Looking for games to play with your preschooler(s)? Want choices that will aid in their learning and help teach important preschool skills?
Board games provide so many surprising benefits for preschoolers. They help with language development, hand-eye coordination, and building patience. They provide a medium for several learning opportunities, such as letter and number recognition, counting, identifying colors, and so much more. Playing games also helps develop social skills, like taking turns and following directions.
So, what are some age-appropriate games to help your little one reap these rewards?
Listed below are nine fun and educational games for preschoolers. I’ve listed some of the best board games and card games that are perfect for 3-5 years olds.
*Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links. As an affiliate and Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here.
9 Educational Board Games and Card Games for Preschoolers
Snug as a Bug in a Rug is such a fun and educational game for preschoolers. It’s a cooperative game, meaning you play together as a team, and you either all win or all lose.
This game works on counting, as well as color, shape, and number recognition.
Get all of the bugs under the rug before all 3 stink bugs appear!
Buy on: AMAZON
Another cooperative game by Peaceable Kingdom.
Hoot Owl Hoot not only works on color recognition, but it’s also great for strategic thinking and teaching little ones how to work together.
This game can also be altered to make it more challenging for older kiddos.
Get all of the owlets home to their nest before the sun rises!
Buy on: AMAZON
A game of Go Fish with a classic deck of cards is perfect for working on number recognition with your preschooler.
Or…you could even play Alphabet Go Fish! This set by World of Eric Carle helps little ones identify both upper and lowercase letters, as well as learn letter sounds.
If you’re on a tight budget, you could check your local dollar store or Target Dollar Spot, and grab two decks of alphabet flashcards to play the game.
Buy on: AMAZON
These Create A Story Cards by eeBoo are so neat for working on storytelling with preschoolers. They inspire creativity and build imagination.
Lay out 6-8 cards and have your preschooler come up with their own story. You could also use the cards to aid in your own personal storytelling for circle time, bedtime, etc.
Buy on: AMAZON
Can’t go wrong with good ole’ BINGO!
Seriously though, you can cover almost any topic with Bingo. There’s so many Bingo games out there, such as:
And so much more! We even have Spanish Bingo and Bird Bingo.
But if you’re just starting out playing games with your preschooler, then I highly recommend this Bingo & Matching game by The World of Eric Carle. Instead of having to get five in a row, you only need to get three in a row, making this an excellent pick for those who don’t have quite a long enough attention span yet.
Plus, you get to enjoy those beautiful Eric Carle illustrations, as well as work on color recognition and build vocabulary with your toddler or preschooler.
Buy on: AMAZON
Matching and memory games are also great for preschoolers.
Both help improve concentration and visual discrimination. Memory games give space for critical thinking and attention to detail.
There are several matching and memory games out there. One of our favorite memory games is this Match a Pair of Birds game. Not only does it have all the benefits of a memory game, but it also helps your child learn about several species of birds around the world and identify differences between the male and female pairs.
Buy on: AMAZON
A fast paced game the whole family will love.
Spot it! games help develop visual perception and discrimination, language, and fine motor skills.
With Spot it! Animals Jr., players are to find the matching animals on any two cards. But the trick is, the images are all different sizes, so your child really has to focus and differentiate. It’s also a great game for teaching colors and animal names.
Buy on: AMAZON
My Very First Games by HABA are so much fun for toddlers and preschoolers, and First Orchard is no exception.
This cooperative board game reinforces color recognition, sorting, quantities, and counting by ones.
Try to harvest all of the fruit before the raven reaches the orchard!
Buy on: AMAZON
If your preschooler is ready for some simple addition and subtraction, then he or she will probably enjoy some Sum Swamp.
Beginners may need just a little bit of help. Pull out some type of manipulative to aid in this fun learning game.
This game works on adding and subtracting digits 1-6, identifying those operations, and odds vs. evens.
Buy on: AMAZON
Game-schooling Preschool
The nine games listed above cover so many different topics and help build several preschool skills.
From ABCs to 123s, these games are sure to make learning fun for your preschooler.
What About You?
What are some of your favorite educational games for the preschool years? Share your top picks in the comments below and be sure to share this post with other preschool parents and teachers.