The Best Board Games for Toddlers and Preschoolers

A sweet cooperative game that has children helping other kids out, be it someone who's afraid of the dark or is getting soaked in a rainstorm. It's great for social-emotional learning as they learn to recognize and name what they're feeling.

Toddlers and preschoolers get 48 cards, all of which have yummy treats on one side. They have to match the donut with the donut and the taco with the taco. Not only does this hone their matching skills, but it also encourages them to focus and concentrate.

This game gives kids the chance to practice a bunch of different skills in a fun, cooperative atmosphere. Kids can play this game on three different levels (it's ideal for ages 3 to 6), so they'll still find it challenging as they grow. Kids learn body awareness, motor skills, counting, and cooperation as they work together to feed the Woozle chocolate-covered flies, hairy pickles, and fuzz donuts.

We love this game because it combines physical activity and problem solving. Kids have to stack and serve pancakes based on what the cards tell them to do, and then, in a relay race format, pass the stack to the next player. Kids learn to follow a sequence of events and work on their gross motor skills as they race to be the first to finish the stack.

A wonderful game that teaches toddlers and preschoolers about the power of cooperation and collaborative play, this one has them working together to defeat the raven. They need to harvest the fruit before the raven gets to the orchard. Or else, they all lose together.

They're called toddlers because they're learning to walk at this age. After walking comes dancing, and this game is a great way to inspire toddlers to move and laugh and run. To play the game, simply toss the included plush cube to get a color and choose a card with a matching color. Each of the 48 cards has a different direction on it, and there's no wrong way to do them. Kids get to use their imagination, improve their balance and coordination, and have fun while they're at it. Kids as young as 18 months and as old as 5 will love this one.

Both a memory game and a motor skills workout, this one challenges toddlers to find matching cards that turn into game points. Whoever has the most ladybugs wins the game.

Kids match patterns to help Sophie the otter find shells to eat for dinner. They use Sophie's squeezer to get the shells, thus working on their fine motor skills, all while avoiding the machinations of Otto the octopus.

Anyone who's ever argued with a kid who tried to cut the line knows that turn-taking is a skill. This rabbit-themed game helps kids practice it, along with hand-eye coordination. Up to four players get a basket, and the object is to fill it up with carrots, which kids can pick up with the included rabbit squeezer. A spinner determines how many they can pick up or if, disastrously, they'll have to dump their basket back into the field.

Up to four players, this cat-centric trivia board game is easy to understand for young children while also being super fun for the whole family. It's also made from recycled cardboard and printed with vegetable-based inks, making it softer on the earth than most new games.

Kids learn about plants and animals from this colorful and vibrant matching game. The 24 beautifully illustrated cards feature animals, leaves, birds, and fish, challenging toddlers and preschoolers to work on their memory and focus.

Players help Phillip the penguin chop some ice blocks so he can make a new igloo. But they have to do so without breaking the ice, or else Philip wall crash through it. It's for 2-4 players.

Children learn about colors, numbers, and symbols as they help the ladybugs find their way home. And they must do so by avoiding the unfriendly praying mantis and collecting aphids to feed the lazy ants.

Kids join Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm to look for hidden objects while racing through Busytown. It's a great way for kids 3 and up to learn to identify specific objects, and work together to achieve a common goal.

This classic remains a perennial favorite, for good reason. And because there's no reading required, younger kids can play. They spin the spinner and move the pawn up the ladders and down the chutes; the goal is to be the first to reach the top without sliding down.

Players try to match hidden head tiles to the correct body tiles. If the head and body don’t match, players walk and talk like the mismatched tiles. Everyone will enjoy watching kids bark like a dog while walking like a cat. The player with the most matched cards wins. Hilarity for all ages.

Based on the beloved books starring the funky feline, this game has kids singing songs and identifying words and animals as they work together to get the missing cupcakes back from the wily toad.

This dog-themed game teaches toddlers counting and the fickle nature of chance. The object of the game is to get the most bones. Kids spin two wheels — one to decide if they'll collect, lose, or steal bones and the other to decide how many — to play. They pick up bones and put them in their bowl with a Shelby Squeezer, essentially a dog-shaped clip.

This classic board game is mostly a game of luck, but the whimsical characters and easy-to-follow concepts — kids only need to know colors, not numbers or counting, to move their own pieces — has made it a favorite for generations of toddlers.

This game has players moving six snails along the board, following their color path. The game isn't competitive, so there won't be any board-game bloodshed. In fact, every player follows their snail's path, until they reach the end of the board. Kids learn to take turns, and work at their own pace.

This is one of the best-selling preschool games for toddlers. Kids learn about colors as they help squirrels find their acorns, as well as matching skills and taking turns. Players spin the spinner and scoop up matching acorns with a special squeezer; the first player to collect five acorns is the winner.

In this gorgeously colorful game, two to four players cooperate to help the owls fly back to their nest before the sun comes up. The game helps kids learn about shared decision-making, problem-solving, and of course, matching skills.