We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A Bluey Scavenger Hunt Game that'll delight families who doggone adore this show. You'll all work together to find the 12 toy tokens *before* bedtime. This game definitely gets out kids' wiggles because most of the moves require moving — each space on the board explains what you'll do on your turn: acting out something silly, finding items around your house, or answering questions about Bluey! Get ready to have a ton of Heeler family fun...for real life!
Number of players: 2-4
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: game board, 20 "Find" cards, 10 "Play" cards, 35 toy tokens, and 4 character pawns with bases (newer version has 15 "Find" cards, 15 "Play" cards, 15 "Surprise" cards, 15 "Think" cards, 12 toy tokens, 1 time token, 1 die, 1 sand timer, and 4 3D character pawns: Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chili)
Promising review: "My 3-year-old can’t get enough of this game!! He wants to play every day. I also have a 5-year-old that likes to play. It’s easy enough that they can do it on their own and only need help with the questions and reading the cards." —Amber Branson
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in two styles).
2. Unicorn Candy Land — a stupendously sweet version of this classic game for toddlers whose favorite animal is, naturally, a unicorn. If you haven't played before (Hello, welcome to Earth, we're glad you're here!) your goal is to get to Candy Land first. You do so by drawing cards that'll tell you what color spot to land on. This game is simple, but it gets intense.
This specific board is an Amazon exclusive, where Hasbro also has an updated Classic version and a Disney Princess pick.
Number of players: 2-4
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 1 pop-up board, 4 unique unicorn pawns, 44 cards, and instructions
Promising review: "This is a great game for kids! We got this for my 3-year-old for Christmas and she loves it! She loves the unicorns — she thinks these are so cute. The game is very fun and my girls love the glittery spaces on the board. This was a great gift!" —Emily Lankford
Get it from Amazon for $14.99.
3. Forest Friends, which is a 3D board game that's sure to shake things up during your family game nights! You can play two unique games with this set. First is "Hide and Seek," where players help Mia Mouse guess which hole her animal friends are hiding in. If you guess correctly, you get a wooden star. If not, you shout out what you see, and the other players try to remember that info for their own turn. You can also play "Animal Tracks," where the animal tiles are flipped over to only show their footprints. Then you've gotta figure out which animal that footprint belongs to before your search begins!
Number of players: 1-4
Recommended age: 2+
Pieces: 1 3D cube board, 8 star tokens, 1 wooden mouse, and 8 unique animal/footprint chips
Promising review: "These games are the best for really young kids! We love the wooden pieces. This is a high quality product overall and lots of fun for the youngest board gamers." —N. Robinson
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
4. Snug as a Bug — in this game, as in life, your goal is to beat the stinkbugs! With three levels of play, this game can grow in complexity as your kiddo learns their colors, numbers, and shapes. Help the tiny, colorful bugs by using the spinner to see what kind of matches need to be made before the big stinkbugs ruin your rug!
Number of players: 2-4
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 1 board game with built-in-spinner, 24 colorful bugs, 3 stink bugs, 1 die, and instructions
Promising review: "My kids are 5 and 3. They both love this game. It's easy to set up and play. It doesn't take super long and holds everyone's attention. My kids love it." —Geoffrey and Kylie
Get it from Amazon for $23.95.
5. Shelby's Snack Shack, where you'll all find the bones Shelby has buried! To help out this precious pug, you'll toss the bones into the box, use the spinner to see how many you should pick up, and then squeeze Shelby, and she'll pick them up in her mouth! Throw them into your dog bowl after each turn. If you pick up the most by the end of the game — you win!
Number of players: 2-4
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 1 board game box (that's also storage), 1 Shelby squeezer, 40 bones, 4 bowls, 1 double game spinner, and a game guide
Promising review: "Cutest game ever. It's a counting game sort of like Hi-Ho Cherry-O, but way way cuter. My 3-year-old granddaughter will just sit and entertain herself with this by herself. The rubber bones have a nice weight to them and the dog bowls are made of really heavy cardboard. I doubt you could smash them if you jumped up and down on them, that's how heavy the cardboard is. I digress. The dog Shelby is adorable and she works like big tongs and is easy for little hands to grasp. She's a nice size and works well. It's so adorable and it goes way fast so you don't mind playing." —SuzyQ
Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (also available with matching board book).
6. Peppa Pig Chutes and Ladders so you can play a game from your own childhood with characters your modern children can't get enough of. If you need a refresher, your pieces can move around the board — up far if you hit a ladder, down and back if you land on the slide — and it's all based on what the spinner tells you. All hail the spinner.
If your child is into other characters, you can snag a superhero, princess, even Cocomelon board. There's also a retro version for all us Olds. And I'm into it.
Number of players: 2-4
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: a game board, Peppa Pig, Gerald Giraffe, Suzy Sheep, or Danny Dog players, and spinner
Promising review: "This is fun! My 3-year-old daughter loves this game she picked up on concept really fast. It's her favorite game night board game." —Anna
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
7. Shopping List — this is Orchard Toy's best seller, and with good reason! This pretend play game is such a fun way for your own little shopper to learn how to use a grocery list! Each player gets a cardboard grocery basket and list. The goal is to get everything on your list into your basket first! Maybe playing this at home entices your kids to be good the next time you're *actually* shopping. A parent can dream, right?
Number of players: 2–4
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 2 carts, 2 baskets, 3 handwritten lists, 1 tablet list, 25 item cards
Promising review: "This is a great family game. Our two sons who are in preschool have wanted to play this every night since we got it. I like how it’s a easy set up and we can either play one round or more depending on how much time we have. The game pieces are well made." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
8. Richard Scarry's Busytown Seek and Find Adventure for families who consider Scarry's characters childhood canon, this beautifully illustrated game is sure to be a joy. It involves an engaging race to find hidden characters like Father Cat, Sally Cat, and the Pig Family. The board is designed with two levels of play, advancing in difficulty as your kids get older, and it only takes five minutes to learn and 20 minutes to play. Sharing characters from your own childhood with your kids is sure to feel both surreal and so special.
Number of players: 2-4 players
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 40' game board, 50 level 1 Seek and Find cards, 50 level 2 Seek and Find cards, 12 goldbug cards), spinner, bell, 4 character pawns with bases, and instructions
Promising review: "My grandson was excited to open this and at three years of age he was excited he knew so many of the toys. This is a perfect present for kids who likes cars and trucks." —Sheilah Campbell
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
9. Feed The Woozle — this 15-minute game is another great selection if you'd like to collect board games that'll entertain your kids for years, as it has three extended levels of gameplay. The goal of this monstrously fun pick is to feed the Woozle some favorite treats (hairy pickles, fuzzy doughnuts, etc.) while doing wacky tasks like spinning, marching, and hopping.
Number of players: 2-5
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 1 Woozle, 24 silly snacks, 12 Yummy cards, 1 die, 1 spinner, 1 spoon and instructions
Promising review: "This became an instant favorite. My kids (who are three and seven as of writing) love this game! We've played all the variations and some new ones of our own invention. I love that it's cooperative, so no big sibling always winning, and that it requires some motor skills. My kids love the gross foods and the pleasant challenge of the task. Easy, fast, just hard enough to keep them engaged." —Zoe
Get it from Amazon for $23.95.
10. Ladybug's Garden, which is a fab find for folks who love filling their home with wooden toys. To play, slide one of the cards into the center of the board and cover it up with the chunky ladybug pieces. Once put together, use it like a traditional seek-and-find game, or create your own objectives for some open-ended play.
Number of players: 1+
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 2-piece wooden game board, 20 wooden ladybugs, and 5 double-sided puzzle cards
Promising review: "This is a sturdy, well made, lovely toy. It has many cards to follow so you will not lose interest. I'll be buying this again for other children." —Beckie Robb
Get it from Fat Brain Toys for $19.95.
11. Monkey Around because it's specifically designed to use up your kid's endless energy. On each turn, you'll draw a Monkey card, do the action, and then place the card on the tree. Get ready to pull your phones out because you'll love catching videos of your toddler monkeying around!
Number of players: 2 (one adult and one child)
Recommended age: 2+
Pieces: game board, beanbag banana, 40 cards
Promising review: "I have a 4-year-old and twin 2.5-year-olds and they love this game. This game is great quality and durability when considering the targeted age group. The concept of the game is not too complex and was easily understood by my children. It’s fun and silly and definitely keeps them entertained! This was great value for the money and I will definitely make more purchases from this brand in the future!" —Katrina
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
12. The Missing Cupcakes, a Pete the Cat game perfect for preschool-aged children to play on their own, as there's no reading required. This interactive game asks players to move all the cupcakes from Grumpy Toad's tray to Pete the Cat's birthday table by completing tasks like singing, acting, and identifying different objects.
Be sure to grab the book Pete The Cat And The Missing Cupcakes while you're at it!
Number of players: 2-4
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 14 cupcakes, 20 Birthday Present cards, 1 game board with spinner, 4 player pieces, 1 Grumpy Toad, 1 cupcake tray, and instructions
Promising review: This is a fun beginner game. It's easy to explain the rules to youngsters. Fun to have characters from our favorite books and show. I've bought this for birthday presents as well." —Staci
Get it from Amazon for $16.98.
13. Acorn Soup — this cooperation cooking game is sure to be to your *taste* if you're teaching your kids how to take turns. It also provides risk-free family fun because there's no winner (and thus, no frustrated kiddos at the end). To play, pick an ingredient card and place the correct number of each item inside the pot to make Squirrel's favorite meals. Dinner's served!
Number of players: 2–4
Recommended age: 2+
Pieces: 8 recipe cards, 1 wooden spoon, 24 wooden ingredients, instructions, and a parent guide
Promising review: "My kiddos (3 and 2) love this game! There are a few different ways to play with different instructions and varying degrees of difficulty, so the game grows with your little one. The ingredient pieces are wooden and feel sturdy in your hand. Even the recipe cards are on thick cardboard, so this game will last you a long time even with players who may not be gentle. :) My kids love just 'making soup' with it even if we are not playing the game as directed.
I love that it helps with number recognition, counting items, identifying items, and recognizing colors. There is no real 'winner' which is fine as we are working on teaching turn-taking right now and not necessarily the idea of win/lose. This is a great, fun game for toddlers and preschoolers." —CA gal in TX
Get it from Amazon for $21.95.
14. Count Your Chickens! to get your whole family in on some farming fun as you all work together to help Mother Hen collect her chickens and bring them back into the coop. This award-winning game is sure to be loved by you and your chickadees.
15. Sorting boards, a terribly clever way to help youngsters learn to categorize items and recognize objects. To play, pick a board ("Under The Sea" and "Foods We Eat" or "Safari Animals" and more), then dig through the box of teeny tiny toys and place them on the board. Whoever fills their board with the correct items first, wins!
Number of players: 1-8
Recommended age: 2+
Pieces: 8 double-sided boards, 48 mini toys, and 1 storage bag
Promising review: "My nephew loves it. This product is great for both adults and kids to enjoy together. While it’s not exactly cheap, it’s packed with lots of components and is really educational. The size is also just right, making it easy to store away after playing. Recommended!" —Stephen
Get it from Amazon for $32.99.
16. Building Site — if your family loves reading, you're going to want this beginner's board game stat! You start by reading a story that'll engross kiddos in the world they are about to enter — explaining what they'll be building throughout the game. You'll then use the cards and shapes to put together different projects in the tiny city. This is designed for both directional and free play, so get your imagination ready!
Number of players: 4
Recommended age: 2+
Pieces: construction site board, five location boards, safety cone tokens, shape blocks, character block, and dump truck
Promising review: "Easy to learn and fun for my 3-year-old!" —Wildheartmamas
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
17. Go Go Gears!, which is a puzzle game that'll really have your kiddo's gears turning! To play, they'll choose a puzzle card and figure out how to match their physical gears onto the board. Once done, if they've matched it correctly, the gears will turn! Then it's YOUR turn (if your kid feels like sharing).
Number of players: 1
Recommended age: 3
Pieces: puzzle board, 5 double-sided gear cards,1 large gear, 2 medium gears, and 5 small gears
Promising review: "It's been open an hour and he's glued to it — he's 3 1/2-years-old. The sizes, colors, and motion really are fascinating" —Michael Devore
Get it from Fat Brain Toys for $19.95.
18. Here, Fishy, Fishy! — this simple game is gonna have your little fly fisher flying high! To play, place the magnetized fish in the bottom of the seabed (slash storage box) and try catching the fish with the color that corresponds with the card you select. Best wishes, little fishes!
Number of players: 1-4
Recommended age: 2+
Pieces: 1 storage box/board, 1 fishing rod, 6 sea dwellers, 1 sea bottom, 4 collecting boards, 1 die
Promising review: "I bought this as a gift for my son’s second birthday. We played it with four kids ages 2–7 and they all loved it. The level of challenge was just right for the younger kids and the game design was engaging enough for the older child. High quality wood prices will last a long time. Simple rules that are easy to follow and help kids develop social skills by taking turn and following game rules. The kids were asking to play again and again!" —Amber Simonton
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
19. And finally, a custom busy board so irresistibly lovely you just might want to play with it all day, every day. Make your nursery decor magical by decorating with an item you and your child can actually play with, and have fun coming up with silly games involving the odds and ends attached to this beautiful board.
Busy Puzzle is a small business owned by Julia and located in Ukraine. You can find a gorgeous collection of wooden Montessori toys, nursery toys, and other educational toys along with lovely bedroom decor.
Number of players: 1+
Recommended age: 3+
Pieces: 1 giant puzzle board with 1 beaded rainbow, 1 zigzag path, 1 tree path, mini abacus, bells, gears, a zipper, and several removable critters
Promising review: "This is such an awesome product! It has so many different activities and it's fantastic quality." —Sandra Hodzic
Get it from Busy Puzzle on Etsy for $180+ (originally $450+; available in six styles and several customization options).
Reviews in this post have been edited for length and clarity.