10 Best Board Games for 7 Year Olds! Almost every game teaches something, when kids are younger it’s core skills like counting, math, reading, and as the games get more complicated, it’s subtle things like critical and strategic thinking. Around 7 years old is the age range I felt like games started to shift to more of a critical/strategic thinking combination and it’s really fun to see your kids pick up on strategies you use against them. Kids develop at different rates, so if your child is not quite ready for these games check out our list of best games for kindergartners, and if your kid is ready for a little more challenge check out our list of best board games for older kids. Without further ado, here is our list of the best board games for 7 year olds:
[Stephanie’s note: If the voice sounds different it’s because this post was written by Tyler, my husband, and originally published on Kidsloveboardgames.com which is now defunct!]
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Pin this round-up of family board games with this photo or link!
Best Board Games for 7 Year Olds
When you’re shopping for games, consider looking on Facebook marketplace for secondhand, buying from your local, small board game shop/toy shop, searching on Ebay, or checking Kidizen for used games. These are linked to Amazon for convenience but we’d much prefer you shop secondhand and/or small when you’re able!
Carcassonne by Z-Man Games
In Carcassonne, players draw tiles and use them to build a game board; claiming roads, cities, farms, and cloisters for points. Carcassonne is a lot of people’s first Euro game, and 7/8 year olds is a great age to introduce this game. The best thing about Carcassonne is that it is pretty simple to pick up and play quickly, but as you play there are layers of strategy for your kids to pick up on. It’s really neat to see your kids pick up on the subtleties of this game the more they play. Another plus about Carcassonne is there are a lot of expansion packs to keep this game interesting for years to come (Towers and Traders and Builders are two of our favorites).
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Subtle strategy, great replayability
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to understand and follow multiple rules
- Kids will learn: Strategic thinking, resource management
Zeus on the Loose by Gamewright
Zeus on the Loose is a fast paced card game where players attempt to ‘conquer’ Mount Olympus by holding Zeus at game end (when Olympus total equals or exceeds 100). The deck is a mix of number cards and special cards which can impact the total significantly and throw a wrench in other players plans. Game play is fast and played in rounds so the length can be adjusted to fit your situation.
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Quick games, great brain workout, everyone always has a chance to win until the end
- Prerequisite skills: Counting to 100, understanding of addition and subtraction
- Kids will learn: Mental addition and subtraction, strategic thinking
Laser Maze by Think Fun
In Laser Maze, players use mirrors and reflectors to bounce the laser around the board to the finish line. Kids will have a blast pushing the button and see if the laser goes where they intended it to. The game can be played with one player or cooperatively with multiple players against the game. There are a ton of puzzle cards from beginner level to advance so the difficulty can grow with your kids.
- Number of Players: 1+
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Challenging puzzles, entertaining for 1 player, unique concept
- Prerequisite skills: Experience with puzzles, ability to look at a map of the board and place pieces accordingly
- Kids will learn: Spatial thinking, cooperation, communication
Enchanted Forest by Ravensburger
Enchanted Forest is an interesting blend of a memory game and a classic board game, players search under trees for various items and then travel to a castle and try to remember where the items are. The game involves lots of racing to the castle and remembering not only where you’ve looked but also where other players have looked to determine where items are located.
- Number of Players: 2-6
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Lots of playing interaction and reading other players, ability to move both directions on the board in one turn for unique strategic play
- Prerequisite skills: Counting, basic dice concepts
- Kids will learn: Memory, addition, reading people
Gobblet by Blue Orange
Gobblet is a great two player game for kids who’ve had enough of the classics like Checkers or Connect 4. In Gobblet, players compete to be the first to get four in a row, but the twist is players can ‘Gobble’ other player’s pieces. As the game progresses, pieces getting covered and uncovered requires players to be focused on not only what is showing but what’s hidden on the board and makes for some dramatic finishes.
- Number of Players: 2
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 7+
- What we like best: High quality wood construction, simple/quick but suspenseful game play
- Prerequisite skills: Understanding of Connect 4/Checkers
- Kids will learn: Memory, strategy
Cadoo by Cranium
Cadoo is a social game that combines elements of Charades, Pictionary, and Tic-Tac-Toe. Players compete in mini rounds of the classic games to earn markers, and use the markers to try to get four in a row. The subjects for the mini games are well suited for seven and eight year olds to have fun with (no super dated references), and its great to see kids who are new to these games work out the best ways to communicate without saying the answer.
- Number of Players: 2+
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 7+
- What we like best: Great player interaction, introduces kids to the concepts of classic party games
- Prerequisite skills: Reading, counting
- Kids will learn: Communication, non-verbal communication, fine motor skills
Rory’s Story Cubes by Gamewright
For creative game play, Rory’s Story Cubes is the perfect fit. While the concept is really simple (roll the dice and create a story using all the pictures) the possibilities are endless and its great to see the creativity that comes out as kids are creating stories.
- Number of Players: 1+
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Endless possibilities, there are a ridiculous amount of dice combinations possible and when combined with player’s creativity every game is unique and entertaining
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to put a concept into a sentence
- Kids will learn: Creativity and communication
The Legend of Landlock by Gamewright
This is another board building game where players can choose to be either roads or rivers with the goal of creating long rivers and roads and blocking the other player. There are some fun quirks with bridges, gnomes, and animal cards that give additional ways to score points and foil your opponents plans. The game is simple to pick up but has a lot of subtle strategy to it that your children will really enjoy playing for hours on end.
- Number of Players: 2 or 4
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Strategy is constantly evolving throughout the game, keeping players on their toes throughout
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to follow understand and follow multiple rules regarding piece placement
- Kids will learn: Strategy, forward thinking
Blokus 3-D (formerly Rumis) by Educational Insights
If you like Blokus or other puzzle style games, you’ll love Blokus 3-D. Players take turns placing different shaped pieces into a predefined shape, the player with the most of their color showing on top of the shape wins. This is a competitive, spacial game for kids who like puzzles and brain teasers.
- Number of Players: 2 – 4
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Unique concept, quick gameplay
- Prerequisite skills: Past experience with puzzles, decent coordination
- Kids will learn: Spatial thinking, planning, strategy
Dragonwood by Gamewright
In Dragonwood players battle/capture monsters to score points and win the game. This is a really fun combo of card and dice game. Players collect cards and play them to earn a certain number of dice to roll. They use these dice to battle the monsters!
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- Number of players: 2-4
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Fun combination of luck and strategy
- Prerequisite skills: Counting/number ordering
- Kids will learn: Decision making, odds, addition
What are your favorite board games for 7 year olds?
How’d we do? Which mus- have games did we miss? Comment below!
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