When baby #1 began to toddle and needed some CONstructive play, I plunked down some money and purchased some preschool games that our little family of three could enjoy together. Those were the days of Candyland and Hi Ho Cherry-O, of Memory and Hungry, Hungry Hippos. We played them on sunny days. We played them on snowy days. We played them when she woke up. We played them just before she went to bed. We played them in the house. We played them with a mouse. We played them here and there. We played them everywhere! (Sorry. I didn't mean to go all Green Eggs and Ham on you...)
Then toddler #2 joined the fun and we played them, and played them, and p-l-a-y-e-d them some more. We played these same four games so much that by the time toddler #3 joined the game table, I finally just threw them away. Yep. In the trashcan they went. All four of them.
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I had lived in Candyland comma (Trust me, it's a THING.) for far too long and I needed something new. So, I went searching for some games that we could learn to play together-preferably ones that didn't find me on my hands and knees chasing run-away plastic cherries across the floor before they recklessly rolled into the heat vent abyss.
Fast forward a few years...
Apparently, I'm not the only one who has suffered from preschool board game boredom. A short time ago, some of you also voiced your weariness of playing-the-same-game-over-and-over-again-until-you-feel-like-you'd-rather-pluck-out-all-your-eyelashes-before-playing-it-one-more-time, and you offered up some alternatives. I've compiled them all here along with a few of my own favorites.
So, if you're looking for some game suggestions that will work for even the youngest of tots, look no further!
I've put an asterisk next to the ones we own or have played. I can not fully endorse the others as they are new to me. The age categories are based on the manufacturer suggestions. But, I've found that with some minor tweaking, most games can be played by kids much younger than the age designation.
(And just in case you are wondering...Since the boardgame purge of '09, I have repurchased a few of those same tried-and-true games. Candyland and Memory grace our shelves once again. But, I can enjoy them so much more now because I had a chance to miss them.)
1 Year+
Thinkfun Roll and Play
2 Years+
Snail's Pace Race
Busytown: Eye Found It
The Ladybug Game*
Snug as a Bug in a Rug
Bunny Peek a Boo
Seeds for the Birds
Pizza Palace Listening Game
Uno Moo*
Barnyard Bingo
3 Years+
The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
Sound Bingo
Boggle Junior*
Oreo Matchin' Middles*
4 Years+
I Spy Bingo*
Hullabaloo*
Sequence for Kids*
Spot It Junior!
Zingo
Elefun and Friends Mouse Trap
Hoot Owl Hoot
5 Years+
Rivers, Roads, and Rails*
Guess Who*
Monopoly Jr.*
Race to the Treasure
Race to the Roof
Lost Puppies