Last Updated on December 12, 2022
With their minds developing, board games can mold and develop skills key to educational and social learning. On the list, we have some old favorites as well as newer games for your kids to have fun indoors!
Keep your 6-year-olds entertained and educated with these top board games for 6-year-olds!
Our Top Picks for Best Board Games for 6-Year-Olds
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY (BEST GAMES BY AGE GROUP): Toddler & Preschool | Kindergarten | 2-Year-Old | 3-Year-Old | 4-Year-Old | 5-Year-Old | 5-6-Year-Old | 7-Year-Old | 8-Year-Old | 9-Year-Old | 10-Year-Old | 11-12-Year-Old | Teens & Teenagers
Stories of the Three Coins
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 20 mins
The adventure game that you create.
If your kids are into storytelling, Stories of the Three Coins is the perfect addition. In a land called Storia, a traveler is searching for a happy ending, made up by players.
What we liked
Stories of the Three Coins is wonderfully creative and helps to develop creative thinking and communication skills. As players build the story together, it also helps build group strategy and problem-solving skills.
What could be better
Some of the rules don’t work well as-written, but it’s a good opportunity to get even more creative!
Let the story begin…
Dragomino: My First Kingdomino
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 15 mins
Dragomino is essentially My First Kingdomino with a fun dragon fantasy theme!
This is a card drafting and tile placement game. Using a pattern-building mechanic, kids try to match dominoes already in play. Each matching domino gives you an egg that is empty or has a baby dragon inside!
What we liked
Players will build their kingdoms and explore the landscapes. This is a fun game for the whole family to play and search for adorable dragons.
What could be better
This one may take a little while for 6-year-olds to grasp the rules of the game.
Who will find the most baby dragons?
The Magic Labyrinth
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20-30 mins
The Magic Labyrinth gives players the chance to lead their magicians through the invisible maze of mayhem.
The Master Wizard has misplaced items and if you can collect them before he notices, you’ll be rewarded and win! Players race to collect missing objects all while remembering the layout of the maze.
What we liked
This is a brilliant game to exercise memory and foster network-building skills.
What could be better
The memorization aspect could trip up younger players and finding the hidden walls feels a bit luck-based.
Navigate through the maze and win the Master Wizard’s favor!
Naval Battle
Players: 2
Playing time 10-20 mins
Naval Battle is an exciting and tactical action game. Destroy the enemy’s fleet, sink the ships, or capture their fort and win!
If your kid is a lover of all things nautical, then this is the game for them! It comes will quality model ships and a fort to move along the ocean board.
What we liked
Naval Battle is a fun 2-player game that offers two different levels of difficulty making it quite versatile. Naval Battle is a great game for kids as it’s got a bit of strategy all while leaving enough space for imagination for your little adventurers.
What could be better
The cardboard and plastic components included in the game could have been higher quality.
Catan Junior
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30 mins
Now your kids can be a part of the Catan world too. Start ‘em early with Catan Junior!
Catan Junior is a strategy game for kids that takes place on the mysterious Spooky Islands. The Ghost Captain haunts the isles and protects the gold. Build your pirate lairs and expand your network too… and maybe you’ll get the gold!
What we liked
Catan Junior is a fun introduction game into the world of Catan all while maintaining a simpler style of play and adding fun additions to keep kids entertained, such as getting help from a wise pirate parrot!
What could be better
The game is quite simplified from the original Catan so it can get repetitive for adults who are playing. That being said, it’s a great gateway for kids to learn gaming mechanics.
Sleeping Queens
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 20 mins
In the castle, the Queens are sleeping. Can you wake them up from their royal slumber?
In this royally rousing card game, you can play a king and wake up a queen, but be careful to watch out for knights and potions!
What we liked
Sleeping Queens is actually a game invented by 6-year-olds for 6-year-olds! This whimsical game has loads of educational aspects that help children build strategy and develop memory skills. A bonus is a need for simple addition and subtraction to help kids learn arithmetic.
What could be better
There is a surprising amount of “take-that” for a kids’ game, but as long as everyone has a good attitude, it can be a lot of fun.
Lift the sleeping spell and awaken the queens!
Ticket to Ride: First Journey
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 15-30 mins
Build your tracks across the United States with strategy and a sense of adventure!
Ticket to Ride: First Journey is a fun network-building game designed for young players. With unique rules, younger players can build strategy skills all while introducing them to the wonderful world of board games!
What we liked
A simple map helps players match color cards to claim their routes across the board! The cute trains are a nice edition that helps keep children entertained and physically propel their strategic play.
What could be better
While simplified, the game sometimes can drag on a bit longer than it should.
Gather the family and start the adventure!
Outfoxed!
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20 mins
A cooperative whodunit game.
In Outfoxed, children become little detectives and need to gather clues as fast as they can. Mrs. Plumpert’s prized pot pie is missing, you need to crack the case before it’s too late! The hungry hooligan of a fox is escaping from town… Will you be outfoxed?
What we liked
Outfoxed! teaches kids deductive reasoning all while working together in a team. Develop their critical thinking all while having fun!
What could be better
The re-rolling mechanic (like Yahtzee) is not my favorite, even in a kids’ game.
Rhino Hero
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 5-15 mins
Rhino Hero is a superhero. With the heart of a lion and the wits of a fox, he surely can accomplish anything.
What we liked
Rhino Hero needs players’ help by balancing stacking cards in a 3D format. Young players learn to physically balance cards, encouraging motor skills and dexterity.
In this fast-paced board game of stacking cards, players can replay the game many times.
What could be better
While this game can be a lot of fun for kids and adults alike, there’s not much substance to it otherwise.
Help Rhino Hero accomplish this wobbly construction mission and win!
The Ladybug Game
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20 mins
A new adventure every time you play!
Escape the praying mantis and feed the ants to make sure Ladybug arrives home safely. The Ladybug Game is a colorful board game for the whole family. Developing math skills as well as reading is what makes this a fantastic educational board game.
What we liked
The Ladybug Game is easy to learn and educational, in addition to providing exciting adventures. As a bonus, you get to learn all about bugs too!
What could be better
Similar to Candyland, except with the potential to move backward, this game provides very few opportunities for actual decision-making.
Dinosaur Escape Game
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20 mins
Can you help the dinosaur escape before the volcano erupts?
The dinosaur friends are in trouble and they need to escape. With a good memory and a little luck, you can save them. Dinosaur Escape is a fun game in which players work together, use their memories, and rescue the dinosaurs.
What we liked
How do you save these prehistoric pals? By remembering the dinosaur’s matching cards, you help them escape one by one. The board game is colorful and 3D with adorable dinosaur figures.
What could be better
As a kids’ game, it’s very easy to win this one with hardly any challenge at all. However, you can use the ferns and play with normal rules too.
Gnomes at Night
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 15 mins
The Queen’s treasures have been stolen. Find your way through the twisty maze and recover the stolen loot.
What we liked
Gnomes at Night is a magnetic moving game in which players collect treasure before time runs out. Developing strategy as well as quick thinking, Gnomes at night is a wonderful game for children who enjoy quick play with a touch of time pressure.
What could be better
Like us, you may need to make several house rules to get around some poorly written instructions.
Cooperate together and move the gnomes to win!
Scotland Yard Junior
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20 mins
Where is Mister X hiding? Travel across London and solve the case in Scotland Yard: Junior.
As top detectives working for Scotland Yard, players must find Mister X’s next hiding place before he deceives authorities and disappears into the London fog. Players work together to guess where mysterious Mister X could be.
What we liked
This easy-to-learn, fast-paced game will leads kids along the river Thames and past the London Eye as they move across the playing board. This game, designed for young players, is a fun play experience all while increasing deduction skills at every exciting turn.
What could be better
Essentially a simplified version of the original, the game boils down to a lot of 50/50 guesses.
SOS Dino
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 25mins
A cooperative game that the whole family will enjoy, SOS Dino leads players into the home of dinosaurs.
Marie, Nessie, Freddy, and Louis are the adorable characters you’ll meet. They love to play around the lake until all of a sudden, the ground begins to shake. A volcano erupts! Find safety for the dinosaur friends and save their eggs!
With a similar theme to Dinosaur Escape, SOS Dino relies on players to save the dinosaurs, but with SOS Dino, tile placement is the key mechanism.
What we liked
Cooperation and tactical tile-laying help to teach children to move through the playing board while developing a strategy.
What could be better
Other than being very simple, there’s not much bad to say about this one. It can even be challenging to win for adults!
Win by saving the eggs while avoiding lava and meteor showers!
Cauldron Quest
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 20 mins
Work your magic and break the spell!
Cauldron Quest is a fun fantasy game in which an evil wizard has cast a wicked spell over the kingdom. Players form a team to find 3 enchanted ingredients that’ll break the spell. But beware, the wizard will try to block your path.
In this grid-movement game, everyone wins or loses together. But with lots of teamwork and a touch of magic, your team can grab the ingredients before the wizard does.
What we liked
Caudron Quest is a fantastic game to encourage children to work together and problem-solve as a group.
What could be better
The game is pretty luck-dependent and if the dice don’t like you, it’s easy to get frustrated.
Clue Junior
Players: 2-6
Playing time: 15-20 mins
The classic game of Clue can be introduced to young players too!
Oh no! A favorite toy is broken! In Clue Junior, players must solve the mystery. Discover which toy is broken, who broke it, and at what time the crime occurred. With many questions to answer, Clue: Junior is no piece of cake.
What we liked
While players roll the dice, they’ll use their deduction skills and develop a strategy to eliminate the possibilities. The game brings some classic favorites like Miss Scarlett, Col. Mustard, Mr. Green, Prof. Plum, and Mrs. Peacock into the mix.
What could be better
The game plays more as a race than a deduction game, but still introduces good concepts to young children for future gaming experience!
Look under furniture, move the characters, and have fun solving the mystery!
Guess in 10 (Animal Planet)
Players: 2-6
An exciting guessing game for animal lovers!
Guess in 10: Animal Planet is a super fun guessing game for young learners to play. In this thrilling card game of questions, players can ask up to 10 questions to guess the animal. Is it a pet? Is it a carnivore? Wild guesses won’t get you far. By wisely choosing questions, kids can deduce which animal it could be.
What we liked
The game includes 50 pocket-size cards making it a great travel game or stocking stuffer. While having fun, you’ll learn about animals from all over the world!
What could be better
Basically 20 Questions, this game is quite easy and may get dull after awhile unless you get creative.
Stare! Junior
Players: 2-10
Playing time: 60 mins
Fun, educational… and parents can play too!
Stare! Junior gives players 30 seconds to stare at a picture on the card and recall as many details as possible. Memory is key but the cards are fun and exciting for kids too.
What we liked
With animations, comics, funny photos the interesting details children remember, make the game very funny! The game can be played solo or in teams too. Improve children’s visual memory skills all while having a blast.
This is a fantastic game, particularly for ADHD spectrum children, and is used by many educational and child psychologists.
What could be better
A very easy game for kids, it can drag on a bit for adults. Our recommendation, in this case, is to use the “fast play” rules to eliminate the dice rolling, making it a bit more challenging and quick to play.
5 Second Rule Junior
Players: 3-99
Playing time: Unlimited
A family version of the ever-popular game.
The rules are quite simple, read a card and give an answer! But… you only have 5 seconds to answer!
This Junior version has simple questions like, ‘Games you play’ ‘Name three ice cream flavors’, ‘Superheroes, etc, and adds a twisted timer that makes a ‘Zoooop’ sound to add to the fun.
What we liked
This is a great game for a classroom or a kid’s party. With a high player count, everyone can play together in teams or alone. What seems super simple can be tricky, and funny answers make it a great time for all.
What could be better
This game requires all players to effectively focus, which could be challenging for some 6-year-olds. Also, the timer makes a really annoying sound.
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our picks for the best board games for 6-year-olds! These family-friendly, educational board games are great for early childhood development and fun for everyone in the family.
Make Family Game Night a new tradition by starting when your kids are young! Let us know if we missed any of your favorites. Drop a comment below! We’d love to hear from you.
Like these games for 6-year-olds? Check out our video round-up of the best games for 5-6 year olds here:
