Games are a perfect gift for anyone of any age and are fun for the whole family. It is a great way to spend quality time together and is usually a great time. The trouble is finding the right game for kids or young kids. Hopefully this list will help with that. Here are the top choices for games this holiday season for Pre K and kids!
There are a LOT of games out there. Lots…more than even someone who focuses on games knows about or gets a chance to play. With that in mind here are our picks of the best games we discovered this year in no order whatsoever…I don’t like to rate things normally as there are always too many factors. Enjoy!
Mermaid Island – Peaceable Kingdom
Recommended Age: 5+
Our Recommended Age: 4+
Players: 2-6
Play Time: 15-20 Minutes
Cost: $15.99
Our Review: Mermaid Island Review
Mermaid Island is another great entry from Peaceable Kingdom in their line of cooperate kids game. There are three different mermaids and the players goal is to get all three to the SUPER SPECIAL ISLAND before the sea witch can catch them. The difference here is the players don’t pick one mermaid but instead have to work together to get all three to safety. It’s a great game that teaches kids how to work together while having a great time.
Diggity Dogs – Educational Insights
Recommended Age: 4+
Our Recommended Age: 4+
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 15-20 Minutes
Cost: $14.99
Our Review: Diggity Dog Review
This is a great intro to resource building type game and perfect for younger kids or kids who like dogs. The goal is to adopt as many dogs as possible by playing a sort of “go fish” style game where you gather resources that the dogs want so you can adopt them. Super cute and they even used real pictures of dogs from a photo contest!
Fun Farm – iello
Recommended Age: 6+
Our Recommended Age: 4+ (With adjustments and help)
Players: 2-10
Play Time: 15 Minutes
Cost: $29.99
Our Review: Fun Farm Review
IELLO makes some pretty awesome games and one of their newer ones, Fun Farm, is no exception. Be the first to spot the matching card and grab the animal to score the card. Sounds easy right? When competing for that animal with other players it comes down to who spots the match first and has the fastest reflexes.
Spy Alley Jr – Spy Alley
Recommended Age: 6-12+
Our Recommended Age: 5+ (with a little help)
Players: 2-6
Play Time: 5-10 Minutes
Cost: $19.99
Our Review: Spy Alley Jr Review
Spy Alley Junior is a fun and quick game where every player assumes the identity on their Spy card. You use the die and move cards to move your token. You can only guess what another player’s spy is from a specific colored space on the board. Guess right and that player is out of the game. Guess right on every player and you win!
Secret Code 13+4 – HABA
Recommended Age: 8+
Our Recommended Age: 7+ (Or any age that at least knows addition and subtraction)
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 15 Minutes
Cost: $21.99
Our Review: Secret Code Review
You are a secret agent and you have to be the first to reach the mask of Amun Ra, but in order to get it you have to crack all the codes along the way using math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or any combo of the 4) to get past the lasers! Secret Code 13+4 by HABA both educational and really fun!
BuggaLoop – Ravensburger
Recommended Age: 6+
Our Recommended Age: 5+ (With a bit of help)
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 10-15 Minutes
Cost: $39.99
Path across the back yard to get your bug from one side to the other. When the hex bug reaches the yard the game freezes and you might get knocked back to the start. There are safe areas in the yard to protect your bug from the hexbug. Once the hexbug leaves the yard, play resumes. First person to get across wins.
Chrono Bomb – Patch Products
Recommended Age: 7+
Our Recommended Age: 5+ (With a little help)
Players: 1 or more
Play Time: 20-40 Minutes
Cost: $29.99
In Chrono Bomb, you use the clamps and over 25ft of string to create a laser field pretty much anywhere! Once you’re ready, the bomb starts ticking and your job is to make your way through the laser field in time to defuse the bomb. Each time you hit a laser, the timer goes down. Go too fast and you could set the bomb off yourself. Go too slow and you’ll never make it in time. And once you’ve got it down just change the course and start again – the possibilities are endless.
Coconuts – Mayday Games
Recommended Age: 6+
Our Recommended Age: 4+ (Be careful of small parts)
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 20 Minutes
Cost: $35.95
Our Review: Coming Soon!
Coconuts is a great game where players use miniature catapults to launch coconuts in an attempt to get them to go into one of the cups in the middle of the table. The game needs a little bit of dexterity and practice, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be flinging coconuts like a pro. The first person to build up a tower of cups wins but watch out, an expert coconut flinger can poach a cup from another player’s stack!
Little Red Riding Hood – iello
Recommended Age: 7+
Our Recommended Age: 5+ (With a bit of help on movement)
Players: 1-5
Play Time: 20 Minutes
Cost: $24.99
Our Review: Little Red Riding Hood Review
Iello has another great game for their “Tales & Games” series and quickly becoming our favorite of them all. Like the others in the series there is an adaptation of the story that comes with it. Little Red Riding Hood has two ways to play and both involve trying to beat the Big Bad Wolf to Grandma’s House!
Karnickel – Mayfair Games
Recommended Age: 6+
Our Recommended Age: 4+ (Might need help)
Players: 2-4
Play Time: 15 Minutes
Cost: $20
Our Review: Karnickel Review
Karnickel is a super fun and cute game about rabbits, trains and of course carrots. Make your way around the track to collect as many carrots as possible by avoiding the train. Mayfair has another game that is now one of our favorites!
Q’s Race to the Top – EQtainment
Recommended Age: 3-6 Years
Our Recommended Age: 3-8 years
Players: 1 or more
Play Time: 15-20 Minutes
Cost: $19.99
Our Review: Coming Soon!
Help Q race to the top of his treehouse in this fun and interactive new board game. Kids get to practice socials skills while having a ton of fun on their way up the treehouse. Three types of cards: YOU, DO and Q. YOU cards ask kids questions about themselves. DO cards have physical challenges that range from just fun all the way to crazy. Q cards give the kids a chance to help Q figure out what to do in a number of different circumstances. No matter what, everyone will have a great time!
Super Genius – Blue Orange Games
Recommended Age: 5+
Our Recommended Age: 5+
Players: 1-6
Play Time: 15 Minutes
Cost: $12.99
Our Review: Coming Soon!
Super Genius is a great collection of learning games from Blue Orange Games. They take a page from their wonderful Spot-It games but add a great learning twist to it. Each set of two cards has only one match between them, but they are all based around a core skill. Skills include basics like first words all the way up to multiplication. They’re a great way to learn and have fun at the same time!
Cardline Dinosaur – Asmodee
Recommended Age: 7+
Our Recommended Age: 5+ (With a bit of help at first)
Players: 2-8
Play Time: 15 Minutes
Cost: $14.99
Our Review: Cardline Dinosaur Review
Cardline Dinosaurs is an educational card game that is now both of my kids go to game. There are 110 cards and all of them have a dinosaur or other prehistoric creature on them. If THAT isn’t interesting enough they also have factual information about those animals so you can learn while you play. How awesome is that?
These are just a few of the amazing games we have discovered THIS year and the ones my Geeklings choose over and over to play at game nights. Check out our reviews and more games from the above companies to discover even more games and spend this Holiday season gaming together as a family!
Happy Holidays!
