Board Games for 3-Year Olds You’ll Love

These board games for 3-year-olds are sure to be a hit! Plus, they are parent and teacher-approved.

As a veteran preschool teacher, I have some important criteria I use when looking for games!

• Preschool board games should be exciting enough to capture a child’s attention and simple to learn
• Games for 3-year-olds need to be fun and teach a skill of some kind (turn-taking, cooperation, or learning skills)
• The best preschool games should stand the test of time without feeling torturous

Plus, it helps when there aren’t a bazillion pieces to pick up!

If you’re looking for the best games for preschoolers, whether it’s for a preschool classroom, family game night, or a great gift for a preschooler, we’ve got you covered!

Board Games for 3-Year-Olds

Zingo!

Zingo! is a super fun learning game that children of all ages love, but it is especially easy for preschoolers to learn. It’s our very favorite game right now! Children don’t even need to read to play, but it absolutely helps with important reading skills like visual discrimination. The concept is much like Bingo, where players have to fill their card with the matching item the “Zinger” spits out, but it’s pictures and words instead of numbers.

Hoot Owl Hoot

Hoot Owl Hoot is a long-time favorite game in our house. It is made by Peaceable Kingdom, a company that makes games that teach cooperation. It’s such a fantastic way to play a game! In Hoot Owl Hoot, everyone tries to get the owls to the nest. You work together to get all of them there before the sun goes down. To make the game easier, start with fewer owls on the board. To make it more challenging, have almost all the owls (or even all of them). My favorite trick is play cards with the same color as many times in a row. That way you get to fly over even more spaces in each turn.

Stack Up!

Another favorite family board game that’s perfect for preschool! We started playing this when my youngest was two-years-old, and my kids still love it. Everyone works together to build a block tower before the nefarious stack smasher comes along. There are three different levels of play, so it truly grows with your kids.

Hi Ho Cherry O

This preschool game is an oldie but a goodie! Children learn counting and turn-taking, and spinning the spinner is possibly one of the best parts! I’ve played it with my preschool classes for years, and it is a perfect game for 3-year-olds or 4-year-olds.

First Orchard

This is a perfect first game for a toddler! It’s super simple, and I mean that to be a very positive thing! It’s so simple, in fact, that the amount of learning packed in is truly amazing. There’s of early math skills with counting from 1-8, and also some basic science that some fruit grows on trees, trees only bear one kind of fruit, and birds eat fruit. PLUS there’s all the good learning that comes from playing games: taking turns, following directions, and processing the emotions of winning or losing. WHEW! All that from a super simple, super FUN game!

Feed the Woozle

This game practically guarantees smiles and silliness all around! Kids work together to feed the Woozle all sorts of silly foods. Fine motor skills are strengthened as they balance the hilarious foods on a spoon, and it helps gross motor skills too with directed movements like “bunny hop,” “hula dance,” “spin,” and “walk backward.” This is truly a perfect family game for preschool children; they will ask to play again and again and laugh the whole time they play!

Count Your Chickens

Count Your Chickens is a perfect board game for 3-year-olds! If there’s an animal that preschoolers love, it is absolutely chickens! Children love collecting all the chickens to put into the coup. Plus, they are learning important skills such as one to one correspondence and counting!

Games for 3-Year-Olds

Yeti in my Spaghetti

 

Yeti in My Spaghetti is such a fun game to play with preschoolers. It’s super simple, but don’t underestimate the giggles. You build a nest of spaghetti noodles then stack the Yeti on top. Each person takes a turn pulling out one noodle until the Yeti falls into the bowl! We love that this teaches cause and effect, taking turns, strategy, and fine motor skills!

Let’s Go Fishin’

This fishing game is irresistible! It has a bit of nostalgia to it, especially if you can remember it from your childhood! Children love catching the magnetic fish with the fishing rod. Plus, this version comes with the Go Fish card game as a bonus!

Uno Moo

The perfect introduction to Uno for 3-year-olds! This farm version helps little ones learn their colors, farm animals, and the beginnings of strategy as they play. A fun and interactive way to play…and gets them practicing for the big version of Uno!

Sneaky Snacky Squirrel

The concept is similar to Hi Ho Cherry O, but added learning makes it even better, if possible! No reading is required as you use a spinner to gather different colored acorns to fill your tree stump. But watch out for the storm, the sad squirrel, and the thieving squirrel that can all have an effect on your acorns! Fine motor skills are strengthened as you use the plastic tongs to pick up the acorns.

Richard Scarry’s Busytown Eye Found It

The ultimate I Spy board game for kids! Loaded with bright and busy pictures, this board game for kids encourages teamwork, strengthens matching skills, and is a blast to play! Watch your preschoolers race around the busy town solving mysteries and finding the hidden items. There’s a lot to find on this extra-large playing board!

The Little Orchard

What to do when the crow tries to steal all the cherries from the orchard? This game builds memory skills and team cooperation, as well as, some giggles as you “caw, caw” out loud as you race against the crow.

Pattern Blocks and Boards

These pattern blocks are irresistible, especially as a game for 3-year-olds. It’s so much fun to make different animals. Bonus: Children are working on geometry skills at the same time! This Melissa and Doug set is extra durable, and I’ve had class after class use it as well as my own children.

Magnetic Town Maze

Using your magical, magnetic wand, help these colorful balls make it back home, but look out… some of the roadways are blocked! This game board is perfect for developing fine motor skills, counting, and most importantly building patience and grit as preschoolers have to navigate getting the balls into the right area. Plus, an added bonus…NO loose pieces!

Animal Upon Animal Stacking Game

Preschoolers love animals! What’s more fun than stacking animals on top of each other? Using the various 29 animals, your preschooler will practice being careful as they use their hand-eye coordination to thoughtfully build a pyramid of animals…without it falling over!

Looking for even more fun and engaging games for kids? Check out these blog posts on all kinds of games!

• 20+ Best Board Games for Kids
• 20+ Best Family Games
• Games for Preschool That Teach
• Free Preschool Games