Welcome to the Board Games by Age page. We all grow, find new experiences, discover new interestes, and learn new abilities. So, what captivates a preschooler won’t hold the attention of an 8-year-old — and that’s a good thing. With every new stage comes a greater need for challenge, creativity, and connection.
That’s why we’ve grouped our board game picks by age—to help you find tabletop games that meet your child right where they are. Whether you’re building early problem-solving skills, encouraging teamwork, or just making room for good old-fashioned fun, there’s something here for every age and every kind of player.
Explore the best games for each stage of development—from toddlers discovering rules to teens mastering strategy games—and make game night a part of their growth journey.
It’s also worth noting that we all have different tastes and interests. So you may have a game you love, but someone else just thinks it’s OK. And that’s OK, so please don’t give up; just try something new. Swap games with friends; find a board game cafe to try new games; join a Meetup to find a community board game day.
Adventure, strategy, and serious fun — see why these board games are perfect for ages 10–13
Not all board games are built the same — browse by type to find your next favorite
Why Play Board Games
Research has shown that children who played both competitive and cooperative board and card games increased prosocial behaviours like sharing and complimenting or helping others.
Board and card games can help children develop number knowledge, arithmetic skills, and the development of complex number ideas.
Games that require speech, reading, and writing can be used as a tool for development. Board games use frontal brain functions such as planning, problem solving, decision making, and inhibiting responses.
As a parent, if you don’t, you will have heard a lot of talk about screen time and children and the potential negative effects on our child’s development in so many ways. Making family screen-free time away from screens can help improve a child’s mood and sleep quality and foster feelings of connectedness among family members.
There is also some evidence that playing strategy games can help improve concentration in children who have ADHD. That’s amazing, right? I can’t really see any negatives to playing board games, except you can get a bit addicted, and some games can be a bit pricey. However, they do last for years and years.