider games that will be educational. You might wonder why this isn’t at the top of my list. Well, most games are naturally educational.
Whether your child needs to use their imagination or strategize, it’s still teaching them to grow through play.
The Benefits of Board Games
Board games are an excellent way for your child to improve their overall thinking ability. First, board games are beneficial for cognitive skills.
Board games help your child build social skills as they play. Your child will need to use social skills, especially with certain games.
During play, everyone is required to take turns while playing board games. This teaches your child that they need to be patient while waiting for their turn.
It’s also a great way to teach your child how to focus. As they play board games, they must think about what they will do when it’s their turn.
They’re also a great way to reduce stress. After a long day, there’s nothing better than hanging out with some friends and playing some games that you enjoy.
The Classics With a Twist
When you hear the term board games, these games are what you think about. Maybe you played them as an adult or even as a child yourself. These board games twist the classic for kids to enjoy and play.
Risk Junior
Have you played the traditional Risk? It’s loads of fun and hours of play.
Today, you can relive those exciting moments of playing Risk with your child. Hasbro created Risk Junior, and it’s super fun since it has a pirate theme!
The object of the game is to move pirates onto islands and defend your territory. You’ll want to keep control of the treasure, of course. Whoever has the most islands and treasure wins.
The board itself is colorful and engaging to keep little minds focused. In addition, it’ll teach your child thinking skills since they need to strategize and decide on their next move. Plus, who doesn’t love pirates?
Risk Junior is a great way to introduce your child to this classic before they can graduate to the traditional game. In addition, it’s great for a family game night since two-four players can enjoy it.
Pros
- A colorful board to keep little minds engaged.
- A fun twist on the traditional game
- Specifically made for children to enjoy and think critically.
Cons
- I’m a bit disappointed that it’s not much like the traditional Risk game.
- It’s a bit difficult to learn and play.
Hasbro Gaming Candy Land Unicorn Edition Board Game
When I first saw this game, I got way too excited! First of all, my nieces love unicorns, and Candy Land is a classic for many.
It’s a game that everyone will enjoy since parents will have nostalgia from their own childhood! Candy Land is super easy to learn too.
Your child will fill up their imagination as they explore and head into the world of Candy Land. It comes with cards, a board, and unicorn pieces to play.
Children will get excited as they get to pick their favorite unicorn from four different choices. If your child doesn’t read yet, that’s okay since no reading is required.
There’s even a pop-up Rainbow Mountain that’s included with a plastic stand. It’ll help your child get into the game and really be a part of Candy Land.
Pros
- Comes with cards, a board, unicorn pieces, and Rainbow Mountain
- An excellent way for parents to enjoy this game as well as they remember playing it when they were kids
- Your child will increase their imagination as they pretend that they’re unicorns in Candy Land.
Cons
- The game pieces are on the smaller side, which makes it hard to see which color you’re actually on
- It’s not the most sturdy game.
Monopoly Junior Dinosaur Edition Board Game
If you love Monopoly and all of its different themes, you’ll love Monopoly Junior! It’s fun for the entire family since you’ll have nostalgia playing Monopoly yourself.
Your child will make friends with different dinosaurs during the game while they feed them. There are other dinosaurs such as the Gigantosaurus, Iguanadon, and Brontosaurus.
Children can practice sounding out the different names of these dinosaurs as they play. Your child will get to transport themselves into this dinosaur land since they’ll be a dinosaur as they move around the board. This is an excellent introduction for your child to learn and play Monopoly!
Pros
- A great educational opportunity for your child to learn about the different dinosaurs
- A colorful board to keep your little one engaged.
Cons
- It’s not easy to understand the instructions.
- There’s no improvement of property like traditional Monopoly.
Hasbro Gaming Clue Junior Board Game for Kids
Clue Junior is fun for the entire family since it’s a twist on the classic game that you might have played as a child! Clue is all about strategy and could help your child’s critical thinking skills.
It’s different than traditional Clue since a favorite toy is broken. So you’ll need to figure out which toy was broken, who broke it, and the time that this all occurred.
Pros
- It’s the traditional game of Clue with a twist.
- Fun for the entire family
- Your child will need to use critical thinking as they try to figure out who broke the toy and when
Cons
- It’s much different from the traditional game, and I wish there were more similarities.
- Some could find this game redundant.
Fun Learning Opportunities
These might include the classics that you remember. These games are fun but are hidden learning activities as well! Plenty of these board games for children are educational opportunities as well.
Don’t Break the Ice Game
Do you remember playing Don’t Break the Ice as a kid? Relive your childhood by playing this fun game with your little one.
It’s like the traditional game with a penguin in the middle. Your child will need to think critically as they decide which blocks to tap on without affecting the penguin.
It comes with the entire game, including:
- 32 small ice blocks
- One large ice block
- Four ice tray legs
- Ice tray frame
- Two mallets
- Phillip the Penguin
- Instructions
It’s an excellent option for a family game night since it’s two-four players. As long as your child is at least 36 months, they can play this. However, remember that it’s not suitable for children under three since it’s a choking hazard.
Pros
- Relive your childhood as you play this classic
- A great learning opportunity as your child needs to strategize and avoid letting Phillip the Penguin fall
Cons
- It’s not made as well as the traditional Don’t Break the Ice
- The legs of the tray don’t stay up too well
SEQUENCE for Kids
No reading is required in this engaging and fun board game. It’s a twist of the classic SEQUENCE since it’s for kids.
Your child will love seeing the different wild animals in this game. In addition, it’s a great learning opportunity since your child will need to develop a strategy to win the game.
SEQUENCE is excellent for a family game night since it’s for two-four players. To begin, you’ll play a card from your hand and then place a chip on that character on the board. Whoever has four chips in a row first wins.
For your child to stay engaged, wild cards are mixed into the deck. Some cards will allow you to move another player’s chip.
Your child will need to strategize since each card shows up on the board twice. But, first, they’ll need to decide the best location to start or continue their row.
Pros
- Your child could improve their critical thinking skills through this game
- An engaging game and board for plenty of fun
- They can learn about the different animals in the wild as they play
Cons
- The board can break easily
- The cards are of a thinner quality
Unique Game Play
These games are more unique and different from the others on this list. Whether they’re ladybugs, dress-up time, or something entirely different, you’ll notice they’re much different than traditional games.
Zobmondo, The Ladybug Game
The Ladybug Game is a great starter game for those who haven’t played many board games previously. I also love how colorful this board is to keep little minds engaged.
It comes with 38 ladybug cards, eight praying mantis passes, four ladybug pawns, and 61 aphid chips. Your child will learn about the different bugs out there while playing in this fun world.
Your child will learn both reading and math while they play this game. They’ll learn addition and subtraction as they play. It’s an excellent game for a family game night, too, since it’s two-four players.
Pros
- Your child will practice reading and math
- It’s a unique game
- They’ll learn about the different bugs out there
Cons
- It can be frustrating if you’re caught by the praying mantis and have to start over at the beginning
- The instructions aren’t too clear, unfortunately
Pretty Princess: Disney Princess Edition Board Game
If you’re looking for a creative, imaginative, and fun game for your child, then this Disney princess board game is a great option. It comes with more than twenty pieces for your child to play with.
It’s a fun game for children five years old and up. Your child will need to collect different jewelry pieces and be the first to grab the Disney princess crown. Watch out for the cursed ring, though, since you can’t win when you’re wearing it.
It teaches imagination since your child will dress up as their favorite Disney characters and play. For example, your child can play as Aurora, Jasmine, Tiana, or Belle.
Pros
- A fun and imaginative game for your child to pretend to be their favorite characters
- More than twenty different pieces to choose from
Cons
- It’s not the best quality for the different pieces
- It could be monotonous after a while for some children
How To Choose the Correct Board Game
Everyone is different when it comes to what games they like and dislike. Even my nieces, who are still very young, prefer different games.
Think about your child’s current hobbies and interests. This will help you decide what game might be suitable for them.
Are they struggling to learn something? Whether it’s reading, math, or a particular subject, board games could help!
Your child could learn to focus, have critical thinking skills, and strategize to win. For example, when my niece beat us at Clue, I still remember that she was keeping track of the different information on her notepad, being a great investigator.
FAQs
Question: What are Some Fun Games for Kids?
Answer: Besides this list, there’s also Chutes and Ladders, Peppa Pig Edition, Trouble Board Game, Monopoly Junior(with pets), and more!
Question: What are the Most Popular Board Games?
Answer: Checkers is one of the most popular games out there. It’s an excellent option for developing your child’s critical thinking skills as well.
Question: What is the Best-Selling Board Game?
Answer: Chess!
Question: Are Board Games Becoming More Popular?
Answer: The classics such as Trouble, Clue, and Monopoly are becoming more popular. Chutes and Ladders is becoming more popular as well.
Exploring the Best Board Games for 5-Year-Olds
While there are various options to choose from when it comes to the best board games for 5-year-olds, I hope that this list has made it easier for you to find the right option for your child! If I had to choose a favorite, though, it’d still be Risk Junior.
Risk is a favorite for me, and I love how they made an edition for children. I just hope that they consider making other editions as well. Risk Junior will get your child excited as they’re pirates and try to have as many islands and treasures as possible!
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