Board Games for Preschoolers
/When we found out that we were expecting our first child, my husband and I started planning for Family Game Night. I’m not kidding. Baby was the size of a pea in utero and there we were, shopping for board games. Who needs diapers?!
Five years later, we still have a handful of plastic-wrapped games in our bedroom closet waiting for the day our children are old enough to play them. In the meantime, we have found a number of board games that our kids enjoy that neither of us grew up playing. The special part of the games I am highlighting today is that they are cooperative play games, which means that all the players are working towards the same goal together. This encourages communication as we discuss the best way to meet the goal, cooperation as we allow each other to find their best way to proceed, and collaboration as we work as a team to win. Ultimately, we all win together and we all lose together.
HABA’s First Orchard was given to my oldest son on his second birthday. Players work together to collect the harvest (red apples, green apples, plums, and pears) by rolling a die before the raven enters the orchard through the gate and gobbles them up. A benefit to this game is watching my kids set it up and practice their color sorting skills.
About a year ago, we received Hoot Owl Hoot, winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. In this game, the players work together to strategize the quickest way to get the little owls back to their nest before the sun rises. Though there is a component of luck in this game (card drawing), which is ideal for younger players, there is also strategy to more efficiently usher the owls home. This is a great game playing skill for older players to learn and practice.
A month or so ago, my kids and I were shopping for a birthday present and while walking up and down the toy aisles, I inevitably heard statements such as “Mom, I want this!” and questions like “Mom, can we buy this?” Usually, when shopping for others, I try to restrict any purchases for my own kids, wanting them to instead focus on the value of giving thoughtful gifts. However, when they found this gem, I too was smitten. A Parents’ Choice Silver Honor by the Parents’ Choice Foundation, Dinosaur Escape Game combines luck (rolling a die) with skill (memorizing what each fern token is hiding) while working together to help the dinosaurs escape to Dinosaur Island before the volcano explodes.
If you have little people at home, I encourage you to take a look at these games and other cooperative play games to start your own Family Game Night tradition.
Written by Brandi Stanton, mom of 2 rascals ages 3 and 5.
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