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Our list of the best board games for 3 year olds will have the whole family wanting to join in on game night for oodles of fun, tons of laughter and lots of excitement!
By the time your child turns 3, they are more than ready to socialize and may already be in preschool.
Preschool is a time when your child will be expected to follow more and more rules and learn how to work and play with other kids. Because of this, their communication skills may be increasing by leaps and bounds.
Providing and playing board games with your child at home will help them build some of those important preschool skills that they will need as they grow and mature.
To help you in your quest to find awesome games, our team has sifted through hundreds of board games, and we’re proud to present you with the best of the best.
Whether your kids like to play detective, help hungry squirrels find acorns, go fishing, or save some cute bugs, we’ve got you covered.
Not only are board games fun to play, they’re also a wonderful way to get your kids to take a break from screen time and have some face to face time with family and friends.
Board games are also an enjoyable way to help develop your child’s strategic thinking, focus, memory, hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and much more.
The games on our list can also help your child learn about numbers, colors, letters, animals, and shapes.
So have a look at our choices for the best board games for 3 year olds. We know that’s there’s bound to be at least one that your child will have tons of fun playing!
Contents
- 10 Fun Board Games For 3 Year Olds
- Educational Insights The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
- Hasbro Gaming Candy Land Kingdom Of Sweet Adventures Board Game
- Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game
- The Ladybug Game
- Peaceable Kingdom Snug as a Bug in a Rug Skills Builder Game
- Gotrovo Treasure Hunt Board Game
- Pete The Cat The Missing Cupcakes Game
- Let’s Feed The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- MEIGO Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game
- VATOS Little Detective Board Game
10 Fun Board Games For 3 Year Olds
Educational Insights The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game
Educational Insights The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Toddler & Preschool Board Game
The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game is a fun and exciting game for 3 year olds.
The object of this game is to be the first player to gather five acorns (one of each color) and put them into your stump.
This game consists of a colorful tree shaped game board, a ‘squirrel squeezer’, twenty acorns in five colors (red, yellow, green, blue and purple), and a spinner.
To start the game, you scatter all the acorns onto the tree game board.
A spin of the spinner determines what your child does when it’s their turn: They can get an acorn or steal an acorn from someone else, but they can also lose their turn or lose all their acorns.
Kids love the ‘squirrel squeezer’ (which is just a big pair of squirrel shaped tweezers) that they use to pick up their acorns and put them into their stump.
The squeezer is a great way to develop your child’s fine motor skills, and the spinner can help with color and number recognition.
Overall, the game is a great way for kids to practice their hand-eye coordination, matching skills, and strategic thinking.
Designed for children ages 3 years and up, this delightful board game is tons of fun!
Why We Recommend The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game
- This game can help your child develop their fine motor skills
- Fun way to improve your child’s hand-eye coordination
- Helps kids practice their matching skills
- Encourages children to take turns
- Can help teach your child the principle of following rules
- Encourages kids to develop their language skills
- Helps children learn about strategic thinking
- Teaches children to be good winners and losers
- Can help your child with color and number recognition
Hasbro Gaming Candy Land Kingdom Of Sweet Adventures Board Game
This Candy Land Kingdom Of Sweet Adventures Board Game is much like the Candy Land classic game that so many of us played as kids.
The name of the game is for children to race their different colored gingerbread men along the sweet path to see who can get to the kings castle first.
Fun to play, it’s also a color matching game designed for two to four players.
The game consists of the game board, four gingerbread pawns, a deck of cards each bearing a color, and instructions on how to play.
Parents often purchase this game because, having played this game themselves as kids, they know exactly what to expect from this game.
Although some of the graphics have changed, the basic game is still the same and is something that parents feel comfortable with and kids enjoy.
Why We Recommend Candy Land Kingdom of Sweet Adventures
- Kids love that this game is so colorful and they think the cartoon-like treats that appear along the path are fun
- This game is a good reinforcement of the need to take to turns
- It can help develop your child’s fine motor skills
- Gives your child plenty of practice in identifying and matching colors
- Helps your child develop their socialization and communication skills since it takes at least two people play
- Introduces kids to the concept of winning and losing and how to be a good sport
fishing
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game
This awesome Melissa and Doug Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game is both a board game and a puzzle all in one that’s your three year old will love!
The game consists of a game board, ten magnetic wooden sea creatures, and one magnetic fishing pole.
Not only will your child have fun fishing for all the sea creatures, they’ll also enjoy the challenge of putting them back into the correct spots on the game board once they’ve caught them.
We’ve included this game on our list of best board games for 3 year olds because Melissa and Doug are known for their age appropriate, high quality products and this game is no exception. On top of that, the solid wood sea creatures are absolutely beautiful and designed to withstand the test of time.
This is a game your child can play on their own, or they can take turns and play with a sibling or friend. It’s a wonderful way for kids to practice their matching skills, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills.
Why We Recommend The Melissa and Doug Wooden Fishing Game
- Kids love the beautiful sea creatures and the colorful game board
- This fishing game is a great way to help your child develop their fine motor skills
- Allows your child to practice their matching skills
- Fun way to develop your child’s hand-eye coordination
- Children will have fun identifying the different sea creatures
- Stirs the imagination as kids can envision themselves deep sea fishing
- Can provide your child with the ability to engage in free play
- May make your child curious about magnets and how they work
The Ladybug Game
The Ladybug Game | Great First Board Game
The Lady Bug Game is a fun adventured filled board game for 3 year olds.
The object of this entertaining game is to get all the lady bugs home to the rose garden, while avoiding the deadly praying mantis. Along the way, players collect aphids to feed three lazy ants.
Designed for two to four players, it only takes about twenty minutes to play, so it’s perfect for younger kids.
The game itself consists of the game board, four lady bug pawns, sixty-one aphid chips, thirty-two lady bug cards, and eight praying mantis passes.
This award winning board game is a wonderful way to help your three year old with early reading skills, color recognition, and number recognition.
Why We Recommend The Lady Bug Game
- Great way for your child to practice counting and number recognition
- Kids will be introduced to early reading skills
- There’s plenty of opportunity to practice following rules and instructions
- Your child can practice patience while waiting for their turn
- Kids love the colorful board and cute play pieces
- Can help develop both language and socialization skills
- Kids can learn valuable lessons in good sportsmanship
Peaceable Kingdom Snug as a Bug in a Rug Skills Builder Game
Peaceable Kingdom Snug as a Bug in a Rug Award Winning Preschool Skills Builder Game for Kids
The Peaceable Kingdom Snug As A Bug In A Rug Skills Builder Game is a really fun board game designed for two to four players which three year olds love!
The object of the game is for the players to get all of the cute little bugs safely under the rug before the 3 stinkbugs show up.
This is a cooperative game which offers 3 different levels of play so it can grow with your child.
Many Peaceable Kingdom games are cooperative games. Cooperative games are designed to foster kindness and compassion in kids and encourage them to communicate with one another and work together.
That’s why we’ve made a point to include a variety of cooperative games on our list of the best board games for 3 year olds.
This award winning game comes with a game board, a spinner, twenty-four colorful bugs in all different colors, 3 stink bugs, a dice, and the instructions.
Why We Recommend The Snug As A Bug in A Rug Game
- Gives your child practice identifying colors, shapes, and numbers
- Wonderful way to foster cooperation, kindness and compassion in your child
- Introduces the concept of big and little
- Encourages kids to use creative problem solving
- Can help your child develop social and language skills
- Encourages working as a team
- It has 3 levels of play so it can grow with your child
Gotrovo Treasure Hunt Board Game
Gotrovo Treasure Hunt Board Game
Gotrovo’s Treasure Hunt Board Game is an adventurous pirate themed scavenger hunt that can be played indoors or out.
It can be played alone, with multiple players, or in teams, and comes with one hundred clue cards, a treasure map puzzle board, gold treasure chest, ten gold coins, and a loot bag.
Once you receive the game, you can also get a bonus game guide designed to help you make the most of the game.
The idea behind the game is to find and solve the clues that eventually lead to the treasure.
What makes this game more fun and exciting, is that kids actually get to move around as they play, instead of simply sitting at the table throwing dice or spinning a spinner.
Best of all, while this game is easy enough for your 3 year old, people of any age can enjoy it. So it makes an awesome addition to family game night.
Why We Recommend The Gotrovo Treasure Hunt Board Game
- The game will get your kids up and moving
- Kids love the idea of finding a hidden treasure at the end of the game
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- Encourages critical thinking skills in your child as they attempt to solve the clues
- Kids think it’s fun to collect gold coins as they progress through the game
- Helps develop communication skills, especially if played in teams
- Fun for kids of all ages and adult too
- Teaches younger kids learn to follow rules and fair game play
Pete The Cat The Missing Cupcakes Game
Pete The Cat The Missing Cupcakes Game Based On The Popular Book Series
The Pete The Cat The Missing Cupcakes Game is a playful board game based on the popular Pete The Cat book series and three year olds love it!
It’s Pete’s birthday and the Grumpy Toad has stolen all of the cupcakes for the birthday party. To get all of the cupcakes back, players must work together and perform various activities along the way.
The fun activities include singing songs, performing different physical activities, and identifying food, words, and animals. Completion of the activity earns kids a cupcake.
The game is designed for two to four players and takes about ten to fifteen minutes to play.
It consists of fourteen cupcakes, twenty colorful birthday present cards, a game board, a spinner, four game pieces, the Grumpy Toad, and a cupcake tray.
Cooperative games are a wonderful way to encourage teamwork, kindness, and compassion, and that’s why we’ve included more than a few cooperative games on our list of the best board games for 3 year olds.
This game is designed for children ages 3 years and up, but it’s fun for the whole family.
Why We Recommend Pete The Cat The Missing Cupcakes Game
- Kids love the idea of getting the cupcakes back from the Grumpy Toad
- Since this game is based on the popular book series, it can inspire your child to want to read the books
- Cooperative games foster kindness and compassion
- Encourages kids to work together, which helps build social skills
- Kids like the colorful game board and game pieces
- Helps your child improve their vocabulary skills by talking to one another
- Helps fuel children’s imaginations
- Kids learn about taking turns
- Helps your child practice following directions
Let’s Feed The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The World of Eric Carle Let’s Feed The Very Hungry Caterpillar Counting Cards Kids Game
This delightful Let’s Feed The Very Hungry Caterpillar board game is based on Eric Carle’s classic childhood book of the same name and is a wonderful gift idea for 3 year olds.
The game can be played by two to four players and kids have a blast making the story of the caterpillar come to life!
The idea of the game is to transform the caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.
To do this, you move your caterpillar from fruit to fruit, collecting a butterfly puzzle piece each time your caterpillar stops to eat.
If you’re the first to get all the pieces of the butterfly puzzle and put it together, your win the game.
This fun game comes with a game board, twenty puzzle pieces, four colorful caterpillars, and a deck of cards with numbers on them telling you how many spaces you move each turn.
The puzzle pieces are mix and match, so your child can create a different butterfly each time they play.
This game would make a great gift, especially if given with the best selling book of the same name.
Why We Recommend Let’s Feed The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- It can encourage your child to read the book
- Kids love the colorful game board and game pieces
- Helps children learn patience when taking turns
- Wonderful way to help your child develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Helps kids develop language skills
- Children practice simple problem solving by putting the puzzle together
- Helps children practice number recognition and counting
- Your child can create a different beautiful butterfly every time they play the game
MEIGO Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game
MEIGO Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game
Kids love fishing games and this fun Meigo Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game is ideal for kids 3 and up.
This educational game is designed to be used in a number of different ways, helping your child master the alphabet and learn about marine life.
The game consists of a lovely ocean themed play mat, forty-six colorful play pieces, twenty of which are marine life and twenty-six of which are magnetic letters.
It also comes with twenty learning cards, three magnetic fishing poles, one educational book and a convenient storage box that makes clean up and storage quick and easy.
On the front of each marine card is a picture of a marine animal and its name; on the back of each card you’ll find 3 unique features and an interesting fact about the sea animal.
The educational book presents five different fishing games your child can play with you or with other kids.
Why We Recommend The Meigo Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game
- This game makes learning fun and effortless for your child!
- Allows kids to practice their color and shape recognition
- Helps teach children the alphabet and beginning words (pre-reading)
- Kids love all the colorful drawings of marine life on the game board
- Can help kids improve their matching skills and number recognition
- It’s a great way to help your child develop their fine motor skills
- Kids like learning fun facts about different sea animals
- Children get experience in taking turns
- This game will help your child develop social skills, including sportsmanship
- Convenient storage box makes it easy to clean up the game and keep all the pieces together
VATOS Little Detective Board Game
VATOS Little Detective Board Game
The Vatros Little Detective Board Game is a great matching game that’s ideal for kids 3 and up.
Each turn, players draw a card and each card has a picture on it. They then have to find as many matching pictures on the board as they can.
Each picture they find earns them a ring and the player that ends up with the most rings wins the game.
For added fun, you can break into teams and use the included hourglass to time each round.
The game itself consists of one round game board, one hourglass, sixty clue cards, sixty detective rings, twelve detective marks, and an instruction manual.
While the game is designed for children ages 3 and up, adults will have fun playing this game too.
This game is a great way to include younger kids in family game night! It’s designed for two to four players and only takes about ten to fifteen minutes to play.
Why We Recommend Vatros Little Detective Board Game
- Can help your child develop their concentration and observation skills
- Kids think it’s fun to try to match the pictures on the cards to the pictures on the board
- Helps children develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Fun way for kids to improve their memory
- Helps develop language and socialization skills
- Using the hourglass can add a challenging aspect to the game
- Great family bonding activity
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