Board Games For Toddlers: What Actually Works At 2 And 3
At two and three, a board game is really turn-taking practice with pictures. Expect five minutes, not fifteen, and expect the rules to be optional.
These are the ones that survive a toddler and still get played at four.
Cards for the people you play with
Funny cards, blank inside, drawn and printed by us in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
"Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day Card From The Cats
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day, My Love (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
You're Purr-fect To Me (Cat Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
£3.87
First games for 2 to 3 year olds
- My First Orchard - cooperative, chunky pieces, everyone against the raven.
- Snail's Pace Race - big wooden snails, colour dice, no reading.
- Roll and Play - a soft cube with actions on it. Barely a game, entirely effective.
- The Ladybird Game and Shopping List - simple matching, short rounds.
- Picture lotto or snap with big cards.
What to look for
- Cooperative beats competitive at this age - nobody has to lose.
- Big, chunky pieces that survive being thrown.
- Colour and shape matching rather than numbers or reading.
- Games that work in five minutes and can stop halfway.
How to actually play
- Let them roll the dice for everyone if that's what keeps them at the table.
- Narrate the turns: 'my turn, your turn'. That's the real skill being learned.
- Stop before they want to stop. Ending on a good note is what gets it out again.
- Don't enforce the rules. There's plenty of time for that.
How to write it so it lands
- Five minutes is a full game. Treat anything longer as a bonus.
- Cooperative first, competitive later.
- Store it somewhere they can see it. Toddlers ask for what's in view.
Where to shop next
- Board games hub
- Best family board games: curated picks
- Board games for adults
- Board games for kids
- Board games for two players
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- Best card games for families
- Christmas board games
- Boxing Day games
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- Board games under £20
- Board games for big groups
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Frequently asked questions
Can a 2 year old play a board game?
A simple one, yes - cooperative games with chunky pieces and colour matching, like My First Orchard or Snail's Pace Race. Expect about five minutes and loose rules.
What is a good first board game for a toddler?
My First Orchard. It's cooperative, so nobody loses, the pieces are big enough to handle, and a round takes a few minutes.
Do you sell board games?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, so these picks are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. The cards on this page are ours.