| | | | |

Educational Games for Preschoolers and The Importance of Games

Share Button

Playing games with your preschooler is a great way to teach your child important social skills like taking turns, sharing, and being a good sport. Games also offer children the chance to learn important cognitive skills like logic, memory, and strategy. These Educational Games for Preschoolers are great to learn letters, numbers, shapes, math, and more!

Hands-on learning games Introduce preschool essentials with great educational games, board games, and toys your kids will love to play.

Choosing great games your kids will love can be challenging. Keep reading for tips on how to choose the perfect game and some great board game suggestions.

25+ Educational Games for Preschoolers, Learn Letters, numbers, shapes, math and more! Hands on learning games Introduce preschool essentials with GREAT educational games, board games, and toys your kids will love to play.

Educational Games for Preschoolers

Board games are a great way to spend quality family time while building important skills with your children.

Want to learn more about how playing board games together can benefit your kids academically? Check out these great reasons kids should play board games.

Then, grab a few new games and start a family game night for your preschoolers.

Why Should Kids Play Board Games?

Playing board games helps preschoolers build concentration skills, practice decision making, social skills, and critical thinking. Plus, playing games helps teach kids how to overcome challenges, persevere, and lose gracefully. 

Here are 7 amazing board game benefits for your kids:

  1. Board games provide tons of teachable moments. While playing games, preschool learners can identify colors, count spaces, and develop hand-eye coordination while moving pieces around the board. Learning to wait for your turn and follow the rules of the game are important life lessons that can also be learned from playing games. 
  2. Games boost language skills too. Board games are a clever way to help young children practice early reading skills. They’re also the perfect way to encourage shy preschoolers or kids with speech delays to talk and interact. 
  3. They help preschoolers learn to focus. Playing games through to the end can help preschool learners develop a longer attention span. However, to see these results you’ll need to play without interruptions so everyone must commit to putting down phones and finishing the game.  It’s a great way to overcome digital distractions while having lots of fun together as a family.
  4. Board games teach teamwork. They offer kids valuable lessons in life like: Your luck can change in an instant. In addition to teaching preschoolers that nothing is guaranteed, board games encourage kids to team up and work together, a valuable life skill.
  5. You can play a board game instead of using time out.   The next time you find yourself butting heads with your preschooler, consider playing a board game together instead of time out. Since kids are required to take turns and be patient during games, they’re the perfect way to help kids learn to stick it out and respond respectfully instead of stomping off or having a tantrum.
  6. Games can teach preschoolers how to be graceful losers. Losing is difficult for everyone, but you can use games to teach your preschooler coping skills and how to be resilient. When the game doesn’t go their way, be sure to let them know how proud you are that they stayed calm. Then, model good sportsmanship with an encouraging comment like “Next time, I hope you get the card you like.” 
  7. Board games make it easy to be screen-free! These games are totally free from tech and that makes them an extra special way to get some fun quality family time. You might even be surprised by how much you love playing games together as a family. 

25+ Educational Games for Preschoolers, Learn Letters, numbers, shapes, math and more! Hands on learning games Introduce preschool essentials with GREAT educational games, board games, and toys your kids will love to play.

How to Choose Educational Games:

Choosing great games for your preschoolers can be a challenge! Follow these simple steps to help you pick the perfect game for your little learners: 

  • Check the recommended age. Be sure your game is age appropriate and doesn’t contain pieces that are too small or require advanced skills your preschooler might struggle with. Preschool isn’t the right time to introduce Monopoly, but an early math skills game like Hi Ho! Cherry-O might be the perfect thing. A game should be challenging enough to be fun, but not so difficult that your preschooler will want to quit playing.
  • Consider your preschooler’s interests. Choosing a game they’re going to be interested in right away will be a big hit. In order for a game to be educational, it must be something your preschooler will be interested in exploring.
  • Pay attention to the playing time. Many games let you know right on the box how long you can expect each game to last. Checking this helpful information is a great way to be sure you choose a game your preschooler has the attention span for and helpful when you’re trying to avoid a long game yourself. 
  • Think about yourself too. Your kids are going to want to play the game with you. So it’s important to choose a game you’ll want to play too. If you’re having fun, your kids probably will too.
  • Look for games that focus on math and literacy skills. Board games can improve your preschool learner’s math skills tremendously. Playing board games provides the perfect opportunity to practice counting skills for preschoolers. While playing, they also learn how to use strategy— an important early cognitive skill. There are also lots of different preschool board games that encourage early reading skills.

Top 25 Educational Board Games for Preschoolers

  1. Orchard Toys Shopping List
  2. The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game
  3. Zingo
  4. Hoot Owl Hoot
  5. Snail’s Pace
  6. Sequence for Kids
  7. The Yoga Garden Game
  8. Candy Land
  9. Chutes & Ladders
  10. Hi Ho! Cherry-O
  11. Stack up!
  12. Outfoxed!
  13. My First Carcassone
  14. Dinosaur Escape Game
  15. Pete the Cat: Missing Cupcakes Game 
  16. The Ladybug Game
  17. The Family Treasure Hunt Game
  18. Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco Game
  19. Haba Orchard Game
  20. Ocean Bingo
  21. Don’t Break the Ice
  22. Gnomes at Night
  23. Cooties
  24. Teddy Mix and Match
  25. Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Games

Playing board games with preschoolers is imperative for the development of a variety of important skills.

Games provide an exciting mix of competition and motivation that encourages preschoolers to express themselves while developing patience and determination. Important early learning skills like concentration and memory get a boost when kids focus on games because they must remember the rules.

Board games are also useful for developing other important education-related skills like critical thinking and spatial awareness. 

However, board games aren’t the only interactive tools you can use to build early learning skills with your preschoolers. There are lots of great educational toys that help preschool kids learn too.

Click on the pictures below to check out my list of educational toys for preschool and share your favorite games and toys for learning in the comments.

Color Toys for exploring colors are perfect for your toddlers and preschoolers.

25+ Educational Games for Preschoolers, Learn Letters, numbers, shapes, math and more! Hands on learning games Introduce preschool essentials with GREAT educational games, board games, and toys your kids will love to play.

Fun Educational Toys for 5 year olds

25+ Educational Games for Preschoolers, Learn Letters, numbers, shapes, math and more! Hands on learning games Introduce preschool essentials with GREAT educational games, board games, and toys your kids will love to play.

The Best Montessori Toys for Babies through 6 Year Olds

25+ Educational Games for Preschoolers, Learn Letters, numbers, shapes, math and more! Hands on learning games Introduce preschool essentials with GREAT educational games, board games, and toys your kids will love to play.