Are you wondering if your 5-year-old is old enough to play board games? Or if you are curious as to what the benefits of board games might be, or how to choose the best board games for 5-year-olds, you’ve come to the right place.
I asked 5-year-olds which board games they like to play and why they like to play them. Then I spoke with families about their board game experiences and picked the brains of child development experts and board games aficionados. Finally, I added a big helping of personal experience to create a list of the 20 best board games for this age.
- Short game time
- Easy to learn
- Strategy game
- Multiple difficulty levels
- Develops patience & memory
- No reading required
- Educational game
- Fun & entertaining
- Combines strategy & luck
- Beautifully design
- Combo of skill & luck
- Multiple play modes
- Encourages collaboration
- Develops reasoning skills
- Can be played solo
- Fast-paced
- Simple to learn
- Add extra bugs for more fun
- Can be played without adults
- Younger siblings can play
- Can be adapted for teams
- Strengthens memory
- Different experience every round
- No reading required
- Straightforward gameplay
- Few rules
- Highly engaging
- Physical & dynamic
- Good party game
- Can be played outdoors
Can 5-Year-Olds Play Board Games?
Yes, 5-year-olds can play age-appropriate board games. Games geared toward this age group usually have fewer rules, are less complicated, and have a shorter playtime than games for older children and adults.
Benefits of Board Games for 5-Year-Olds
Play board games with a 5-year-old, and you’ll be:
- Boosting communication skills: You and your child will discuss the rules and gameplay, and speak with each other during and after the games. They’ll also develop listening skills and vocabulary (1).
- Enhancing social skills: Playing board games teaches a child to take turns, wait patiently, lose gracefully, and have empathy for the feelings of others.
- Developing focus: Playing board games helps your child sit still, focus, and pay attention to what is happening — an essential skill for school.
- Strengthening relationships: Playing board games not only provides an activity you can share right now but also builds memories you can share in the future.
How to Choose the Best Board Games for 5-Year-Olds
With so many options, how do you choose an appropriate board game for a 5-year-old?
Child’s Preferences
Think about the things your child enjoys and find a board game that aligns with those interests. You can do this by choosing a game related to their interests, such as animals or fairy tales.
Also, consider how your child likes to play. Are they extremely active? If so, a game with a physical element and/or a short playtime might be best.
Alternatively, if you have a quiet child, something more subdued will be more appropriate.
Number of Players
The recommended number of players is an element often overlooked when choosing a board game for 5-year-olds.
If the number of players you have will vary, look for games that can be played with a flexible number of players and avoid those that only work with three, four, or any other number of specific participants.
Educational Benefits
While not every game has to be an academic learning experience, an educational element can be a big benefit of playtime. This is especially true if you have a child who avoids anything that looks like learning.
Budget
If you’re not sure how your child will respond to board games, choose sets at the lower end of the price range. That way, if board games aren’t their “thing,” you won’t be wasting money.
If it turns out they do enjoy board games, then it is worth investing a bit more for a high-quality game that will grow with your child.
Format
Games may have flat boards or be 3D games with multi-layers or building elements. Some don’t have a traditional board but have cards instead — an excellent option for travel or when space is at a premium.
You can also find board games with virtual versions or that have smart or online elements to enhance gameplay. If you’re trying to limit your child’s screen time, then skip the electronic version in favor of an old-fashioned board game.
The Best Board Games for 5-Year-Olds of 2021
When curating this list of games, I’ve considered the advice above and thought about the board games my kids have loved and loathed. Plus, I picked the brain of my oldest daughter who, rather conveniently for me, runs a board game store and has lots of knowledge and experience.
1. Rhino Hero
In Rhino Hero, players take turns to place walls and lay roof cards to build a collaborative tower. At specific, random points, you help the rhino climb the tower without demolishing it.
The winner is the first to use all of their cards, or if the tower tumbles, you all win. Or lose.
Some roof cards have additional symbols to indicate a change of play direction or that the next player skips a turn. This adds an element of strategy which keeps it interesting.
Also, for 5-year-olds, Rhino Hero Super Battle has more cards, additional animal heroes, and evil monkeys to contend with. This is an excellent choice for an upgrade if you enjoy the basic game.
- Short game time.
- Easy to learn.
- Affordable.
- Cards can become bent.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 years and older |
Number of players | 2 to 5 |
Game length | 5 to 15 minutes |
Format | 3D, building |
2. Magic Labyrinth
Players move their pawns around the board, attempting to collect several objects. The pawns have a magnet at their base, which allows them to “hold” a steel ball against the board’s underside. As your pawn moves across the surface, the ball is pulled along with it.
The game board sits on a box, and inside there’s a maze you can’t see while you’re playing. If your pawn moves over a wall in the labyrinth, your steel ball is knocked off, and you return to your starting point.
To collect all of your items and reach your endpoint, you must remember where the walls are and avoid them. Walls are set randomly, so the maze is different for every game.
- Multiple difficulty levels.
- Develops patience and memory.
- No reading required.
- Requires set-up each time.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 years and older |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 20 to 30 minutes |
Format | 3D, hidden maze, memory |
3. Ticket to Ride First Journey
This version of Ticket to Ride has a map that includes the U.S. and a sliver of Southern Canada.
Players have “tickets” for different cities and connect them on the map by placing their trains and claiming the routes.
Kids learn the basics of U.S. geography, which you can expand on outside the game. Meanwhile, the cartoon graphics and cute plastic trains are appealing to kids, but not so childlike that they’ll be off-putting for the target age-range.
There’s another children’s version with the same gameplay but a map of Europe and multiple adult versions to move to as your kids grow.
- Educational.
- Entertaining.
- Combines strategy and luck.
- Less entertaining for older family members.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 12 years |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 15 to 30 minutes |
Format | Chance, strategy, planning |
4. Dragon's Breath
To play Dragon’s Breath, players take turns to remove rings from the ice column, releasing gems. Gems that fall in certain areas are taken out of play, and the remaining gems are divided among players according to color. The player with the most gems after the last ring is removed wins.
This sounds overly simple, but there are enough variables to make it fun and exciting.
As a bonus, the game is played on a platform on the box, and gems go into the box as you play. That makes clean-up a cinch.
- Beautifully made.
- Combo of skill and luck.
- Multiple play modes.
- Small gems, which makes them easier to lose.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 9 years |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 15 to 20 minutes |
Format | 3D |
5. Outfoxed!
Players start in the center of the board and travel the grid in any direction. Simultaneously, the fox begins at one end and moves along the path through the middle. A throw of the dice determines whether the player or the fox moves.
Land on a clue space and you can put a token into the “decoder” and reveal the clue. Clues are shared among all players, and you work together to solve the mystery before the fox makes it across the board.
- Encourages collaboration.
- Develops reasoning skills.
- Can be played solo.
- Off-putting instructions.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 10 years |
Number of players | 1 to 4 |
Game length | 10 to 20 minutes |
Format | Collaborative, deduction |
6. Bugs in the Kitchen
Bugs in the Kitchen is played within the box. At each end, there are two “bug traps.” Barriers are set into the board, and these barriers, which are shaped like knives and forks, can be turned in different directions.
To begin, you release the robotic HexBug. The bug runs around the maze, and on your turn, you throw the dice to discover whether to turn a knife or fork. The aim of the game is to turn the utensils and guide the bug into one of the traps.
The owner of the trap receives a bug token, and the first to five bugs wins.
- Fast-paced.
- Simple to learn.
- Add extra bugs for more fun.
- Too intense for some younger kids.
- Can become frenetic.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 12 years |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 15 to 20 minutes |
Format | Fast response |
7. My First Carcassonne
The aim of My First Carcassonne is to place all eight of your wooden figures on the map, but that is easier said than done.
Players choose one of the four colors to play as, and the map tiles are stacked in random piles on the table. Players take a map tile from the top of any pile and turn it face up. They then connect one end of a road on their tile to the open end of a road on the existing map.
If the tile you add to the map features a child in the color you have chosen, you place one of your wooden people on the map.
- Can be played without adults.
- Younger siblings can play.
- Can be adapted for teams.
- Can require lots of room.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 4 years and older |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 10 to 20 minutes |
Format | Color matching, tile-laying |
8. Enchanted Forest
All players begin in the “village” area at one end of the board. Each of the 13 trees has a picture on the base and is placed next to the 13 blue squares. If you land on a blue square, peek under the tree next to it and remember which picture is where.
At the other end of the board is the king’s castle area, where the treasure cards sit. A card is turned over to reveal a treasure. If you can remember which tree you saw the treasure under, race to the castle and be the first to reveal its location.
- Strengthens memory.
- Different every time.
- No reading required.
- Longer playtime.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 12 years |
Number of players | 2 to 6 |
Game length | 30 to 60 minutes |
Format | Around the board, memory |
9. Blokus
Blokus is a square grid onto which shaped pieces are placed. Each player gets the same 21 pieces, all of which are between one and five squares in different configurations.
Players take turns to place one piece on the board at a time. You begin in your corner and work outwards. Pieces must touch another of the same color, but they can only touch at the corner.
The game ends when someone has laid all of their pieces or when no more pieces can be laid. The winner is the first to lay all their pieces or the one with the fewest squares left.
It sounds overly simple, but it keeps the adults in our house playing for hours.
- Straightforward gameplay.
- Few rules.
- Highly engaging.
- Requires focus.
- Works best with four players
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 years to adult |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 20 to 30 minutes |
Format | Tile laying, strategy |
10. The Floor Is Lava
Stepping “stones” of different colors are scattered across the floor. One player spins the arrow to choose a color, and players must jump onto a tile of that color. The spinner determines who was last to land on a tile and removes the stepping stone from which they jumped.
If you can’t find a stone of the correct color to jump to, or if you touch the ground between the stones, you’re out. The last player in the game wins.
Some stepping stones have actions on them, such as “dance like a ballerina.” If you land on one of these tiles, you must perform the action, but this element can be left out if you prefer.
- Physical.
- Good party game.
- Can be played outside.
- Needs plenty of room.
- Eliminated kids get bored.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 10 years |
Number of players | 2 to 6 |
Game length | 10 to 45 minutes |
Format | Physical activity, elimination |
11. Wildcraft!
Wildcraft is a collaborative game in which you climb a mountain by moving around the board. On the way, players must collect 26 edible and medicinal plant cards to cure 31 ailments. Then they must return to grandma’s house before nightfall.
To ensure everyone has an objective and feels included, each player also has to collect two huckleberries while at the top of the mountain.
There’s no need for prior knowledge, and everything you need to know is within the game. Kids can also take the cards out and about and use them to identify the plants they find.
- 100 percent recycled materials and vegetable inks.
- Printable downloads available.
- Learning resource.
- Not everyone’s ideal subject matter.
- Long play time.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 years and older |
Number of players | 1 to 4 |
Game length | 45 to 60 minutes |
Format | Collaborative, collection |
12. Scrabble Junior
The newest incarnation of Scrabble Junior is two word games in one.
On the “easy” side of the board, there’s a grid with pre-printed words and a numbered pathway around the outside. Players take letter tiles in the same way as traditional Scrabble. Instead of making words, they match their tiles to letters in a word on the board.
You earn points for different letters and completing a word. You move your figure around the outer pathway, and first to the finish wins.
On the reverse side, you play Scrabble in the traditional way, but without the premium squares such as double letter scores.
- No need to spell.
- Aids letter recognition.
- Two games in one.
- No tile stands.
- Cardboard letter tiles.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 4 years and older |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 20 to 45 minutes |
Format | Spelling, race around the board. |
13. Brain Freeze
Brain Freeze consists of two draw-on/wipe-off game boards. Each board has two pieces, which clip together easily to form an L-shape. The larger section has a 10×10 grid with a picture of a frozen treat printed in each square.
First, players choose a target square and mark the color, picture, and square location on their board’s vertical section. They then take turns to ask each other questions to work out the treat, the color, and the location the other player has chosen.
Think of it as a simple Guess Who meets Battleship, with ice-creams and lollipops.
- Lightweight and portable.
- No pieces to lose.
- Promotes logical thinking.
- Challenging for “younger 5-year-olds.”
- Takes time to learn logical thinking processes.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 years and older |
Number of players | 2 |
Game length | 10 to 20 minutes |
Format | Deduction, logic |
14. Gamewright Hisss
The aim of the game is to create snakes that are as long as possible. Every snake must have a head, a tail, and at least one body section, and the longer you can make your snake, the better.
Players take a card, turn it over, and try to match it to a card already laid to lengthen or complete a snake. If you can’t match your card, it’s placed on the table, and another snake is started.
If you complete a snake, you take the cards. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
- Portable.
- Easy to learn.
- No set-up.
- Quickly outgrown.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 4 to 10 years |
Number of players | 2 to 5 |
Game length | 15 minutes |
Format | Chance, strategy, card laying |
15. Clue Junior
Two different Clue Junior sets are available — The Case of the Broken Toy and The Case of the Missing Cake. Rules and gameplay are the same for both — the only difference is the mystery you’re solving.
Players must discover the “who,” “what,” and “when” of the mystery by moving around the board to view picture clues. Clue cards are laid face-down on the board, and when you view a clue, you mark it off on your pre-printed detective pad.
When you have eliminated all but one possibility for who, what, and when you can solve the mystery. Players can move any character, making it easy to play with any number, but puzzle-solving is not collaborative.
- Teaches deductive reasoning.
- A non-violent mystery.
- It can be played with only two people or up to six.
- Instructions are unclear.
- Games can take a long time.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 12 years |
Number of players | 2 to 6 |
Game length | 30 minutes |
Format | Deductive, race to the solution |
16. The Game of Life Junior
The aim of the game is to move around the board, visiting locations such as the zoo or water park.
The in-board spinner tells you how many spaces to move. Land on an attraction and you pay an entry fee. Land on a yellow square and you take an action card and perform the action on the card, such as “act like a lion.”
If your child can’t read, you need at least three players for a game, or the charades part doesn’t work. You receive a star for each attraction you visit, and for every action, the other players correctly guess. The first player to ten stars wins.
- Good for active kids.
- Bearable for adults.
- Easy to learn how to play.
- Requires basic reading.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 12 years |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 15 to 30 minutes |
Format | Race to the finish, charades |
17. Sums In Space
In Sums In Space, players race around the board, move past the black hole, escape the planet, and get back home. They do this by solving single-digit addition and subtraction equations.
Players roll the three dice and get two numbers between 0 and 9 and either an addition or subtraction sign. They arrange the die to form an equation, solve the equation, and move the squares’ resulting number on the board. First, one to the end wins.
When a player rolls a zero in collaborative mode, the rocket is moved one square down the countdown ladder. If everyone gets to the end before the rocket reaches zero, everyone wins. If the rocket reaches zero, the game is over.
- Develops basic math.
- Collaborative or competitive.
- A good pick for kids who love space.
- Quickly outgrown.
- Feels basic.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 7 years |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 30 to 60 minutes |
Format | Race to the finish, against the clock, math |
18. Monopoly Junior
Monopoly Junior is similar to the adult version but has 24 squares on the board instead of 40. Houses, hotels, Community Chest, utilities, railroads, and tax squares are all eliminated, and rather than specific places, the properties are things like the zoo and boardwalk.
Players move around the board buying properties, avoiding jail, and picking up Chance cards. If you land on a property owned by another player, you pay rent.
Players who cannot pay their bills are eliminated. The remaining players sell their properties back to the bank, count their money, and the player with the most cash wins.
- Excellent value.
- Teaches math skills.
- Fun for adults.
- The only money denomination is $1 bills, which limits the math lessons.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 12 years |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 45 minutes |
Format | Buy and sell, elimination |
19. Operation
The traditional Operation from your childhood is alive and well, slightly updated for kids of today.
Cavity Sam lays on his hospital bed, and budding doctors must use a steady hand to remove those pesky plastic pieces from his body. If the attached plastic-coated metal tweezers touch his body, then, bbbzzzzzzzz, your turn is over.
The only difference between the traditional version and this updated one is that the cards are of better quality and have modern graphics and colors.
Operation: Pet Scan mixes things up a little by having a maze to move the game pieces through, and special theme editions are also available, including Operation Star Wars The Mandalorian Edition, Operation Disney-Pixar Finding Dory, and Operation Star Wars Chewbacca Edition.
- Improves fine motor skills.
- Can be played solo.
- It’s a fun game for kids.
- Unrealistic body parts.
- Small pieces.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 years and older |
Number of players | 1 or more |
Game length | 10 minutes |
Format | Steady hand, piece removal |
20. Risk Junior
In Risk Junior, players move their pirate ships around the map to find treasure and take control of the islands.
Unlike regular Risk, which island is attacked and who wins is determined by a roll of the dice. It’s entirely down to chance. While this takes the strategy element out of the game, it does prevent anyone from being ganged up on by other players.
The chance element means the game can be over in as little as ten minutes but can run to well past an hour, which becomes grueling and rather dull.
- Fun pirate theme.
- Quirky counters.
- It can be played with only two players.
- Inconsistent game length.
- Incorrect compass on the board.
- Can become tedious.
Additional Specs
Age Range | 5 to 10 years |
Number of players | 2 to 4 |
Game length | 15 to 60 minutes |
Game type | Travel around the board |
Product | Best | Age Range | No of players | Game length | Format |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rhino Hero | Stacking Game | 5 years & older | 2 to 5 | 5 to 15 min | 3D, building |
Magic Labyrinth | 3D Board Game | 5 years & older | 2 to 4 | 20 to 30 min | 3D, hidden maze, memory |
Ticket to Ride First Journey | Map-Based | 5 to 12 years | 2 to 4 | 15 to 30 min | Chance, strategy, planning |
Dragon’s Breath | Dexterity Game | 5 to 9 years | 2 to 4 | 15 to 20 min | 3D |
Outfoxed! | Cooperative Game | 5 to 10 years | 1 to 4 | 10 to 20 min | Collaborative, deduction |
Bugs in the Kitchen | Action Game | 5 to 12 years | 2 to 4 | 15 to 20 min | Fast response |
My First Carcassonne | Multiplayer | 4 years & older | 2 to 4 | 10 to 20 min | Color matching, tile-laying |
Enchanted Forest | Memory Game | 5 to 12 years | 2 to 6 | 30 to 60 min | Around the board, memory |
Blokus | Strategy Game | 5 years to adult | 2 to 4 | 20 to 30 min | Tile laying, strategy |
The Floor Is Lava | Physical Activity | 5 to 10 years | 2 to 6 | 10 to 45 min | Physical activity, elimination |
Wildcraft! | Nature-Based | 5 years & older | 1 to 4 | 45 to 60 min | Collaborative, collection |
Scrabble Junior | Spelling Game | 4 years & older | 2 to 4 | 20 to 45 min | Spelling, race around the board. |
Brain Freeze | Two-Player | 5 years & older | 2 | 10 to 20 min | Deduction, logic |
Gamewright Hisss | Card-Based | 4 to 10 years | 2 to 5 | 15 min | Chance, strategy, card laying |
Clue Junior | Deduction Game | 5 to 12 years | 2 to 6 | 30 min | Deductive, race to the solution |
The Game of Life Junior | Family Game | 5 to 12 years | 2 to 4 | 15 to 30 min | Race to the finish, charades |
Sums In Space | Counting Game | 5 to 7 years | 2 to 4 | 30 to 60 min | Race to the finish, against the clock, math |
Monopoly Junior | Budget Pick | 5 to 12 years | 2 to 4 | 45 min | Buy and sell, elimination |
Operation | Electronic Game | 5 years & older | 1 or more | 10 min |
Steady hand, piece removal
|
Risk Junior | Determined By Chance | 5 to 10 years | 2 to 4 | 15 to 60 min |
Travel around the board
|
Take The Bored Out Of Board Games
Some people have fond memories of playing board games, while others only remember being bored or put off by overly competitive adults. This is a shame because board games are a fabulous way to spend time with each other, learn a thing or two, and have fun.
To create this list of the best board games for 5-year-olds, we tried to find games to suit a range of interests, game styles, and family dynamics. Hopefully, there’s something on the list to suit your 5-year-old and those who play board games with them.