Family Board Game Gift Guide! I LOVE board game related gifts for the holidays, because there are so many options! From a coveted board game, to an expansion for the giftee’s favorite game, to game night accessories, there are so many way to make your favorite board gamer smile. All our favorite ideas can be found in this Family Board Game Gift Guide!
[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!]
If you like this post, you might like these too!
- Benefits of family game night & tips for raising game loving kids
- 10 Best Family Board Games for All Ages
- Board games to travel with (they’d fit in a stocking, too!)
- The secrets to playing board games on a budget
Pin this round-up of family board games with this photo or link!
The board game family gift guide
Below are a few of our favorite gifts (board games and beyond) for board gamers of various ages. The list starts with toddlers and goes older from there, you can either browse the whole list, or click a quick link below to jump to the age you’re looking for! I’ll also include links through out to some other links that may help you find the perfect board game related gift!
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!
Toddler Board Gamers
Board Games
First Orchard by Haba
Can you pick the fruit before the Raven comes down the path? If there is one game every toddler should play, this is the one! It introduces so many concepts kids will use in other games, and the quality is amazing! Roll the dice and see which fruit you can pick, but watch out, if you roll a Raven it’ll continue down the path toward the orchard. This is an easy game to pick up and play right away and the game length matches up well with the toddler attention span.
- Number of players: 1-4
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 2+
- What we like best: Cooperative game, fast paced, high quality construction
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to learn and understand simple rules
- Kids will learn: First Orchard will teach basic colors, simple dice concepts, and turn taking
Seek-A-Boo by MindWare
This is an awesome first matching game, with multiple categories to keep your toddler having fun and learning play after play. Another great thing about this game is that your toddler can play against themselves with you just leading them through it (rather than competing).
- Number of players: 2+
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 18 months +
- What we like best: Fast paced game, multiple groups of cards, big cards are perfect for toddlers, kids are up and moving while they play
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to learn and understand simple rules
- Kids will learn: Vocabulary, memory, large motor skills
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game by Educational Insights
This one is perfect for toddlers who have developed a bit more coordination, and looking for a bit more challenge. This game is such a fun way for kids to develop pincher muscles and hand strength (a critical milestone). Players race against other players to see who can fill their log with colored nuts first! Take turns spinning the spinner to see what acorns your squirrel found and use the squirrel tongs to collect the acorns. Side note, the manufacturer’s age recommendation is for 3+, most likely due to the nuts being choking hazards, so please keep that in mind if your child has a tendency to put things in their mouth.
- Number of players: 2-4
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 3+
- What we like best: Squirrel tongs are fun and unique, pieces are well made, games are quick
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to spin a spinner and learn/understand simple rules
- Kids will learn: Using the squirrel tongs to pick up nuts is tremendous for fine motor skills, kids will also learn colors, and basic counting
If you’re looking for more toddler board game ideas, this list has more of our all time favorites: the 10 best toddler board games
Other Ideas
Giant Dry Erase Dice
There is so much fun stuff toddlers can do with these giant foam dry erase dice! My favorite idea is drawing animals on them and having the toddler move or make the noise of whatever animal comes up on the roll. Bonus: These are big enough for toddlers to pick up and roll and not be a choking hazard.
Spinner Wheel
I love this wheel as a way to help toddlers learn colors and get them moving! Games like spin the wheel, find that color are simple and so fun for toddlers and spectating parents!
Meeple Bib!
Seems like the perfect way to set up babies and toddlers with a life long love of meeples!
Preschool Board Gamers
Board Games
Animal Upon Animal by Haba
Stacking oddly shaped animals creates endless entertainment. Players take turns stacking animals, whoever can build the stack the highest wins. Simple game concept, but lots of challenges are created by trying to get as many animals stacked as possible. Another fast paced game that’s fun for a wide age range, and an interesting twist on the typical stacking games.
- Number of players: 2-4
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 4+
- What we like best: Unique piece shapes encourage creativity, quality wood game pieces
- Prerequisite skills: Coordination to pick up and stack animals
- Kids will learn: Coordination, fine motor skills, creativity
Create and Tell Me a Story Cards by eeBoo
Sometimes winning/losing games are REALLY hard for preschoolers. This ‘game’ is perfect for those kids, its cooperative story telling! The best part about this game is there are lots of different versions depending on your child’s interests (animals, robots, and fairy tales to name a few). Players take turns drawing cards and telling their portion of the story. Since the cards are random the story always changes into something new, fun, and silly.
- Number of players: 1+
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 3+
- What we like best: Non-competitive play, and it’s entertaining to see the preschoolers mind at work creating stories.
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to create a sentence based on a picture
- Kids will learn: Creativity, communication, story telling, connecting thoughts
Hoot Owl Hoot! by Peaceable Kingdom
Hoot Owl Hoot! is a cooperative game (similar to most Peaceable Kingdom games). Preschoolers will love the (light) decision making this game tasks them with while trying to get the owlets back to the nest. It can be tough to find a preschool board game requiring decision making that strikes with the right balance of challenging your kids without overwhelming them. Hoot Owl Hoot! hits the mark perfectly.
- Number of players: 2-4
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 4+
- What we like best: Challenging yet fast gameplay
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to evaluate simple options and make a decision
- Kids will learn: Strategic thinking, decision making, cooperation, and communication
If you’re looking for more preschool board game ideas, this list has more of our all time favorites: 10 best board games for preschoolers
Stocking Stuffers
Spot it! Alphabet by Blue Orange
This is a great game for keeping energetic preschoolers engaged since the game is all about speed and not turn based. Players compete to see who can spot a matching letter or shape as fast as possible. Helps kids attention span, and teaches letters, shapes, and colors. Read the detailed Spot it! review.
- Number of Players: 2-6
- Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 3+
- Prerequisite Skills: Ability to match shapes/letters between two cards (but kids don’t need to know them by name)
Journey Through Time Card Game by Wonder Forge
If your preschooler likes seek and find games this is a great item for their stocking. Race against your opponents to find the target item and complete your card. The art on these cards is very detailed and engaging. Kids will learn attention to detail, operating under a time crunch, and expand their vocabulary. This is also a great game to pair with its larger version Journey Through Time, Eye Found It!
- Number of Players: 2+
- Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 4+
- Prerequisite Skills: Ability to identify simple objects that match a category, with picture hints (i.e. shovels, buckets)
Other Ideas
Jumbo Dice
Can you think of anything a preschooler would love more than rolling these jumbo dice while playing a game? This is an ideal way to give preschoolers an outlet for wiggles that build up during longer games!
Yard Jenga
Take your kids gaming outdoors with this jumbo Jenga set! Imagine playing Jenga that was as tall as you! That’s what your preschoolers will get to experience with this set!
Kindergarten Board Gamers
Board Games
Sleeping Queens by Gamewright
This was the first game I can say our kids were officially OBSESSED with; Sleeping Queens is a turn based card game where players try to wake queens to score the most points. There are lots of ways to interfere with your opponents strategy (stealing queens or putting them back to sleep) which adds a fun twist to this game that your kids will love. There is also some subtle strategies regarding pairs/runs that kids pick up on over time. The recommended age from the manufacturer is 8+, however once your kids can count to ten and recognize the numbers on the cards they are ready to play.
- Number of players: 2-5
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Quick turns, card art is fun, very competitive regardless of skill, good with only two players
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to remember the powers of multiple cards and recognize and order numbered cards
- Kids will learn: Counting, number recognition, addition, card game strategy
KaBoom by Blue Orange
What five or six-year-old doesn’t love to catapult mini cannonballs into towers as other players build them? That’s the premise of KaBoom, player’s have a limited time to build towers matching cards while other players try to knock them down. A high energy blast of excitement (don’t play this right before bed!), kids will love this game.
- Number of players: 2-5
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 6+
- What we like best: Great for burning energy on a rainy day, high quality wood pieces, unique concept
- Prerequisite skills: Fine motor skills to launch dice and build small pieces into towers
- Kids will learn: Fine motor skills, dealing with frustration (when your tower gets destroyed!)
Cauldron Quest by Peaceable Kingdom
In Cauldron Quest, players work collectively to try and complete a potion before being blocked by the wizard. This game features two unique die and different combinations rolled allow players a multitude of different actions to identify the correct ingredients and move them toward the pot.
- Number of players: 2 -4
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 6+
- What we like best: Multiple strategies possible induces lots of discussion on the next best move
- Prerequisite skills: Past experience with dice games, ability to work toward an end goal
- Kids will learn: Deductive reasoning, communication, and cooperation
If you’re looking for more toddler board game ideas, this list has more of our all time favorites: 10 best board games for 5 year olds
Stocking Stuffers
Left Center Right by George & Co
I wish I had this game as a kid, maybe then I would be able to more readily identify my left from my right. This is a great party game for family gatherings and makes a perfect stocking stuffer! This is a fast paced dice game where kids will learn left from right and have a lot of fun in the process.
Bandido by Helvitiq
This is a cooperative game where players work to capture a bandit who is trying to tunnel out. This is a card placement game, and a perfect fit for puzzle lovers in your family. Games are very quick and challenging. This game does a great job pushing players to cooperate and I love the simple card art.
Accessories
Dice Tower
Around this age was when our kids started to get little more strategic about ‘rolling’ (or placing!) their dice. A dice tower is a perfect solution, and one with an awesome theme like this dragon will make for a great gift they’ll be excited to use! I love solving the dice roll problem without anyone being called out as a ‘cheater’.
Super Hero Playing Cards
This is a great age to start to introduce kids to your family card games! Spicing things up with cards themed to match your kids interest is a great way to jumpstart them into asking you to play. For our kids that was super hero themed cards like these, when we busted them out they were begging to join the family game of garbage.
Other Ideas
Super Hero Meeples
The possibilities for these are endless! We like to use them as special pieces in our favorite games and kids love to make up special rules to go with them. This is a great way to get kids thinking about game rules, why they exist, and balance in games.
Meeple Stuffy
This meeple stuffy looks like a perfect cuddly gift for your little meeples!
Older Kids
Board Games
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
King of Tokyo by Iello
King of Tokyo is a dice game where each player picks a monster and brawls over Tokyo. Dice rolls can heal your monster, damage others, or score victory points and the last monster standing wins. There is a big deck of power up cards to make your monster stronger and keep the game interesting.
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- Number of Players: 2-6
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Fast paced, continually evolving strategy
- Prerequisite skills: Reading, basic dice concepts
- Kids will learn: Basic statistics, strategy
Smash Up by AEG
Zombie-Dinosaurs, Alien-Ninjas, Robot-Wizards what’s not to love! Players pick two groups of cards and shuffle them together. Then they compete against each other trying to conquer bases to win the game. Each group has different strengths and weaknesses setting up a lot of different strategies and counters.
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: No recommendation given
- What we like best: Varying strategies all compete well, fun card art
- Prerequisite skills: Reading, ability to read and interpret complex card abilities
- Kids will learn: Strategy, planning, focus
If you’re looking for more toddler board game ideas, this list has more of our all time favorites: best board games for 7 year olds & best board games for older kids
Stocking Stuffers
Iota by Gamewright
This is a challenging grid building game, where players take turns adding cards to the grid where they fit with the existing pattern. Kids learn to think creatively and spatially while competing to score the most points.
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 8+
- Prerequisite Skills: Pattern recognition and creation
Bananagrams
Players compete to be the first to use up all their letters tiles by building them into a crossword. Very interactive and fast paced game play teaches vocabulary, spelling, reading, creativity, and spatial thinking
- Number of Players: 1-8
- Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 7+
- Prerequisite Skills: Reading and Spelling
Skull dice from Sterling Kisses
As soon as I saw these skull dice I began thinking of all the pirate themed games we have that they would be a perfect addition for! I’m thinking these will be a perfect stocking stuffer for my pirate and board game loving 7 year old! I also love giving stocking stuffer board games!
Giant meeple from Crown Prints 3D
Custom, giant meeple?! What gamer wouldn’t want to proudly display this on their shelf in a game room? I love all the color options and customization you can do to make this gift truly one of a kind!
Big Families of Gamers
Camp by Education Outdoors
Camp is a ‘traditional’ style of board game where players roll a die to advance their animal around the board and back to the campsite. As players advance around the board they have the opportunity to answer nature based trivia to extend their turns. Camp is very quick to learn, and there are 4 different difficulty levels on the trivia cards so the whole family can play together and everyone will learn something new! There is also entertaining animal fact cards that come into play as you work your way around the board.
- Number of players: 2-4
- Manufacturer age recommendation: 4+
- What we like best: Easy to learn, countless trivia questions, wide age range of kids can play together
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to comprehend and answer age appropriate questions
- Kids will learn: Nature trivia, younger gamers will also learn counting, and reading when they are ready
Rory’s Story Cubes by GameWright
For creative game play, Rory’s Story Cubes is the perfect fit for families with a large age range. 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. Younger gamers may not understand some of the pictures, but this game is cooperative so it’s very easy to play this game with kids as young as three!
- 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
One Night Ultimate Werewolf by Bezier Games
For a bigger family with a little older kids one night ultimate werewolf is such a fun game! The game requires some debate skills and some subtlety, so keep that in mind. Our kids could play this one somewhat effectively around 5-6 years old. This also plays well with a lot of people and is great for family gatherings!
- Number of Players: 3-10
- Manufacturer Age Recommendation: 8+
- What we like best: Games are very quick and high energy
- Prerequisite skills: Ability to keep a secret and argue a point
- Kids will learn: Communication, persuasion, deductive reasoning
10×10 Gameplay Tracker by Daftconcepts
Speaking of playing more games, this 10×10 challenge tracker is suck a cool way to start your 2020 gaming off on the right foot! I really like the 10×10 challenge as a way to dive deep into a few games (either new games, all time favorites, or a combo of both!). I think this is a great way to counter collecting board games as a hobby (which I am definitely guilty of) and start playing board games as a hobby!
For more ideas for big families and families with young kids, check out: 10 best games for families of all ages
Other Ideas
Gaming Table
There are all sorts of gaming tables out there from really high end fancy ones to something that can fold up and get put in a closet. I really like this type of table. It’s designed for cards, but perfect for board gaming or puzzling!
Board Game Score Board
Parents
Board Games
Hive by Smart Zone Games
Hive is a perfect game if you love Chess (or like Chess but think games last too long!). It’s a very simple game to understand and play, but the strategy has layers that will keep you coming back for more. Players take over a pile of insects (ants, grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, and a queen) that can each make different movements. Using those insects, players try to surround the opponents queen to win the game. This one plays great for some one on one time with kids, or for a date night in with your significant other! It’s also one of our favorite casual games for couples.
Terraforming Mars by FryxGames
Take over a futuristic corporation and use your resources to terraform Mars and make it habitable for the human race! Terraforming Mars has an amazing dynamic of working together to terraform the planet, but also competing to be the most profitable/successful corporation in the process. Playing with two players really amplifies this dynamic and adds a whole layer of strategy toward the end of the game as you approach completion of the terraforming. This game has great balance and the planning that goes into each turn makes it really engaging for serious gamers. This is a great game for anybody into heavier board games.
Pandemic or Pandemic Legacy by Z-Man Games
Who wouldn’t want to save the world during their board game, date night in? In Pandemic players work together as members of the CDC fighting to stop a disease outbreak before it takes over the world! The original game has great dynamics to make each game play slightly different and keep you coming back for more. Pandemic Legacy adds a story to the original Pandemic game with 12 different scenarios for you to play through. We really enjoyed the character development aspect of Pandemic Legacy and how the stories really bring the game to life, and the ‘what will happen next?’ TV drama also made us keep coming back. This is one of our favorite cooperative board games for couples!
Stocking Stuffers
Love Letter by AEG
Players compete to try and get their love letter to the person closest to the princess each round without getting caught by their opponents first. Each round goes quickly and play is very interactive. Bonus points because this game is still fun with only 2 players. This is the classic version, but there are tons of other versions available to fit it to your giftee.
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: Not provided
- Prerequisite Skills: Reading
Meeple-ize them
If there is one thing I know about board gamers, its that they all love meeples! There are so many clever ideas for cups, shirts, etc. that you can definitely find the right one for your gamer giftee!
Dice Tray by Romans Woods
If you’ve ever played board games with preschoolers you’ve probably seen dice fly off the table (and maybe into another room!). A dice tray like this one gives them something to aim at and will help you spend less time chasing dice around the house!
I’d Love to Hear from You!
What’s the best board game gift you’ve ever received or given? Comment below!
If you’re looking for other ways to increase your Christmas board games, check out our favorite board game Christmas tradition!
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