5 Great Board Games for Preschoolers

Playing board games with your preschooler provides numerous learning opportunities in a fun, relaxed setting. Game playing will teach your preschooler about rules, taking turns, honesty, winning and losing graciously and luck. Children’s games also offer your preschooler the opportunity to develop academic skills such as color or image/word recognition, matching, counting, and memory skills.

Need some recommendations for board games for your preschooler? Here are my top choices…

Candy Land… The first version of this classic game was introduced in 1949. It remains the perfect first board game for a preschooler. Children move colorful gingerbread men along the board and try to reach the Candy Castle. No reading is required, making it an ideal choice for a young preschooler or even a toddler. The game teaches the preschooler color recognition and matching while reinforcing the lesson of taking turns and being a gracious winner or loser. (Candy Land is manufactured by Hasbro.)

Zingo… This is a fast-paced twist on Bingo in which players try to fill their Zingo cards with matching picture tiles. The tiles feature both pictures and words, making it easy for even a young preschooler to play. Zingo cards are two-sided, allowing for two different levels of competitive game play. Your preschooler will learn image/word recognition, matching, verbalization, concentration, memory and motor skills while playing this game. A fun game for the entire family, Zingo has received numerous awards including Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, the iParenting Media “Hottest Products of 2004” Award, the Parents’ Choice Award, and the National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval. (Zingo is manufactured by Think Fun games.)

Horton Hears a Who! You to the Rescue!… This game is described by the manufacturer as “a jump-up-and-go silly search game. Go on a wild adventure to save the “Whos”! Players put on the Horton hat and race all over the house to find the hidden clovers where the tiny Whos live. Pick them up with your trunk, then hurry back before the time runs out! The player who rescues the most Whos is the winner. “Horton” teaches the preschooler cooperative play, reinforces memory skills, helps develop fine-motor and gross-motor dexterity, and encourages children to get out of their seats and get moving. Horton” has also been the recipient of numerous awards including Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum and Gold Awards, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, iParenting Media Awards, and the Dr. Toy Top 10 Creative Toys Award. (Horton Hears a Who! You to the Rescue! is manufactured by I Can Do That! Games.)

Chutes and Ladders… Another classic board game for preschoolers which was first introduced in the United States in 1943. This game reinforces counting skills while helping the preschooler understand the rewards of doing good deeds as they climb up the ladders and the consequences of naughty ones as they slide down the chutes. The elements of luck (the youngest child has a fair chance against older siblings and parents) and simplicity make it particularly appealing to young children. (Chutes and Ladders is manufactured by Hasbro.)

Hi Ho! Cherry-O… A counting game for the preschooler in which players race to be the first to have 10 cherries in their basket. A low level of competition and some elements of disappointment (when children have to put cherries back or even start over) make this a good beginning game for the preschooler to learn how to overcome setbacks and not quit. Hi Ho! Cherry-O reinforces counting skills and taking turns. (Hi Ho! Cherry-O is manufactured by Hasbro.)

No matter what your choice, you and your child will benefit from the time spent together playing games. So have some fun together and sneak in some learning for your preschooler at the same time!