Favorite Board Games for 2-year-olds.
Did you know you can start playing board games with your two-year-old!? Between the age of 2 and 2.5 is the perfect time to introduce board games to your toddler! All of the games in this list, are suggested for kids ages 2+ by the manufacturer. They contain large chunky pieces that are perfect for two-year-olds. The rules are simple and easy to modify (which is completely okay to do while playing games with your kids!) HABA and Peaceable Kingdom make some of our favorite games for kids (you will find games by these two companies on many of my game recommendation lists!) and they are the BEST at making “first games” for your toddlers. While first playing games, young toddlers are learning the “rules” of game play- they are learning how to take turns, how to role a dice and/or move a game piece. Toddler games are also often designed so the child is practicing fine motor skills, practicing colors, shapes and/or counting. Take look at my list for Favorite Games for 2-year-olds and I hope you will try playing a game with your toddler!
This is my first post in a series of posts that will list favorite games by age! However, consider these posts as a loose guideline. Just because a board game shows up in a list for one age, doesn’t mean that it can’t be enjoyed by kids of other ages as well!!
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First Orchard by HABA
First Orchard by HABA is a classic first game for young kids. You can’t beat the chunky wooden pieces and the simple game play. First Orchard is a cooperative game in which all players work together to collect fruit before the raven reaches the orchard. In our house, the game is usually accompanied by lots of giggles as we play and try to beat the “pesky raven”. With First Orchard, kids practice rolling a die, taking turns and color matching.
Animal Upon Animal Junior by HABA
Animal Upon Animal Junior is another favorite first game by HABA. This game develops hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as players take turns trying to stack the wooden animals. There are multiple way to play this game, including a cooperative game in which players work as a team. Kids will also enjoy playing and stacking the chunky wooden animal on their own.
Acorn Soup by Peaceable Kingdom
Acorn Soup by Peaceable Kingdom has become a favorite for my 2-year-old. I think he is most drawn to the game components- the pot-shaped container the game comes in, the chunky wooden ingredients you add to the soup and the large wooden spoon. Game play for this cooperative game is simple, (which is important when looking for first games for 2-year-olds): you choose a recipe card and collect the ingredients on the card to add to the pot. Although the game play is simple, while playing Acorn Soup, kids are developing great skills. You practice counting and language development as you add the ingredients, you use memory skills and you remember the ingredients you need to add to the pot and you develop balancing and fine motor skills as you place an ingredient onto the spoon to add to the pot. Plus around the age of 2 or 3 years old, many kids start showing an interest in pretend play; my kids all loved pretend play that involved food, so this game was an immediate hit!
Duck Duck Dance! by Peaceable Kingdom
My son got this game as a present for his second birthday and it was an instant hit with my older kids too (they were almost 4 & 5 years old at the time). Similar to the other games on this list, the game play for Duck Duck Dance! is very simple. You roll for large cardboard dice and line them up on a game board. Each die will have a different dance move and you must complete the four dance moves in order. This game is great for getting extra wiggles out and we often will play after dinner to burn some energy! With Duck Duck Dance! in addition to the gross motor skills, kids practice rolling a die and taking turns. They are also practicing sequencing and memory skills as they complete the dance!
Panda’s Picnic in the Park by Peaceable Kingdom
Panda’s Picnic in the Park by Peaceable Kingdom is a game your 2-year-old is sure to LOVE! My kids love that the game comes in a box that is shaped like a picnic basket. With this game, your 2-year-old will practice colors and shapes, in addition to practicing turn-taking and fine motor skills. This is also a great game for vocabulary development, as you name the different picnic foods, the shapes and the colors.
Rhino Hero Junior by HABA
Rhino Hero Junior is one game in the “My First Games” series by HABA. HABA is know for the quality of their toys and we own many games by HABA and have yet to be disappointed. The instructions include three different ways to play depending on the child’s age and abilities. With this game, the child uses dexterity as they stack the cardboard pieces. You also can practice color-matching skills, basic counting skills and memory skills!
If you are interested in more favorite games by age group, be sure to check out these posts:
Favorite Board Games for 3-year-olds
Favorite Board Games for 4-year-olds