Rating of TOP-9 board games for children: rules, classification, tips for choosing, reviews

It is very important for parents to spend enough time with their children, and it is a pleasure to do it with a good board game. She is able to give a lot of pleasant emotions and memories, help distract the child from the computer or tablet, in addition, many board games not only entertain, but also develop intellectually, emotionally or physically.

However, in order for a board game to become a favorite pastime, it is necessary to choose it correctly. In this article I will try to give the maximum of useful advice on choosing, and also offer readers a rating of the best popular children's board games.

Rating of TOP-9 board games for children

I selected the products for this rating according to several criteria. All the games presented in it are quite simple for children of preschool or primary school age, are distinguished by a bright, "childish" design, and most importantly, they are useful for the harmonious development of the personality.

Hasbro Jenga Games

Simple, but no less fun game, suitable for children aged 6 and over. It will be an excellent option for family leisure or a celebration in honor of a child's birthday.

The game consists of 54 polished wooden blocks that are used to create an 18-story tower. Each tier in it consists of 3 bars, and each next floor is laid perpendicular to the previous one. The players take turns taking out one bar from the lower levels of the tower and placing it on top. It is forbidden to get the bars from the three upper levels, touch the turret with both hands at the same time. The loser is the player on whose move the structure collapses.

A magnificent invention, the best that has been created by man in the last century. Develops mental and logical qualities. Suitable for almost all levels of development, from the smallest to the genius.

Cosmodrome Games Imaginarium. Childhood

Children's version of the popular game Imaginarium. It differs from the "adult" version only in illustrations on game cards, the rules of the game remain the same. Each circle, one of the players lays out one of his cards face down on the table, and says what he associates the picture on it with. After that, the rest of the players also lay out one face-down card, choosing those on which the picture best suits the named association. The cards are shuffled and revealed, after which the players try to guess which one was laid out by the host. Depending on how the votes are divided, it is determined how many steps forward each player's piece must go across the playing field.

An interesting game, intricate pictures, a lot of space for a flight of imagination and associations. Despite the fact that it is a children's version, it is also interesting for adults to play.

Asmodee Dobble

A dynamic card game suitable for family leisure, children's parties. It consists of a set of round cards, each with a unique set of pictures. Any two cards in the set will have one match, and the players' task in this case is to find and voice it faster than opponents. In the information booklet that comes with the game, 5 variants of the rules are described, in addition, no one bothers to compose your own, home edition.

I love board games, my whole family loves them. And we also love to give board games as a gift. I think Dubble is a great gift for elementary school kids. Especially considering that the game is in a metal package, it will not deteriorate over time like a cardboard one.

Tenth Kingdom Sea Battle

An improved version of the classic "Sea Battle", the favorite game of all schoolchildren and students. It is played according to the standard rules - players take turns choosing a square on the opponent's playing field, trying to "shoot" one of the ships of his fleet. The winner is the one who was the first to sink the entire flotilla of the opponent.

The set includes two gaming tablets, each with two playing fields. The lower field is intended for the installation of the player's ships, and the upper one, stylized as a radar, is used to indicate the results of firing at the enemy. Hits are marked with red counters, misses with white counters.

Great board game, good quality! We are happy to play with the whole family! Recommend!

Ravensburger Cucaracha

An original and fun board game that will appeal to both children and their parents. The playing field here is a labyrinth, all walls in which are made in the form of cutlery: spoons, forks and knives. Each wall segment rotates freely around its axis. A mobile nano-cockroach will be placed in the center of the labyrinth, which independently moves along the corridors.

On his turn, each player throws a special die with cutlery on the edges, looks at what has fallen, and then turns any corresponding wall element by 90 degrees. The task of each of the players is to pave the way for the cockroach to his corner of the map. After reaching this goal, the winner receives a token and the game starts over. The game ends after one of the players has collected 5 victory points. While playing, the child learns to quickly plan his actions, develops a reaction, learns to calculate his moves.

The game is freaky). For children, of course, more entertaining, the cockroach runs like a real one)). And it's interesting for parents. A good purchase for long evenings when the weather outside is not happy.

Monopoly My first Monopoly with terminal

Children's version of the famous economic game "Monopoly". It differs from the adult version in the reduced size of the playing field and somewhat simplified rules, which make it possible to reduce the game time, and in a brighter design.So, the players' counters are made in the form of cute cats, dogs, cars and steamers, and skate parks, ice cream parlors and toy shops act as businesses here.

The specificity of this type is the presence of an electronic control system for funds, which made it possible to abandon paper, quickly wearing out bills. Each player has his own electronic card, and all operations to transfer funds from one account to another are carried out using a special machine - "ATM". The game helps to explain to the child the basics of economics and the functioning of the banking system.

Now we played with our family, the new system of lack of paper money and replacing them with an ATM made me very happy ... Our family liked everything ... Before that there was a monopoly with paper money, in six months all the money became discouraged and lost a part ... The new system is much more convenient ...

Boring games Mr. Twister

The classic "twister" is not a board game in the full sense of the word, since the playing field is usually laid out on the floor, but it is most often referred to this category anyway. This version of the game is designed in the style of Disney cartoons, its packaging is decorated with images of Bambi the deer and the Thumper rabbit.

The rules of the game are standard: the set contains a playing field, on which there are 4 rows of 6 colored circles in each: green, red, yellow and blue. With the help of a special roulette, the presenter determines the player's limb and the color of the circle on which he should place it. The one who touches the floor with an elbow, knee or fifth point is eliminated, and the last player remaining on the field wins.

An inexpensive and uncomplicated game for a company. Develops flexibility, improves stretching, improves mood. Suitable for all ages - both children and adults.

DoJoy Defects of Fiction

An adventure game for children from the age of 4, developed by a professional speech therapist. The task of the players here is to lead their hero figure through the entire playing field, completing tasks from cards along the way. The tasks here are varied and aimed at improving diction, fine motor skills, and creativity. The great advantage of the game is the lack of a competitive element. The standard rules assume that the game ends in victory when all players return to the castle, and tasks can be solved jointly.

Multitasking. I really liked it, not just a stupid walker, but with different tasks. Big variety. There are a lot of options. From speech therapy exercises with the tongue with each throwing of the cube, and classes with sticks (lay out the drawing), physical exercises (jump, twirl), pick up words, repeat a sentence, make a sentence, finish the missing, write a letter ... in short, there are amazingly many options, you will not get bored !

HOBBY WORLD Child Mafia

Classic "Mafia" adapted for children of primary school age.The role of "mafia" here is played by predators who want to seize the magical forest and drive out all the inhabitants from there. At night they go hunting, while during the day they disguise themselves as peaceful animals. The task of the inhabitants of the forest is to reveal and drive out predators, the same ones win if they drive away a sufficient number of herbivorous animals.

The game "child mafia" has a bright, "childish" design, unable to scare anyone, while the rules have not been changed or simplified. Both civilians and predators have characters with special abilities, and their number in the game is determined by the rules, depending on the total number of players.

How to prepare for the game and collect decks of cards, and the rules of behavior for players themselves, are all described in great detail in the rules. An adult can easily figure out the rules, and the cards dealt will be hints on what to do and how to do it.

I think it will be more difficult for a child to remember all the subtleties and nuances. The son still does not know how to read, and forgets what abilities his character has. Older children who can read do not face such problems.

What are board games for children

At the moment, there are a huge number of board games suitable for children, so a person who has not previously encountered them can find it very difficult to understand the assortment offered by stores. I will try to explain what board games are and how they differ. This information will surely help you figure out which game to buy your child.

Board games can be classified by:

• the number of players;
• by the degree of cooperation;
• by dynamics;
• type.

If desired, this classification can be expanded and developed, but these points are enough to get an idea of ​​what this or that game has to offer. Below I will provide a more detailed breakdown of each category.

Number of players

This indicator shows what is the minimum and maximum number of people who can play the game. This indicator is strictly spelled out in the rules of the board game and is usually indicated on the box. There are games that allow you to play alone, two, three or more people.

In some cases, you can try to play the game with fewer players. Than it is provided by the rules, however, in this case, some of the mechanics will not work correctly. If too large a company gathers at the table, there will not be enough cards or other game materials for everyone, and the game will stretch out a lot and lose momentum.

Cooperation degree

Board games can be roughly divided into:

• competitive, in which each player seeks to beat his partners;
• cooperative, in which players jointly oppose game mechanics;
• "All for one" - the rarest type of board games in which one or more players oppose the rest, united in a team.

Moreover, each game can have its own characteristics, prescribed in the rules. So, in some competitive board games, players can form situational alliances, in cooperative ones, competitive elements can be present.

Dynamics

According to this indicator, board games are usually divided into turn-based and dynamic ones. The first category includes, for example, classical chess or checkers, in which the order of steps is strictly defined. In dynamic games such as doble, it all depends on the reaction of the players, each of whom can make his move at any time.

Game type

The most extensive classification method. Board games can be divided into:

• classical - chess, checkers, dominoes, loto, mahjong;
• card games - any games that use any cards or cards;
• role-playing - games in which players take on the role of a character with their own characteristics and abilities;
• military - board games in which real or fictional battles are played. The most common example here would be "sea battle".
• economic - here the players will have to engage in any "economic activity" - production, trade, etc.
• strategic - games in which the player usually has to deal with military operations, economics, diplomacy at the same time, trying with the help of these tools to fulfill the goals set for him;
• adventure - here the game usually moves according to a certain scenario, and the task of the players is to achieve their goals by performing certain actions provided by the game mechanics;
• logical and intellectual - a variety of quizzes and puzzles;
• mobile - suggest that players will have to take active actions in the process;
• detective in them players are required to expose criminals or investigate any crimes.

This classification is not exhaustive, and any game can belong to several categories at once. Thus, chess is at the same time a classic, logical and intellectual game, and the well-known mafia combines the features of a card, role-playing and detective game.

How to choose board games for a child

In order for the child to be interested in the game, it is necessary to choose it wisely. For this, it is necessary to take into account:

• recommended age;
• the duration of the party;
• individual preferences of the child;
• available number of players;
• the size of the playing field;
• the quality of the elaboration of the elements of the game.

Let's take a closer look at each point.

Recommended age

The packaging of the vast majority of board games indicate what age category they are designed for. This number affects both the general design of the game elements and the complexity of the rules and mechanics, as well as the general direction of the game.

You can start playing board games from 3-4 years old. For this age category, there are simple "walkers" in which players take turns throwing a dice and moving chips across the field, games in which it is necessary to find pairs of identical objects or sort them according to a common criterion.

At 5-7 years old, you can offer your child simple logic, role-playing and adventure games. At the age of 8-12, he will already cope with a simple strategic or economic game, and starting from 13-14, a teenager can already cope with any board games, with the exception of those on which there is a limit of 18+

Before buying a game, be sure to look at what age category it is designed for, find rules or a video review on the Internet to understand whether the child will cope with the tasks.

Party duration

Different games take different amounts of time. In some cases, one game can last 5-10 minutes, while a large game can take several hours. Here you need to remember that perseverance is not the strongest trait of young children, so it is advisable for them to choose board games that require no more than half an hour, and leave longer games for older children.

Individual preferences

All children are different: someone may love cars, and someone - animals or dinosaurs. The right choice can be made only knowing what the child's temperament and range of interests is, otherwise the gift runs the risk of being in the far box after several trial batches.

Available number of players

The creators of any board work out its balance based on how many people will play it. If you plan to play two or three, there is no point in taking a game designed for 5, since most of the mechanics invented by the author will not work as needed, and the gameplay will be very boring.The opposite is also true - a game for 1-2 people is not suitable for a large company.

Dimensions (edit)

An important indicator in a situation if you choose a game that could entertain a child in a car. Some tabletops do not require a lot of space, allowing you to sit on a table in a train compartment, while others require a large dining table or a large area of ​​floor. A simple rule works here. The larger the box with the game, the more space will be needed in order to lay out its elements.

Quality

An important aspect for a children's board game, especially if it is designed for a younger age category. Toddlers are not always neat and do not control their movements well enough, so it is good if the playing elements are strong and crumple-free and large enough so that they cannot be shoved into their mouths or nose, or simply lost. Pay attention also to the fact that all parts of the game are safe and cannot be injured.