A first board game teaches more than rules: taking turns, waiting, winning and losing gracefully, and sitting together for twenty minutes. The best ones do it without anyone noticing.
Every game here won or was shortlisted for the Kinderspiel des Jahres, the German children's game of the year, or the French As d'Or for children. The jury tests the games with real children, so these are games kids actually ask to play again.
Designed by Lena und Günter Burkhardt
2–415′5+Great for a first game at age 4 or 5
Children take turns melting an ice tower with a little dragon and grab the colourful gems that fall out. Pure joy to watch, with a bit of choosing and counting. It won the Kinderspiel des Jahres.
2018 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Marisa Peña, Shanon Lyon and Colt Tipton-Johnson
2–420′5+Great for little detectives
Players move together around the farm, collecting clues to work out which fox stole the chicken pot pie before it escapes. A first deduction game, and cooperative, so the whole table wins or loses together.
2018 As d'Or Children's Game of the Year winner
Designed by Marie Fort and Wilfried Fort
1–415′4+Great for children who hate losing
The little pigs build walls together to keep the wolf away from their houses. A cooperative game that plays in fifteen minutes and can even be played alone.
2019 As d'Or Children's Game of the Year winner
Designed by Klaus Zoch
2–415′4+Great for a 4-year-old who loves memory games
Chickens race around a farmyard by turning over hidden tiles and remembering where each picture is. A classic memory game in which children often beat the adults.
1998 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Michelle Schanen
2–415′4+Great for a mildly spooky first game
Players climb a staircase while ghosts land on their pieces, and soon nobody knows which ghost hides whose piece. Memory with a giggle; it won the Kinderspiel des Jahres.
2004 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Bruno Cathala
2–420′5+Great for a bridge to bigger family games
A first tile-laying game based on Kingdomino: match the landscapes and discover baby dragons in their eggs. It won both the Kinderspiel des Jahres and the As d'Or for children.
2021 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Markus Slawitschek and Arno Steinwender
2–415′5+Great for a cooperative treasure hunt
Children work together to open a castle with magnetic keys, guessing which room hides the treasure. A cooperative game with a bit of magic in the box.
2024 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) winner
Designed by Reiner Knizia
2–420′5+Great for a quick cooperative dice game
Mice raid the pantry, rolling dice to grab food before the cat comes down the stairs. Everyone plays as the mice together against the cat.
2016 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) nominee
Designed by Heinz Meister
2–415′4+Great for the youngest players
Bunnies hop towards the carrot field together before a gust of wind blows the path away. Gentle, cooperative and very short.
2007 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) nominee
Designed by Manfred Ludwig
2–420′4+Great for a 4-year-old who likes a little risk
Mice race to the cheese, but the cat follows them, and the further a mouse runs the bigger the cheese, and the bigger the risk. An early lesson in pushing your luck.
2003 Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children's Game of the Year) winner
Short cooperative games like Hop Hop Hooray! or Mr. Wolf work best, because nobody loses alone. Memory games like Chicken Cha Cha Cha suit 4-year-olds.
It is the children's game of the year, chosen in Germany by the same jury as the Spiel des Jahres. Its winners are tested with children and are known worldwide as reliable first games.
Both are useful. Cooperative games build patience and teamwork; competitive games teach how to win and lose. Many families start cooperative and add competitive games around age 5.
See every award-winning game for little kids
