If you are looking for exceptional board games that will educate and enchant your little ones – look no further! Having raised two intelligent daughters on a “diet” of endless board games and based on my extensive research, I have felt equipped to share my in-depth review of the top 20 board games for 5–6-year-olds.
Board games for 5–6-year-olds foster children’s communication and listening skills, including their vocabulary. It develops their social skills through interacting with other players, their ability to focus, which is essential for learning, and it strengthens their relationships.
While I have included board games that my children loved and omitted those that were simply tedious, I realized that most board game overviews do not include candid information about the game’s true benefits and disadvantages. So, if you want to buy an age-appropriate board fun game that offers great value for money – read on!
Ticket to Ride: Geography Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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Ticket to Ride is a highly rated board game that features a map of the USA, including a section of Canada.
It is easy for five to seven-year-old children to play as the rules are incredibly rudimentary, and it only takes 15-30 minutes to play.
It affords older children an opportunity to advance based on their strategic thinking skills, while younger children also have an advantage as the game is based on their luck.
Each player is awarded a ticket to a city, and they must then claim a route to that city by locating a train on the path they must complete.
A player is then either rewarded for completing their designated route or penalized for not doing so.
It’s a fun learning aid to teach children about their country’s geography, including parts of Canada.
Moreover, the game’s adorable trains and cartoon illustrations appeal greatly appeal to children of all ages.
Several other versions of the game teach children about European geography, including more adult editions for older children.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: combines luck with strategic skills. Furthermore, it’s entertaining and educational.
Disadvantages: older children might find it boring.
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Operation: Anatomy Based Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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If this electronic game sounds vaguely familiar, it’s probably because you played with it as a child.
While the newer version is slightly different, with better colors, graphics, and cards, it’s still a great electronic learning aid for aspirant Nurses and Doctors or any fun-loving folks.
There are still twelve body parts that can be “surgically” removed. However, the bones are normally incredibly challenging to reach, and connecting the knee and ankle bones demands full concentration.
The best part of Operation is when Sam’s nose starts buzzing when children mistakenly touch the game’s metal components; it often results in fits of giggles.
Likewise, Sam now proudly wears an ice-cream cone in the updated version of the game to show children what it feels like when you get brain-freeze.
Furthermore, there are several other versions of Operation with themes like Star Wars, Disney, or animals that your child could enjoy if they love this game.
Players: 1-2
Benefits: develops fine motor skills, and children can play it on their own.
Disadvantages: the body parts are not hyper-realistic, and the components are very small.
Duration: 10 minutes
GoTrovo: A Great Treasure Hunt Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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GoTrovo thoroughly deserves all the award-winning accolades it has garnered thus far!
It’s a highly interactive game that will encourage your children to ditch their mobile devices and keep them glued to their seats during their scavenger hunt adventures.
Your children will certainly not be bored as all the trails differ significantly, and they will love finding clues to find their treasures.
Players: 1-4
Benefits: improves a child’s patience and ability to memorize items
Disadvantages: the map might not be easy to flatten (just use heavy items to weigh it down)
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Rhino Hero: Great Stacking Board Game For 5-To-6- Year-Olds
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Rhino Hero is an excellent board game choice if you want your children to collaborate and improve their ability to concentrate peacefully.
The rules are rudimentary and easy to understand for younger children as the first player to use all their allotted cards wins. Moreover, depending on how the tower is demolished, all the players stand a chance of either winning or losing.
However, more strategically skilled players will also enjoy playing the game. Certain cards used to construct the tower’s roof contain symbols that can force the other player to skip their turn or play in another direction.
This strategic element of the game keeps older children aged seven engaged when playing with younger children.
Suppose they like playing Rhino Hero and need some variety. In that case, they will love playing either Rhino Hero Active Kids or Rhino Hero Super Battle, which features more heroic animals, including wicked little monkeys.
Players: 2 -5
Benefits: fosters teamwork and concentration
Disadvantages: the playing cards bend easily
Duration: 5-15 minutes
Dragon’s Breath Dexterity: Board Game For 5-To-6-Year-Olds
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Dragon’s Breath is an easy game to play; however, several variables keep children engaged.
Players have fun releasing gems by removing the ice column rings. However, the released gems may either be distributed amongst the players according to their colors or set aside if they fall in the wrong area.
Once all the rings have been removed, the player with the greatest number of gems is declared the Dragon’s Breath winner.
The game’s platform is placed on the board game box where the gems are stored as you play. Therefore, unlike with other board games, it’s easy to tidy up afterward.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: a beautifully crafted game that combines luck and skill
Disadvantages: the gems are tiny and easy to mislay
Duration: 15-20 minutes
Outfoxed! Collaborative Board Game For 5-To-6- Year-Olds
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Outfoxed is a fun game where children need to ascertain the sly Mr. Fox’s whereabouts.
Children start by moving on the board game grid in various directions while Mr. Fox moves along a path.
Players then throw dice to determine whether Mr. Fox or a player may move along.
The exciting aspect of this game is when a child lands on a space that is designated as a clue area, and they are permitted to place a game token in a decoding space that provides a clue.
The children share these decoder clues, and they learn to work together as a team to unravel the game’s secret to evade the dreaded Mr. Fox.
Players: 1-4
Benefits: fosters reasoning and collaborative skills
Disadvantages: the instructions can be irksome
Duration: 20-30 minutes
Bugs in the Kitchen: Top Action Board Game For 5-To-6-Year- Olds
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It is a fun game played in a box containing two traps for bugs at the end of each side of the container.
There are several incased barriers in the board shaped like knives or forks that may be moved in various directions.
The game starts by releasing a HexBug, a robotic bug that moves around a maze, and the role of the dice dictates whether a knife or a fork may be turned.
The purpose of Bugs in the Kitchen is to move the barrier utensils and to steer the HexBug into one of the two traps. A player that owns the relevant trap is awarded a HexBug token, and the first player to collect five tokens is declared the winner.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: a fast-paced, simple game
Disadvantages: it may be too fast-paced for younger children
Duration:15-20 minutes
Learning Resources Sum Swamp: Game For 5-To-6-Year-Olds
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If you are searching for a highly entertaining and educational game for multiple players – look no further!
This game is an effective mathematical learning aid that fosters a child’s rudimentary addition or subtraction skills in a fun way.
While children may hone their mathematical skills by playing games on mobile devices – board games are far more effective in teaching children basic mathematics.
Furthermore, they will be able to socialize with other children, and they won’t have to strain their eyes as they are want to do.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: it can be played with teams of young children without adults
Disadvantages: mathematically limited to additions or subtractions
Duration:15-20 minutes
Enchanted Forest: Top Memory Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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The game begins when players are in the Enchanted Forest village, which is located on one side of the board.
All the thirteen trees contain pictures beneath them and are situated beside thirteen squares. If a player should end up on one of the blue squares, they need to lift the tree beside the blue square and remember where the picture is.
The king’s castle on the opposite end of the Enchanted Forest board contains special cards that reveal hidden treasures.
Therefore, if a player can recall under which tree they initially saw the treasure, they can charge along to the castle to claim their hidden loot.
Players: 2-6
Benefits: cultivates memorization skills without the necessity to read, which makes it appropriate for younger children.
Disadvantages: the game takes longer to play in comparison with others.
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Blokus: Top Strategy Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
![Blokus Game [Amazon Exclusive]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lyGgUz3UL._SL500_.jpg "Blokus Game [Amazon Exclusive]")
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This game is played on a square-shaped grid where all the players are given 21 shaped pieces that are differently configured.
Players then start placing their pieces on the board, one at a time, working their way from their designated corner and expanding outwards.
According to the rules, these pieces may only touch the corners of similarly colored adjacent pieces.
Blokus ends when one of the players has placed all their pieces or when there is no space for additional pieces.
A player can “proclaim victory” when they are the first one to use all their pieces or have the least number of remaining squares.
While the game sounds deceivingly simple, it’s incredibly addictive, which means that you could end up playing for hours – without your kids!
Players: 2-4
Benefits: easy to understand and incredibly engaging
Disadvantages: it is best played with four players
Duration: 20-30 minutes
The Floor Is Lava: Top Physical Activity Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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It is a perfect game if you want to tempt your child away from gaming and away from a sofa!
The game starts when different colored stepping-stones are sprinkled across a floor space. Then a player is selected to choose a color by spinning the arrow; the players must then jump on their colored tile.
The designated spinner then ascertains which player was the last to end up on a specific-colored tile and eliminates the “stone” that they jumped from.
Players are out of the game if they cannot find the correct colored stone to jump towards or land in a space between the stones. The remaining player wins.
If that aspect of the game is not physical, enough – a number of stepping-stones contain instructions to perform certain actions like “perform a dance as if you were a ballerina,” which will result in much hilarity.
Players: 2-6
Benefits: a great party game that can be played outside in a big space
Disadvantages: children who are eliminated might get bored
Duration: 10-45 minutes
Scrabble Junior: Top Spelling Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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The latest version of this game offers great value for money as it includes two games for the price of one.
The easier part of the board game features a grid with words, including a numbered path on the outskirts of the board.
At the game’s inception, players are awarded lettered tiles which is like the original Scrabble board game.
However, instead of creating words like in the traditional form of Scrabble – players must use their allotted tiles to complete the printed words on the board.
They accumulate points for differing letters and for creating words. The first player that manages to complete their Scrabble pathway is declared the winner.
The reverse side features a traditional Scrabble option, minus the easier version’s squares like the dual lettered scores.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: fosters literacy skills without having to be able to spell
Disadvantages: tile stands are not included, and the tiles are made from cardboard
Duration: 20-45 minutes
Brain Freeze: Top Dual-Play Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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Brain Freeze is an award-winning game that comprises two drawable and wipe-off surfaces.
Every board features two parts that easily clip to each other to create an L-shaped form. The bigger part has a ten by ten grid which includes pictures of frozen sweet treats that are printed on every square.
The game begins when players must select a specific square and mark the picture, color, and the square’s location on the vertical part of their board.
Players must then take turns asking their fellow players questions to ascertain what the relevant treat is, including its color and location.
In a nutshell – Brain Freeze is a combination between Guess Who and Battleships, with a dollop of ice cream, including lollipops.
Players: 2
Benefits: features a portable, lightweight game that fosters rational thinking.
Disadvantages: it may be challenging for siblings who are younger than five years old.
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Gamewright Hiss: Top Card-Based Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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The purpose of this game is to create the longest snake, which must include a head, a middle section, and a tail.
The game starts with players taking cards and turning them over, and then they need to match their card that has already been placed on the board, either to complete or to lengthen a snake.
If a player’s card does not match a card on the board, it needs to be put away, and they need to create a new snake.
Players who have completed a snake may take additional cards, and the player with the greatest amount of cards at the end of the game is declared the winner.
Players: 2-5
Benefits: this portable game features simple rules that are easy to understand
Disadvantages: children might not stay engaged for long
Duration: 15 minutes
Clue Junior: Top Deduction Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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The great thing about Clue Junior is that it features two versions of the game, like The Case of The Broken Toy, including The Case of the Missing Cake.
While the mysteries that must be solved differ, the rules of the game remain the same, which makes it easy to enjoy this intriguing game.
Players must solve relevant mysteries by circulating the board to find picture clues that reveal who exactly committed the crime, how they did it, and when the offense was committed.
Cards that include clues are placed face-down on to the Clue Junior board, and then they are marked off on the player’s printed detective pad as they review clues during the game.
When players have answered most of the “who, what, and when” questions, they are equipped with the right amount of knowledge to unravel the mystery.
Players: 2-6
Benefits: cultivates deductive thinking skills.
Disadvantages: the game can take a long time to complete, and the instructions are not clear.
Duration: 30 minutes
The Game of Life Junior: Top Family Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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The purpose of The Game of Life is to circulate the board while visiting various locations like the water park or the zoo.
The board contains a spinner that dictates how many spaces you may move. If you end up at an attraction, you are obliged to buy a ticket to enter.
However, if you end up on a yellow-colored square, you will have to perform whatever is asked on an action card, like acting as if you are a lion.
Should a child be unable to read, the charades aspect of the game will not work unless you have three players.
A player will be awarded a star for every attraction they have visited and concerning each action they have completed where the other players could guess what the player was trying to convey.
According to the rules, any player that is the first to accumulate ten stars wins the game.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: it’s perfectly suited to active children, and the rules are easy to understand.
Disadvantages: children must be able to read rudimentary words.
Duration: 15– 30 minutes
Sums In Space: Top Counting Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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In this fast-paced game, players circulate the board to go home by escaping the planet and moving along black holes in space by figuring out simple additions and subtractions.
Players must roll the dice three times in a row to find two different numbers from 0 – 9; a sign will determine whether the players need to add or subtract the numbers.
Then they must display the die to create an equation which they need to solve, following which they can relocate the square’s resultant number. The first player to advance to the end is declared the winner.
Moreover, the rocket must be shifted down the game’s countdown measuring tool when a player’s dice lands on zero.
However, if all players reach the end before the rocket moves to zero, all the players win. Likewise, the game will be considered over when the rocket declines to zero.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: the game fosters rudimentary math skills, including competitive and collaboration skills.
Disadvantages: children might eventually tire from playing this game
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Monopoly Junior: Top Budget Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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This version is like the standard adult version. However, instead of 40 squares, it only has 24.
However, unlike the original version, it does not have hotels, houses, railroads, or utilities. Instead, it features properties like boardwalks or the zoo.
In the junior version, players circulate the board to purchase certain properties by accessing Chance Monopoly cards and avoiding jail time.
Should a player end up on a property that another player owns, they must pay rent to that person. However, all players that are unable to pay their bills are automatically eliminated from the game.
Players who remain in the game may then sell their property to the bank and count their accrued earnings. The player with the biggest amount of cash is pronounced the winner.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: the game fosters math skills and offers great value for money
Disadvantages: math lessons are limited because the money denomination is so small ($1 bills).
Duration: 45 minutes
Risk Junior: Top Chance Based Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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In this game, the players circulate their pirate shipping vessels on the map to control certain islands and locate treasures.
It differs from the standard version of Risk in that a player’s dice determines which island must be attacked and who ultimately wins the game.
The game is entirely based on chance, not strategic skills, which stops other players from ganging upon each other as they would in Risk. Due to this luck element of the game, it can be finished in a matter of minutes or for more than an hour.
Players: 2-4
Benefits: an entertaining pirate-themed game that may be played with only two participants.
Disadvantages: it may become tiresome during longer games
Duration: 15-60 minutes
Wildcraft! Top Nature-Based Board Game For 5-6-Year-Olds
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I simply had to conclude my list on a high note with one of my favorite board games – Wildcraft.
The game teaches players how to recognize 25 edible plants, including their medicinal uses, heightening children’s awareness of plants in their natural surroundings.
Wildcraft is often described as a profound learning aid that is well-designed to demonstrate which plants may be used to treat common first aid problems like sunburn or bee stings.
Moreover, it encourages children to assist each other in climbing the Wildcraft mountain, which teaches them the benefits of teamwork.
Reviewers whose children have played the game said that it was helpful when they were hiking up a hill as their children would stop arguing while they were looking for edible plants.
Others were also enormously impressed with Wildcraft’s lovely design that was crafted with sustainable, recycled materials, including sustainable ink.
However, Wildcraft is not only popular with children. Adults who want to learn more about useful herbs have also loved playing them with their children.
Players: 1-4
Benefits: it fosters nature-based knowledge and is produced from sustainable materials.
Disadvantages: plants might not interest all children
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Conclusion
Researching this topic as a seasoned parent has been an eye-opener as it became clear to me that board games must be suited to children’s unique interests to keep them thoroughly engaged. Moreover, even a five-year-old will be able to focus, which is an imperative aspect of learning, acquire critical skills like math and literacy, and solve mysteries like “The Case of the Missing Cake” if the subject matter truly intrigues them—wishing you a load of fun!
References:
MomLovesBest: Best Board Games for 5-Year-Olds of 2021
