Over the last several years, even after moving across the country and selling off all our board games, we’ve collected a huge mass of games. Most notably though, our family has been working towards creating a collection and list of games for kindergarteners because we have 3 young children.
From the ages of 4 to 6, kids are wired to play. And while they play, they learn!
They jump, they don’t sit still, they seek fun.
So bridging the gap between active play and classroom or even homeschool expectations, board games help fill a need. They are fun, they are educational, and they require some attention and time sitting still.
Educational Board Games for 4, 5, and 6 year olds
These are perfect learning games for 5-year-olds (with a range on either side) and great for early elementary kids of all ages.
And if you have any other great suggestions, be sure to share them in the comments!
We’ve looked at a variety of skills that young, school-age kids need to know. Everything from strategy, problem-solving, logic, focus & attention, math, language skills, science, movement, cooperative, and more… we’ve tried to find titles that meet those needs.
And of course, we’ve tested them too ;]
Pengoloo
Strategy, focus & attention
Buy it on Amazon
This is not your ordinary matching game! I honestly bought it for our almost three yeard old, Emma as a matching and color recognition game. But as we played, it had so many great concepts for both of our girls. My kindergartener was able to dive a little deeper with the strategy and memory (because even penguins that have already been claimed can be remembered in order to get another roll of the dice on your turn!)
Press Here
Art, logic and problem solving
Buy it on Amazon
Based on a book (that I also highly recommend), Press Here plays with color theory. We have been working a lot on primary and secondary colors with Emma because it’s something she enjoys, plus she really is into puzzles and logic. This game actually has an interesting element of logic because while some of the answers have a cut and dry conclusion, some cards could have multiple answers and all players have to agree upon the person’s explanation. We even play this with the younger kids in our house too!
Race to the Treasure
Cooperative, strategy, geography
Buy it on Amazon
Some basic map skills and team work will get you to the treasure! This is a great game that was brought as entertainment for 13 kindergarteners at a birthday party… because cooperation was required and no one could leave sad. It’s not super complex, but still fun, especially at an age where working together is a skill that should be built.
Squirrels Go Nuts
Individual play, determination, strategy, critical thinking
Buy it on Amazon
This is a solo puzzle game that has kids move their squirrels around to drop the nuts in the holes in a certain number of moves. It requires forward thinking, but more importantly it emphasizes not giving up and the persistence to see it through until they get the right answer no matter how long it takes.
Goblet Gobblers
Strategy, problem-solving
Buy it on Amazon
Tic Tac Toe is kind of boring, but goblet gobblers adds a fun twist and strategy to ultimately elminate someone else’s play.
Rivers, Roads, and Rails
Strategy, problem-solving, logic, focus & attention, geography
Buy it on Amazon
This game was on a wish list of mine for two years and it didn’t disappoint. It really helps kids understand how to logically plan, but also to be flexible as each turn can really change how the next play plays. It’s also great for teaching kids some of the modes of transportation but also attention skills because of small details that make cards either playable or not.
Robot Turtles
Strategy, coding, focus & attention, math
Buy it on Amazon
A fun game of patterning and basic coding, this game is a favorite between my 5-year-old Jenn and my husband. In fact, it was the entry into other coding games and activities for her.
Snap Circuits
Following directions, abstract thinking, math
Buy it on Amazon
While not a traditional board game, it’s a great title to help kids learn a bit about electricity, bringing it to life instead of it being an abstract concept. It takes building to a whole other level because instead of a stationary brick creation, they can make what they build come to life.
Sum Swamp
Math
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It’s a really cute game with number recognition, addition and subtraction, odds, and evens, and general early math skills.
We introduced this game to Jenn when she was 4 and it was the perfect way for her to learn basic math without even know that’s what she was actually doing. We busted out some counting cubes too to help her visualize the math until she gets better.
Giggle Wiggle
Movement and motor skills
Buy it on Amazon
This is a good game for kindergarteners because it requires hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and even some strategy as they plan when to add their marble. Now if only we could play without the music…
Zingo
Attention, language skills
Buy it on Amazon
This is a fabulous game for the entire family no matter how young, but as kids get into kindergarten, it’s great for working on reading and language skills. Of course, match the pictures, but do they know how to read the word? Add an element of fun by adding a bit of electrical tape to cover up eithe the words or pictures to really work on spelling and reading.
Make N’ Break
Movement, strategy, spatial skills, logic, focus & attention
Buy it on Amazon
We started playing this family game wit no timer as “just make the picture” and progressed from there. It really built on our kids’ spatial skills and even motor skills as they stacked blocks!
Hiss
Art, math, logic
Buy it on Amazon
We orginally got this for our 2-year-old to learn colors, but it’s also a great game for young kids to play together. It focuses on patterns and making colorful snakes!
Sleeping Queens
Math, memory
Buy it on Amazon
I have literally never met a kiddo under the age of 8 that didn’t enjoy this great title from Gamewright. It requires some basic addition, most of it by increments of 5 or ten, and even some adding of cards to create the same numbers. It’s incredibly fun and an easy way to introduce basic addition skills.
Rory’s Story Cubes
Language skills, creativity & imagination
Buy it on Amazon
There are actually multiple versions and expansion sets, but the premise is the same… roll the dice and tell a story. I love this with kids of all ages both young and old because it forces creativity and builds this language and storytelling skills.
Qwirkle
Math, art, logic & planning ahead
Buy it on Amazon
This games is all about shapes, colors, and patterns. Almost like a mixture of banangrams (which by the way, kids’ banangramas is GREAT for teaching wor formation and the sounds of letters), rummy, and a bunch of colorful shapes.
It teaches kids to logically plan ahead and build patterns and sequences.
Dixit
Art, language skills, creativity & imagination
Buy it on Amazon
A wonderful, and beautiful, apples-to-apples type of game that encourages your child to use their descriptive words@ It helps kids looks at art in a creative way or even literal way! Each active player has to describe their card and then everyone else choose a card from their hand they think could closely match the decription. Then everyone tries to guess which card is the “real” card being described! If you get any “scary looking” cards, just take them out before playing.
eeboo Fairytale spinner
language skills, creativity & imagination
Buy it on Amazon
I found this one at a thrift store and thought I would give it a try and it turned out to be a HUGE HIT. One of the reasons that I love it as a teacher is that it focuses on the elements of a story. For instance a player has to spin in order to choose a setting, a hero, and other parts to what will then become their masterpiece of a fairytale story!
Catan Jr.
Focus & attention, resource management, money/goods
Buy it on Amazon
While most people know of Catan… whether you love it or hate it… the junior version doesn’t get as much publicity. And honestly, we like it a lot, maybe more than the regular game.
Cookin’ Cookies
Life Skills, focus & attention, cooking
Buy it on Amazon
While it doesn’t give the quantities in the recipes, it gives a basic understanding that one must have certain ingredients to make certain recipes. It also shows that food can go bad and is a fun twist on a memory game to gather up the cards you need for your own recipe! (Though… we have lost one of our telescoping spoons).
Shut the Box
Math, strategy
Buy it on Amazon
We picked this up at a local toystore on vacation and it was great family fun! The object is to shut all the numbers on the box! It requires some srategy if your kindergartener is going to add up the numbers (practicing their math skills) or use the individual numbers on the dice to shut as many as possible.
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How to choose the correct game to teach to the concept