I watched him jump up from the floor and squeal in delight. “Anddd the winner is…. Jacob!” he announced. My 3-year-old just won Candy Land. We high-fived and before I could get a word in he said “Can we play again?” Again? Sure.
Candy Land….for the hundredth time. Don’t get me wrong, I love Candy Land. It’s quick to play, simple enough for the youngest of kiddos, and when we added a deck of letter cards to draw before each turn, the game became more interesting…but there have to be more exciting board games available for 3-year-olds.
3-year-olds are at the fun age where they can understand simple rules of play, and playing big games makes them feel more grown-up. Squeals of delight and roars of laughter make watching them play the games even more fun.
Board Games are Packed with Opportunity
We love board games because they are packed with great learning opportunities. Board games teach teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship, patience, strategy, and sometimes academic skills, fine-motor skills, and gross motor skills.
You can add a deck of cards to any game to make it educational. Make a deck of cards for letters, number identification, counting, rhyming, letter sounds, even addition, and subtraction later on.
Everyone (not just the kids) draws a card before their turn and you have a fun way to teach academic skills. Don’t forget to have the kids check your answers when it’s your turn- you may just forget some of your letters and need to be reminded what the correct ones are.
When Can a Child Start to Play Board Games?
We love to introduce board games early on. Board games are a favorite activity in our family because beyond spending quality time together, they teach social skills, teamwork, empathy, good sportsmanship, strategy, motor skills, and are a fun way to teach academic skills.
A few games are simple enough for 2-year-olds to understand, but most games are more appropriate for 3-year-olds. You know your child best. Some games require strategies that may be difficult for your child, and there are plenty of games that will be easy for your child.
If you try a game that’s too difficult, try again in a couple of months. At this age, children are constantly learning and growing, and it’s fun to watch them conquer new skills.
What Makes a Good Board Game?
When we are trying to find a new family game, there are many important things we consider. Our favorites are cooperative games that have different levels of play, so they are interesting and developmentally appropriate for many years to come.
Games for 3-year-olds need to be exciting to play, and simple to learn. We also look at how long it takes to finish. 3-year-olds aren’t able to focus for a long period of time, so it’s important to keep the game moving.
One of the most important criteria for a good game is the skills it teaches. Board games help kids practice social skills (cooperation, turn-taking, sportsmanship), academic skills (colors, number id, letter id, sounds), motor skills (fine and gross motor), and higher-level thinking (strategy). Research shows kids learn best through play so we love to integrate learning with games.
We have searched high and low, and tried many games. These are our favorites that have passed our family’s high standards.
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Our Favorite Skill-Building Board Games for 3-Year-Olds
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- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: turn-taking, social skills, teamwork, gross motor skills, body awareness, and fine motor skills, number recognition (1-3)
- Number of Players: 2-5
- Age: 3+
Kids work together to feed The Woozle yucky foods like Muddy Meatballs and Fuzzy Socks. The Woozle sits across the room, and players roll a dice to find how many items (1-3) they can feed the Woozle. This is a cooperative game so everyone works together to keep the Woozle fed and happy. 3 different levels of play make this an engaging game for kids of different ages and will entertain your family for years to come.
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: colors, numbers, shapes, counting, matching, big/little, turn-taking, social skills, teamwork
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Age: 3+
Your family works together to get the bugs to safety before the stinkbugs attack. Roll a dice, spin a spinner and find the matching bug. Each level gets more difficult so kids of different ages can play together and the game will entertain your family for years to come.
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: memory, storytelling, turn-taking, social skills, teamwork
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Age: 3+
Players hide each animal in one of the locations around the board. As you hide the animals, tell a story about why they are at that location. The horse might have been hungry, so he went to the pizza parlor for some pizza. After the animals are hidden, draw a card and follow the directions. Piggy travels around the board, the challenge is to pick up his friends before he runs out of gas!
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: colors, matching, strategy, problem-solving, turn-taking, social skills, teamwork
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Age: 4+
Help the owls make it home before sunrise! In this cooperative game, if all the owls make it back everyone wins. Two levels of play make it fun for kids of different ages to all be engaged at the same time.
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: counting, problem-solving, turn-taking, social skills, teamwork
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Age: 3+
Work together to help Mama Hen gather her chickens who have flown the coop. Spin the spinner and gather the chickens back to safety.
Games for 3-Year-Olds
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel **Best Selling Preschool Game
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: colors, turn-taking, social skills, fine motor skills
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Age: 3+
My 3-year-old loves this game and it’s a favorite in my kindergarten classroom as well. Spin the spinner and grab the matching acorn on your log with the squirrel tweezers. This is a great way to practice fine motor skills. Adding a deck of letter cards to draw before each turn makes the game more challenging. The first to collect all 5 colors of acorns before the wind blows them out of your tree wins. This will be a family favorite for many years to come.
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: colors, animal id, turn-taking, social skills
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Age: 3+
3-Year-Olds love this fun farm version of Uno. Match either the color or the animal. Try to get all of your characters into the barn first to win!
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: colors, number id, turn-taking, social skills
- Number of Players: 2-4
- Age: 7+
The package of Uno says for ages 7+, but as a color and number matching game, it’s perfect for preschoolers. When I taught our 4-year-old to play, we first played with our cards facing up. He caught on and played on his own in no time. He loves to feel like a grown-up when he’s playing this fun card game!
You may consider a cardholder like this one to help your kiddos hold their cards without dropping them.
- Playtime: 15 minutes
- Skills Practiced: colors, hand-eye coordination, turn-taking, social skills
- Number of Players: 1-4
- Age: 4+ (This game is simple for 3-year-olds)
This is the perfect game for 3-year-olds. The only rule is to take turns and the person with the most fish at the end wins. The pond spins around, which makes the fish open and close their mouths. Kids feel such pride and joy when they are able to catch a fish! To make this game more challenging for older children, add a deck of cards to draw before their turn. They could practice letter identification, number identification, counting, rhyming, or even addition and subtraction.
And if you’re brave enough…
Want More?
If you liked this, you’ll love:
Most Meaningful {Skill Building} Gifts Your Preschooler will Love
6 Simple Activities to do with Preschoolers at Home
Your Turn
What are your favorite games to play with your 3-year-old?
