Clearly, the classic board games we grew up playing (hi, Monopoly!) are here to stay. But which are the games that even little kids will love?
If you’re planning on a family game night, you want to land on an option that all ages will enjoy — and finding something to play with both a 5-year-old and a 15-year-old can be quite a challenge. But don’t fret: We scoured Amazon for the most popular board games for kindergarteners and beyond.
The verdict? We were pleasantly surprised to see that many of the top-rated options are the tried-and-true games we (or even our parents, yikes) grew up with — plus a few newbs to round out the ratio. Read on for your best bets for boredom-beating board games any kindergartener can’t resist.
More: 12 Board Games That Make Kids Smarter
Connect 4
You can’t go wrong with a classic. Connect 4 allows kids to use their critical-thinking skills by trying to get one step ahead of the other player.
Ages: 6 and up
Review: 4.6 stars with over 2,300 reviews
Connect 4, $8.79 at Amazon
Let’s Go Fishin’
This board spins as the fish open and close their mouths. Up to four players use fishing poles (and hand-eye coordination) as they try to catch the most fish.
Ages: 3 – 15 years
Review: 4 stars with over 2,000 reviews
Let’s Go Fishin’, $6.69 at Amazon
Candy Land
Kids will have a blast using their imaginations as they race to the finish line (aka the castle), encountering sweet surprises along the way.
Ages: 3 – 6
Review: 4.4 stars with nearly 1,000 reviews
Candy Land, $12.99 at Amazon
Hungry Hungry Hippos
In this fun (but warning: oh-so-loud) game, up to four players try to chomp down on the marbles scattered across the board, and the player with the most marbles wins.
Ages: 4 and up
Review: 3.7 stars with over 1,500 reviews
Hungry Hungry Hippos, $13.49 at Amazon
Yeti in My Spaghetti
The object of this game? Don’t let the yeti fall!
Each round, players remove a single noodle strand from the bowl, trying not to let the yeti touch the bottom. This game is so popular it won TOTY Game of the Year in 2017.
Ages: 4 – 15 years
Review: 4.5 stars with over 900 reviews
Yeti in My Spaghetti, $9.99 at Amazon
Zingo!
Kids develop critical skills, including language and matching, while playing this fast-paced game of image and word recognition.
Ages: 4 and up
Review: 4.8 stars with over 250 reviews
Zingo!, $19.99 at Amazon
More: 8 Fun Outdoor Games for Kids to Get ‘Em Moving
Monopoly Junior
You’ve likely already played the OG Monopoly board game, but now, the even younger kids can join in on the fun. This Monopoly version includes adorable junior tokens (like a cat and dog) and single dollar bills for simpler transactions as kids work to obtain fun new properties like a pet store, a candy store and a video game arcade.
Ages: 5 and up
Review: 4.6 stars with over 900 reviews
Monopoly Junior, $14.99 at Amazon
Chutes and Ladders
Two to four players scramble to the top of the game board without sliding down, and the first player to reach 100 squares wins.
Ages: 3 – 7
Review: 4.4 stars with 370 reviews
Chutes and Ladders, $14.99 at Amazon
Guess Who?
Simple concept, really: Kids guess which of the 24 characters their opponent picked. If you want to get creative, you can guess based on hypothetical subjective questions about the character rather than just their objective characteristics (i.e., “Does this person look like an art teacher?”)
Ages: 6 and up
Review: 4 stars with nearly 650 reviews
Guess Who?, $16 at Amazon
Sequence for Kids
Kids will develop logical-thinking skills as they play this strategy game, aiming to be the first player with four chips in a row to win.
Ages: 3 – 6
Review: 4.8 stars with nearly 750 reviews
Sequence for Kids, $14.99 at Amazon
Marvel Matching Game
As kids take turns trying to match cards displaying their favorite Marvel characters, they will develop their matching and memory skills.
Ages: 4 and up
Review: 4.5 stars with over 160 reviews
Marvel Matching Game, $9.50 at Amazon
Scrabble Junior
The classic word-creating board game now has a kid-friendly version. On one side, little ones match letters to form words, and on the other side, they can form new words of their own.
Ages: 5 and up
Review: 4.5 stars with over 300 reviews
Scrabble Junior, $12.99 at Amazon
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