The 10 BEST Preschool Board Games (Parents Will Want To Play)

Board games are a great way for parents and kids to spend time together!

The best board games keep children entertained while teaching them valuable skills like socializing, reading, math, or an understanding of shapes.

Do you want your child’s preschool playtime to be filled with laughter? Here is a great list of the best preschool board games that will have everyone excited to play!

These games are perfect for 3-5 year olds and will not only be fun, but will also help them learn things like fine motor skills, patience, following directions, and so much more!

And, if your children really love board games, check out all of our best board games for kids.

The Best Preschool Board Games For Kids Ages 3-5

Race to the Treasure!

This cooperative board game by Peaceable Kingdom is highly rated for a reason – it’s a game your kids will want to play over and over again.

The objective of Race To The Treasure is to make a path to get to the treasure before the ogre. Players draw path cards and discuss which way the pieces should be laid on the board in order to get all the keys and make it back to the treasure. Before you get to the end, you’ll have to collect three keys (distributed on the game board) to unlock the treasure. But watch out – draw too many ogre cards and the ogre will get there first and win the game.

This game introduces a cooperative strategy, so it’s best played with kids around 5. That being said, with the help of an adult or older siblings young children will have fun playing as well.

My 3-year-old loves playing this game and participates in all the aspects of it, except for determining which direction the path piece should go on the board.

Hot Potato

While this isn’t technically a board game, it’s a great game for kids (and adults) of all ages!

True to the original game, you squeeze the potato to start the music and the game begins. Toss the potato to anyone in the family, but make sure you don’t end up with it when the music stops. If you do, you’ll get a potato chip and be one step closer to elimination. The last player left in the game wins.

The hot potato game makes the list because it can be used with kids of any age. Even the youngest ones can try their hand at throwing the potato, so everyone in the family is included. Plus, this game helps kids develop hand-eye coordination.

Yeti in My Spaghetti

Yeti in my spaghetti is like the family-friendly version of Kerplunk. There’s no annoying chore of pushing the sticks through small holes, no marble choking hazards and no setup kids can’t do.

In this game, kids place the spaghetti pieces on top of a plastic bowl, then place the adorable Mr. Yeti on top. Simply start removing spaghetti pieces one at a time until the yeti goes tumbling into the bowl. The last player who pulled a noodle without sending the yeti into the bowl wins.

Yeti In My Spaghetti is perfect for preschool aged kids because they can set up and play this game entirely on their own (so you can finally have a moment to yourself)! It’s a great board game for preschoolers.

Let’s Go Fishin’ Game

There’s something irresistible about this classic battery-operated fishing game. The objective of this game is to catch the most fish with your plastic fishing poles. But don’t forget the fish open and close their mouths as they go around the circle, making concentration a necessary requirement for winning.

This fishing game seems to entice all kids but is more suited towards preschoolers on the older side since younger kids will become discouraged if they don’t catch any fish.

You can also adapt this game for younger kids by letting them hold their fish poles near the hook so it becomes easier to get it into the fish’s mouth.

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game

This adorable board game is a new classic for young kids.

The objective of the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game is to be the first to collect acorns of every color and help the squirrel load up for the winter.

Players will take turns spinning the spinner and using squirrel-shaped tweezers to collect their coordinating acorns. This game is great for teaching colors, working on fine motor skills, and learning to take turns.

Chutes and Ladders: Peppa Pig Edition

Everyone loves Chutes and Ladders!

In this game, you move your character around the board with the use of the spinner and try to land on the ladders that advance you further on the game and avoid the chutes that move you closer to the beginning.

There are so many different themes for these as well! You can choose from Disney Princess Chutes and Ladders, Peppa Pig, or original Chutes and Ladders.

Pete the Cat Groovy Buttons Game

Nowadays, Pete the Cat is a household name for anyone with young children. This Pete the Cat board game is based on the Groovy Buttons book.

The objective of the game is to have the most buttons at the end of the game. Players take turns spinning the spinner and landing on various spaces on the board. On some spots you get buttons to put in your button jar, in others you have to give buttons to the Pete the Cat character in the middle of the board, and on other spots, you have to trade your entire button jar with another player. The game ends when there are no more buttons left to hand out

This game is a favorite in our house because it entertains our kids, is fun enough to play repeatedly, and doesn’t take too long to finish.

Raccoon Rumpus Game

Racoon Rumpus is an awesome board game for young kids. In this game, each player has a raccoon card that’s just waiting to be dressed.

On each turn, the player rolls the two jumbo dice. One die has colors on it and the other has pictures of clothes. When both dice have been rolled, the players must find an outfit card that matches the description of the dice.

Be careful you don’t roll the underwear! If that happens, then you have to give all your outfit cards back and start over. The first player to collect 5 outfits wins!

Disney Eye Found It

You’ve probably seen this game before; it’s the giant, six-foot-long board game. Kids are naturally drawn to Disney’s Eye Found It because of its large size but also because it features tons of different Disney characters.

The goal of this game is to get all players to the castle before midnight. On each turn, the player will spin the spinner and land on one of three options:

they land on a number which will indicate the number of spaces they move
they land on the clock which means they must move the hand on the clock castle forward one hour
they land on mouse ears and must draw a mouse card to find certain objects hidden on the giant game board

We’ve had this game for several years and our kids still love playing it. Since the game board is so big and includes so many details, it seems impossible to memorize where all of the items are which makes this game fun to play over and over again.

Even very young children will have fun searching for hidden items on the game board!

rstyle.me

Wiggle Waggle Whiskers

Wiggle Waggle Whiskers is good for helping kids develop simple strategies and for counting. Plus, the animals are super cute and the game is easy to take on the go.

It’s easy to see there are tons of great board games for preschoolers! Do you have a favorite board game for young kids that isn’t listed? Let me know in the comments below.

Did your preschooler’s favorite game make the list? If not, let us know what it is in the comments below!

More Fun Ideas For Preschool

Sam

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.