The best board games for 5-year-olds are games that keep their attention, are fun, and provide some kind of learning as well.
The board games below are perfect for 5-year-olds who are learning to read, discovering shapes and new things about the World, and are ready for some real “grown-up” board games.
Whether you are looking for a great gift idea for a 5-year-old birthday or an addition to the family game closet, these board games are perfetc for the 5-8 year old crowd.
Do you do a family game night in your house?
Now my kids are a bit older, we have started this tradition and have lots of fun together.
One of the most important things about a successful game night is finding board games suitable for your kids.
Too childish means they get bored quickly, whereas overly complicated board games will get frustrating for everyone.
This list of the best board games for 5-year-olds contains the best-selling board games for this year that are sure to entertain your younger children aged 4-6 years.
I’ve included games specifically geared towards boys or girls as well as many that the whole family will enjoy. 
This post contains affiliate links meaning I make a commission if you click on a link. Please read my Disclosure for more information.
MORE FUN GIFT IDEAS
The Best Princess Gifts For Preschoolers
Girl Power Gifts For Girls Of All Ages
The Top 3 Best Selling Board Games For 5-Year-Olds
No time and want to know what the top-selling board games are for 5-7-year-old kids this year? Look no further:
Outfoxed ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Over 400 fantastic Amazon Reviews)
The Floor Is Lava. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Zingo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Over 15, 000 reviews on Amazon)
The Best Board Games For 5-Year-Olds
Outfoxed
Outfoxed is a wonderful Whodunnit game for kids and adults alike.
Mrs. Plumpert’s prized pot pie has gone missing, and it’s a chase to crack the case!
In Outfoxed, you move around the board to gather clues, then use the special evidence scanner to rule out suspects.
This is a great board game for the whole family with over 400 5 star reviews on Amazon.
What We Love about Outfoxed:
- It is cooperative game, perfect for family game night
- It is full of problem solving challenges
The Floor Is Lava
The Floor Is Lava is a take on the traditional playground game that kids around the World love.
If you have a 5-year-old, you know that they love playing the floor is lava with their friends.
This board game is a great way for the whole family to join in by jumping on foam squares to escape the lava floor.
Why We Love it:
- Everyone knows the premise of the game
- The Rules are easy to learn
- This is an active game that will keep kids moving
Zingo
If your kids love playing Bingo then they will love Zingo.
It’s super easy to play and can be set up in minutes.
Zingo is one of ThinkFun’s most popular and bestselling games and is the winner of an Oppenheim Gold Award and Parents’ Choice Gold Award.
Why Zingo is a hit with kids and parents:
- Fun way to learn sight words. Make reading fun with this bingo-like game.
- The format is easy and keeps the game compact and neat. The cards are sturdy and won’t get ruined quickly which is important with little children.
- The game is 100% words, so kids learn what the sight words are. There are some tiny symbols, but no pictures.
Mermaid Island
This is one of a series of “cooperative board games” which involve working together as family instead of being pitted against each other.
Mermaids are all the rage with little girls and this board game taps right into the zeitgeist.
In Mermaid Island, players work together to help mermaids swim to Mermaid Island before the Sea witch gets there.
Why we love it:
- Players work together as a team against a common obstacle, not against each other.
- It is good for developing basic strategy moves for young children
- The illustrations are beautiful
GoTrovo The Family Treasure Hunt Game
If your kids love scavenger hunts then The Family Treasure Hunt Game is for you!
Take all the work out of creating your own scavenger hunt with this fun game that gets amazing reviews from parents and kids.
GoTrovo is an action-packed pirate scavenger hunt game for the whole family that you can play indoors or outdoors.
Follow the clues and collect pirate loot along the way.
It also comes with a set of blank clues so you can add your own to keep the game interesting.
Why Parents Love The Family Treasure Hunt Game:
- Keep kids occupied ad active with no screens
- Non-readers can use the pictures while older kids can read the riddles
Enchanted Forest
Go back to the classics stories of your childhood with Enchanted Forest.
This magical treasure hunt game is set in the land of fairy tales!
Cinderella’s glass slipper, Rumpelstiltskin’s spinning wheel, Jack’s magical beanstalk beans, and other once-upon-a-time treasures are hidden under the trees of the Enchanted Forest!
What we love:
- Play time is only 30 minutes
- This is a twist on the classic memory games that kids love
The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
If you also have younger children who would like to join in with games, The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel is for you!
Help feed the forest friends by collecting acorns.
It’s been a best-selling game for preschoolers (over 6000 reviews on Amazon) for 5 years in a row and is lots of fun for ages 3-6.
What Kids Learn with The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel:
- Matching
- Sorting
- Strategic thinking
- Hand-eye coordination
- Fine motor skills
- Handwriting skills
Candy Land
Candy Land is one of those must-have board games that every family needs in their stash.
It’s simple to play and kids of all ages love it.
Pick a card and move your player along the board past the different candy, watch out for the special cards that might advance you or put you back to the beginning.
If you want something different, you can get the 1967 vintage version.
Why Candy Land is such a hit:
- No reading necessary makes it perfect for little kids
- Easy to play for up to 6 people
- Each game lasts 15-30 minutes
Hi Ho Cherry-O
Kids ages 3 and up can have a blast picking pretend fruit from the trees in Hi Ho Cherry-O, and filling their buckets.
The spinner lets them know the number of pieces to pick — or put back.
Why This Game gets 4 Stars:
- Great for teaching math and counting
- Good quality hard plastic pieces
My First Carcassonne
This is one of the best board games for 5-year-olds who want a challenge.
My First Carcassonne requires kids to think, plan ahead and strategize.
It’s a fun building game that is a kid-friendly version of the original best-seller. Build the city of Carcasonne one tile at a time.
Best features according to parents:
- Game length is perfect for kids
- The tiles are visually appealing – but the space needed is not excessive
- Game play is simple to learn – but you can deepen your strategy – though there is a bit of luck involved – Good combo!
- It is not too combative and has no depiction of violence of battle.
Rhino Hero
Rhino Hero is an exciting 3D card game, you build a house of cards, floor by floor, as tall as you can for your new favorite superhere, Rhino Hero.
How high can it go before toppling down?
This is a fun game, similar to Jenga that is lots of fun for all ages.
Rhino Hero is great for:
- Quick Games -game setup takes perhaps 30 seconds, and most games run about 4-5 minutes long
- Easy to learn and fun game for all ages
Love Letters
This board game might seem too “out there” for 5 year olds but Love Letters gets amazing reviews from parents of children aged 4-6 years.
In the wake of the queen’s arrest, all the eligible young men of Tempest (and many not so young) seek to woo Princess Aneette.
Unfortunately, she has locked herself in the palace, and everyone must rely on those within the palace to bring their romantic letters to her.
This Worldwide sensation only contains 16 cards and is very easy to learn but offers lessons in strategy, counting and probability.
Why it’s so popular:
- 20 minute playtime
- Introduction to counting cards and learning strategy
- Only 16 cards
Catan Junior
Catan: Junior introduces a modified playing style of the classic game giving younger players the opportunity to experience the world of Catan.
Catan: Junior takes place on a ring of islands where 2 to 4 players build hideouts.
Each island generates a specific resource: wood, goats, molasses or swords and players can acquire gold.
Each player starts with two pirate hideouts, then builds ships in order to expand their network.
The more hideouts you build, the more resources you may receive.
It has over 2000 reviews on Amazon and is a huge hit with kids and parents alike.
What we love:
- 30 minutes game play
- Great springboard to the full version of Catan
- Fantastic strategic game that parents lor
Ticket To Ride – First Journey
Ticket To Ride: First Journey is a kid-friendly version of the award-winning board game ticket to ride which takes players on a train journey across America.
First Journey is the perfect way to introduce new players to the game of cross-country travel.
Just like in the original adult version of Ticket to Ride, players collect train cards, claim routes, and try to connect cities coast-to-coast.
This is a slightly longer game than some of the other options, one game typically takes around 45 minutes.
What We Love:
- Play is fast-paced and simple to understand
- Introduces travel to children
- Only one player needs to be able to read
Dragon’s Breath
Voted best children’s game 2018 in Germany, Dragon’s Breath is a great board game for 5-year-olds and the whole family.
Four young dragons and one dragon dad try to get the most gems out of a ice column filled with them.
In each round the young dragons will pick a gem color that they think will come out of the ice when the dad melts it.
Why it’s an award winner:
- Haba games are always good quality and this one is no exception
- Easy enough for 3 year olds to play but fun. for all ages
- Who doesnt like collecting sparkly gems?
Mouse Trap
Do you remember playing Mouse Trap when you were a child?
This is a classic game that is fun for the whole family.
The Amazon exclusive version of Mousetrap is the game we all know and love from our childhoods and it gets much better reviews than the newer versions.
Mouse Trap pits 2-4 players against each other as mice trying to navigate through a complex mousetrap.
Build the mousetrap by moving your mice across the board.
Once the mouse trap has been completely constructed, players can attempt to capture each others’ mice in it by setting off the trap.
The winner is the last mouse who avoids being trapped.
Why it is a classic:
- It’s a game for 2-4 players so it’s perfect for game night or just playing with a friend.
- Easy and quick to play
Pop The Pig
Over 1000 great reviews make this a fun game for kids of all ages.
Roll the die, pop a hamburger into the pig’s mouth and pump his head. The more they pump, the more his belly grows until – pop!
Why kids love Pop The Pig:
- Kids love the suspense as they watch the pig’s belly grow
- This game is completely kid powered (no batteries needed)
Hedbanz
HedBanz is so much fun! Ask “yes” or “no” questions before time runs out to figure out if the cartoon card on your headband is an animal, food or object.
This game is quick and easy to play with all ages.
Why this is a bestseller on Amazon:
- Great for a crowd so perfect for family parties
- Even the youngest kids can understand how to play
Trouble
Trouble is the perfect first game of strategy for a 5-year-old.
It has been around since 1965 and has always been a fan favorite.
It can be made more challenging as kids get more comfortable with it so it’s a great game to grow with.
Best features of Trouble:
- The dice is held within a plastic bubble that pops so it can’t get lost
- Play with 2, 3 or 4 players so great for the whole family
Pirates Pile Up
I had Pirates Pile-Up myself as a kid! Take turns sliding the colorful swords into the pirate’s barrel, but beware!
Choose the wrong slot and the pirate will pop out.
There are many variations of this game but this one is the original and the best.
If you need a game for toddlers/preschoolers that is guaranteed to teach taking turns and highly giggle inducing, then Pop up Pirate is your game!
Best Things About This Game:
- Easy to play with no rules to learn
- The shock factor of the pirate jumping up (over 1ft in the air) never gets old.
Sequence for Kids
If you are looking for a great strategy game for younger children, Sequence For Kids is for you.
This game is simple yet educational and very easy to learn. It is perfect for 4-6 year-olds.
Why We Love Sequence For Kids:
- It teaches taking turns, patterns (creating 4 in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally) and strategy (creating your own sequence while thwarting the other players).
- It is a fast game – about 10-15 minutes
Kids Create Absurdity
Kids Create Absurdity is one of the funniest games I have ever played with my kids.
It has been liked to a cross between Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity.
Parents say “It’s most appropriately inappropriate for kids age 6-10yo who still find this potty humor funny.”
Best Parts:
- Adults like it as much as kids
- Includes blank cards to use as you wish
Final Thoughts On Board Games For 5-Year-Olds
All of the board games above are great for getting your children started on the wonderful world of family game night.
With screens dominating so much of our lives nowadays, it’s fantastic to have some fun that doesn’t involve a phone or Netflix.
For more ideas on things to do with your kids (many that are completely free, make sure to check out the posts below:
101 Free Things To Do With Kids That Will Keep Them Busy, Not Bored
40 Mother Daughter Day Ideas For All Ages
15 Daddy Daughter Date Ideas That Will Make Her Day
