I’ve shared some thinky video games and thinky logic puzzles that are great for my 4-year old twins, but now it’s time to round it out with five thinky board games for preschoolers! There's something for everyone on this list, including tile-placing games, cooperative games, deduction games, and more. Board games are a great way to play together with many people, so I’ve loved playing them with my kids and seeing them learn while having fun with the whole family.
This list is also available as a video you can watch below!
Robot Turtles
Robot Turtles is a board game that teaches kids how to program. I backed this on Kickstarter when it first came out (a long time before I had kids), and I was excited when my kids could finally start playing! Your kids play programming cards to try to get the turtles to the gems, while you act as the “computer” controlling the turtles and following the moves that they play. The colorful turtles and gems are a hit, and the rule discovery for the kids is like a video game. There are even items you add later like lasers and crates that can turn it into a sokoban game!
Race to the Treasure!
Race to the Treasure is a cooperative tile-laying game where you’re making a path to get to three keys and the treasure before the ogres get the treasure. Each turn is simple - you draw a tile and either place the path or put it on the ogre track if it’s an ogre tile. Kids get to think about where to place the path to try to get the keys, and it’s exciting whenever you get a key!
Outfoxed!
Outfoxed! is a cooperative deduction game for kids that doesn’t require reading, where you’re trying to catch the fox that stole the pie. When you find a clue, you put it over a device to reveal if the fox has that feature or not, indicated by seeing a colored circle. Not all the suspects are visible at once, so kids can focus on only a couple to eliminate when they first find the clues, and then there’s a memory element for later suspects. It’s a great introduction to logical deduction.
My First Escape Game: The Magical Forest
My First Escape Game: The Magical Forest is an escape room type game for kids. You’ll moderate it for the kids - reading a story and hiding cards around the room. My kids love finding the cards, but the cards also have various puzzles for them to solve, just like an escape room. I love escape rooms and this was the first escape room type game my kids could play.
Qwirkle
Qwirkle is a tile-laying game that’s a little like Scrabble but with shapes and colors instead of letters. It’s technically for ages 6+ but younger kids can also play and my kids love the chunky, colorful tiles. First, they’ll learn how to match colors or shapes, and as they get older they can get more into strategies of planning ahead to lay tiles and set up for future turns. The full game is a little long for my kids, but it’s easy to use fewer tiles and make the game shorter, and this is a game that adults play too, so it will definitely grow with the kids!
Disclaimer: Thinky Games is part of the Carina Initiatives and may have professional relationships with individuals and businesses related to the subject of this article. Please see our Editorial Policy for details.
