If you’re in the market for toddler board games we have compiled a great list of games for toddlers that are perfect for kids ages 2 to 4.
Games For Toddlers
You guys know how much we love to sneak quality time in with the kids and board games are one of the best ways to do that!
Not only are we spending time together, but through gameplay, they are learning life long skills!
But with toddlers, it is a little more difficult to find games that are easy enough for them to understand and be able to play, but we’ve got you covered because we’re sharing a great list of toddler board games that not only teach a variety of different skills but are also easy enough that your 2 year old can play with you too!
The Best Toddler Board Games
Here we are the best toddler board games for kids ages 2 to 4. Be sure to check back often as we constantly update this list with new fun games for toddlers.
This Disney matching game is a great game for toddlers. It comes with 72 tiles that your toddler will take turns matching up their favorite Disney characters.
This game helps build critical thinking skills and teaches them to focus and concentrate as they try to remember where the matching tile is.
For younger kids, you might not want to introduce them to all 72 tiles in a game.
When playing with your 2-year-old it might be best to start with 10 tiles (5 pairs) so it does not seem so intimidating to them. As they get better at matching start adding extra tile cards into the game.
Matching is a great game for toddlers to play on their own or with the whole family.!
Red Light Green Light is not your typical board game for toddlers, but it is a great game to introduce them to.
This red light green light game detects motion up to 20 feet away and has sounds, lights, and music.
Your toddler will run on green and freeze on red and of course, if they keep wiggling the sensor will pick it up and send them back to the start line.
Red Led Green Light teaches them to listen to cues and directions and follow what someone tells them to do.
It also teaches impulse control as they have to stop when the light is red no matter how much they want to keep going!
Not only that though, but it is also a great game to play with toddlers if they have a lot of energy that they need to get out.
Chutes and Ladders belongs on the game shelf of every toddler’s home because it's a classic.
To play Chutes and Ladders your toddler does not need to know how to read yet which makes it perfect.
This game will help your toddler with number recognition and counting as well as uses fine motor skills to move their piece around the board to eventually make it to the top.
Snug as a Bug in a Rug is a great cooperative toddler game!
Your toddlers will work together to try and beat those stinkbugs by saving all the colorful bugs before the stink bugs make everything all stinky!
While your toddlers play this game they will develop skills like color recognition.
They'll also have the opportunity to discover shapes, and work on matching skills as they match big and little things together.
This game is a cooperative game, which is our favorite type of game for toddlers.
They will work together on shared decision making and learn different problem-solving strategies as they work with one another in a non-competitive environment.
Another great toddler cooperative game is First Orchard.
First Orchard is a simplified version of the classic game Orchard that we all know and love.
It takes about 10 minutes to play as everyone works together to try and pick the fruit off the tree before the bird gets to the end of the path.
First Orchard helps teach skills like game rules, working with others, helps your toddler develop color recognition and teaches them to learn to count by one.
Daniel Tiger’s Welcome to Mainstreet is a great toddler game for younger toddlers because it encourages interactive gameplay and simple counting.
It builds social skills like sharing and using manners too.
To play this game, toddlers will travel the game board collecting gifts. The first one to gather all 5 gifts and make it to the clock tower first wins.
Along the way, your toddler will have the opportunity to share their gifts with others, and when they do, the player who receives the gift says, “Thank you!”
Such a perfect game to teach the value of sharing and being polite!
This is not your typical toddler board game, but this Toddler Scavenger Hunt is still a great game to learn developmental skills for your toddler.
This game is full of simple questions to guide your toddler on a hunt around the house.
We love this scavenger hunt game for toddlers because it builds vocabulary as they explore different areas of the home and helps increase confidence to be able to explore the world in which they live.
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Toddler Board Game is a great game all toddlers love!
It requires no reading and toddlers and preschoolers love it! In fact, it is the best-selling preschool game for 5 years now!
Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel helps learn colors, develop matching skills, works on strategic thinking and helps with hand-eye coordination.
Not only that it helps build fine motor skills in toddlers.
To play your toddler will spin the spinner and pick up the matching acorn color with your squirrel squeezer and then place it in their log.
The first one to collect 5 acorns wins! Toddlers love to play this game!
We love Peaceable Kingdom games and this one is no different! Unlike many other board games, this one is for very young children.
In Acorn Soup, kids work together to make yummy soups for squirrel using the recipe cards.
Kids will work on a ton of useful skills including one to one correspondence, fine motor skills, counting and more!
Don't Break The Ice is a simple game active toddlers will love!
Players take turns using the icepicks to knock one cube of ice down at a time.
But watch out - you don't want the penguin to fall down with the ice.
Toddlers can work on motor skills, hand-eye coordination and more.
Why Should You Introduce Board Games To Toddlers?
You should introduce board games to toddlers to teach a variety of skills to your children. Toddler games are usually pretty basic and teach skills such as
- Cooperation
- Colors
- Shapes
- Introduction to counting
- Listening skills
- Learn to following directions.
As your toddlers play board games, they will gain many benefits from playing board games together! So, pull up the chairs or cozy up on the floor for these fun toddler board games!
Did your favorite toddler board game make the list? If not, we’d love for you to share it with us in the comments below!
Sam is the crafter and founder of Simple Everyday Mom. She has been featured in Oprah Mag, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce Crafts, Country Living, The Bump and more. Read more.