Board games ideas from 3 to 16 years old
Educational board games are such a great Christmas gift (except when your kid loses all the pieces after 10 minutes… True story). Board games are an awesome way to mix learning and fun, and according to Scholastic, they “are an easy way to encourage healthy brain development in older kids and teens”.
To help you with your Christmas shopping, I put together a list of board games by age group, from 3 to 16 years old.
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3+ years old
- Disney Classic Animals Matching Game
- Candy Land – Kingdom of Sweet Adventures
- Chutes and Ladders
- Sequence for Kids
4+ years old
- Richard Scary Busy Town
- Shark Bite
- Pop the Pig
- Pop-up Pirate
Note: My daughter’s speech therapist used Pop the Pig and Pop up Pirate with her during her sessions. I immediately bought them and my kids LOVE them.
5+ years old
- Rush Hour
- Kerplunk
- The World Game
- Trouble
6+ years old
- Guess Who
- Operation
- Mouse Trap
- Dino Land
7+ years old
- Kids Against Maturity (the manufacturer says 10+ months old but this must be an error…)
- Marvel Avengers Hero Rush
- Blokus
- Exploding Kittens
8+ years old
- Brain Games Kids
- What Do You Meme?
- Escape Room, Family Edition
- Clue, Harry Potter Edition
9+ years old
- Proof! Math Game
- Apples to Apples Junior, The Game of Crazy Comparisons!
- Werewolf (to this day, this is still my all-time favorite board game)
10+ years old
- Risk
- Disney Villainous
- Ticket to Ride: United Kingdom
11+ years old
- Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle
12+ years old
- Carcassonne
- Labyrinth
- Munchkin (ok, this one is also my all-time favorite)
13+ years old
- Monopoly Fortnite
- Scattergories
- Pandemic
14+ years old
- Codenames
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
- Chronology
15+ years old
- Catan (the manufacturer says from 3 years old but I think this game is aimed at 15+ years old)
- Cranium
- Telestrations After Dark
16+ years old
- Knope For President (yup! Leslie Knope from Parks & Recreation!)
- Judgemental
- Killer Party – Kiss of Death (Social mystery game)
I hope this list gave you enough ideas for your Christmas gift shopping! If you are looking for non-toy gift ideas, check out this blog post!
What are your favorite board games? Let me know in the comments below! (Hit me up if you want to play Werewolf, I’m always down!)
5 Comments
Cara
These are all such great game ideas!!! Yahtzee is also a great game for all ages!! We are huge board game loves at my house!
Valerie
You are right! How could I have forgotten this one?!!!
Gabriela
Im 40 and still play board games no shame in my game. Great article.
Abby
These are such great ideas for a wide range of ages! I love a good board game.
Cassie
This is such an awesome list! Growing up, I absolutely loved Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly Jr., and Mancala. Now, my favorites are Clue, Monopoly, and Rummikub. These would be great gifts! Thank you for sharing!