Family Games that Come in a Junior/Kids Edition for Preschoolers, Kindergarten, and Young Kids

If your family is anything like ours, you love to play games together. We're still in that phase of life where we want to play board games, but there's so many games that our young boys just can't handle yet! Thankfully, there are a TON of games out there that have a junior/kids edition to complement the "grown-up"/family edition... check them out below! 

Perplexus Rookie will introduce you to the three dimensional, gravity defying world of Perplexus challenges. Flip, twist and turn the sphere to navigate the steel ball along the numbered tracks through 75 barriers of varying difficulty. Perplexus Rookie is easy to play but still challenging to complete. A domed finish keeps the ball in place at the end to secure your success! Fun for the whole family. 6 1/2" in diameter. Adult Version HERE

The Monopoly Junior game designed for younger players is fast, simple, and features kid-friendly properties. This edition comes with 4 favorite tokens: Little Scottie, Little Hazel, Toy Car, and the famous top hat worn by Mr. Monopoly. Players move their tokens around the board, buying the properties they love such as the zoo, and a video game arcade. It's fun for them to place a "sold" sign on their very own property. Parents often enjoy introducing their kids to counting and the simple math of the transactions. Single banknotes keep the transactions fast and easy. When a player goes bankrupt, the others count their cash and the player with the most cash wins the game.  Adult version HERE 
Other Monopoly Junior Versions HERE

The Life Junior game has the classic game play of choices and chance, and players get to move around the board Using cool car tokens that take Them on fun adventures. Players pick their 3-D car token and make their own exciting choices and decisions that can engage their imaginations. Will they visit The beach and describe building a sandcastle, or go to the zoo to see favorite animals? Players perform simple activities and actions requested on the action cards, such as finishing a song, acting, or telling a story to earn stars or money. The player to collect 10 Stars first wins. Adult version HERE

Clue Jr: It's the case of the missing cake in this classic "whodunit" game for kids. In this Clue Junior game, players are on a mission to discover who took a piece of cake, when they took it, and what they drank with it. Players roll the die to see if they can move characters, look under those characters, or look under furniture for clues. As they find clues, they’ll eliminate choices and eventually discover what happened. The game features classic Clue characters such as Miss Scarlett, Mrs. Peacock, Col. Mustard, Mr. Green, and Prof. Plum, and also Dr. Orchid, a genius biologist with a sweet tooth.  Adult Version HERE

Scrabble Jr: What a great way for kids to play America’s favorite word game! Kid-sized words and colorful pictures make it fun to match letter tiles to words on the grid. Players move their funny tokens up the score track as they score points. When all of the tiles have been placed on the board, the player with the most points wins! Don't worry, your little ones won't outgrow this game; just turn the board over for the advanced level, where they come up with their own words. It's going to be letter-matching fun for everyone with Scrabble Junior. Adult version HERE

 5 Second Rule Jr: It seems like it would be easy to name three flavors of ice cream-but can you do it under the pressure of 5 seconds twisting down, and with the other players staring at you? You have to be quick, so just say whatever comes to mind and risk silly answers slipping out. Because that would be funny, and we all like to laugh! It's all in good fun with this fast-paced game where you have to Just Spit it Out! For 3 or more players, ages 6 and up. Adult version HERE

APPLES to APPLES JUNIOR brings the hilarious card and party game, Apples to Apples, to younger players. The game is as easy as comparing apples to apples – just open the box, deal the RED APPLE cards to each player, and you’re ready to go! Players take turns being the judge. The judge starts each round by playing a GREEN APPLE card featuring a one-word characteristic such as Chewy, Amazing or Scary. The rest of the players must then look at the RED APPLE cards in their hands and select the one they think is best described by the judge’s card – will you play A Volcano, Unicorns or Burned Toast? When everyone’s RED APPLE cards are on the table, you should try to convince the judge that yours is the best match. You’ll find that table talk is a big part of the fun. Just wait until you hear all the clever – and not so clever – ways that people try to convince the judge to choose a particular card. Do your best, because if the judge picks your card, you win that round! The first player to win four rounds wins the game. With over 500 cards, each round is filled with surprising comparisons from a wide range of people, places, things and events. Fast-moving and refreshing, Apples to Apples Junior is easy to learn and fun to play. It’s the perfect game for kids, families and friends! Adult version HERE

Boggle Jr: Your preschooler's first Boggle game! With Boggle Jr. your preschooler can transform letters into words with this beginning level word game for kids. Two different matching games encourage various skills and levels with cute, colorful pictures. Very young players can enjoy playing with the letter cubes as toys and finding all the letters of the alphabet on them. They can also play with the cards just to see the colorful pictures. All this play is a learning experience! Your child can practice object and word recognition, letter recognition and matching, spelling, sorting and grouping, and even practice taking turns. Adult version HERE: and Mama's Review post is HERE

Sequence for Kids: Fun and easy gameplay does not require reading. Players play an animal card from their hand and place a chip on a matching animal space on the board. This game helps kids develop strategy-building skills Each card is pictured twice on the game board, so players will need to choose wisely as they try to get 4 in a row. Wild cards add excitement to the game... Use a unicorn card to place your chip anywhere, or use a dragon card to remove an opponent's chip. Get 4 chips in a row to create a 'sequence' and win! Adult version HERE

Rush Hour Jr: Just like the classic Rush Hour game, you shift blocking cars and trucks out of your way to clear a path to the exit. The 40 leveled brain teaser challenges in this version of Rush Hour Jr were created specifically for younger players. For Ages 5 and Up. Adult version HERE

HedBanz Jr: Kids get their own version of the hilarious quick question game with HedBanz Jr.! Fast-paced and goofy, this animal-themed party game is sure to get the giggles going. The fun begins when players select a card from the deck and stick it in their headband. Each player takes turns asking “yes” or “no” questions to figure out the answer to the big question: “What animal am I?” To help players along, clue cards narrow down the choices. First player to guess correctly wins! Perfect for kids’ parties and family events, HedBanz Jr. brings the excitement of Hedbanz to younger players! Keep your kids guessing with HedBanz Jr.! Adult version HERE

Chess Junior is the kid-friendly version of the classic strategic board game that everyone knows and loves. It was developed in order to help adults teach kids first steps how to play chess in a fun and laid-back way. With haptically designed game components, such as a sturdy game board made of large robust puzzle pieces and wooden playing figures, even younger children can easily transfer the simplified starting positions from the instructions onto the board and start playing. The parent-child tutorial with explanations of 12 mini-games complements this set and makes it the ideal beginner chess set for kids. Adult version HERE

SKIP-BO Junior Card Game: The ultimate sequencing card game from the makers of UNO now comes with simplified game play and appealing, kid-themed graphics. Players use skill and strategy to create sequential stacks of cards, and the first player to use all the cards in his or her stockpile wins. Peggable closed box. Ages 5 and older. Adult version HERE

In UNO MOO!, farm animals come out of their barn to play with you! Akin to the classic game, younger players round up the animals by matching their colors or types. To start, place all of the figures in the barn and mix them up. Each player then hides their figures behind a haystack and out of view of the other players. Players draw five figures from among the cows, pigs, skunks, chickens, dogs, sheep or farmers. The youngest person goes first. When a child plays a figure, they push the figure already on the barn door into the barn and then replace it with their own. The figure played will be the figure the next player tries to match. If a player does not have a matching figure or a farmer that can be played, they must draw one figure from the barn. If the figure they draw matches the color or animal on the barn door, or is a farmer, they may immediately play it. Otherwise, their turn ends. When a player is down to one figure, they shout UNO Mooooooo! The first one to get all of their figures back into the barn wins. Adult version HERE

My First Uno: Join Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and more in this easy-to-learn version of UNO. Large, easy to hold cards help preschoolers build basic colour and number skills. Adult version HERE Also available in Thomas 

Suspend Junior Building on the tremendous success of Suspend, the new Junior version brings this blockbuster balance game to younger kids with brighter colors, lighter pieces, and a brand-new spinner. Game play is easy: Simply set up the frame, spin the spinner, and balance the color-coded pieces to create an incredible hanging structure. Race against your opponents to be the first to run out of pieces—but watch out: One wrong move and the whole structure could fall! This thrilling game is perfect for young players—there is no reading required, and the skills to succeed grow with every game. Kids learn how to balance and counterbalance, take smart risks, and foresee consequences, all the while having lots of fun! For 1-4 players. Adult version HERE

Set Junior: Start playing your favorite game with your kids as early as age 3! SET Junior’s two-sided board is designed to grow with your child. Side 1: Match your tile to a square on the board. Start to recognize SETs while matching the color, number and shape. Side 2: Now that you know what a SET is, it's time to flip the board and have fun racing to find as many SETs as you can! The thicker tile-like cards are easier for little hands and the point chips make scoring fun. SET Junior builds cognitive skills and memory recall at a critical age in a child’s life. It is also proven to help grandparents who are suffering from Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Just like the original SET game, SET Junior was made as a game of fun, but also sharpens your mind as you play. Adult version HERE

Mad Libs Junior: these Mad Libs are great for little kids that don't know how to read yet. Instead of having the type of word needed under the blank lines like (noun), (adverb), (verb) etc...it does the whole thing with symbols. So it will have a star where it needs nouns, an arrow where is needs verbs, etc. Then there is a list above the MadLib of nouns under a star icon and verbs under an arrow icon so the kid can just randomly pick words without even reading them. Adult Versions HERE 

With Spot it. Jr. Animals, young ones are on the lookout for creatures of the land, sky, and sea. Each card is decorated with 6 different animals of varying sizes. Here’s the amazing part: there is one, and only one, matching animal between any 2 cards. Adult versions HERE and Mama's review post is HERE

Möbi kids is a fun way to introduce little ones to numbers with this simple game! The goal of the game is to make simple math equations as quickly as possible and connect them in crossword style grids. Be the first to connect all your tiles and you win! Möbi not only helps build confidence in children but engages the entire family by teaching and reinforcing basic math skills in a fun and entertaining game environment. Adult version HERE

My First BANANAGRAMS uses lowercase letters and combo-letter tiles to help nurture your child's love for wordplay and word games. With multiple activities and mini games, they'll enjoy a play-progression towards our original BANANAGRAMS experience! Adult version HERE 

Charades for Kids: The classic game of Charades - now designed especially for kids to play and enjoy! With three levels of clues, each card has one pictured clue, so no reading is required (although the combination of the picture and its corresponding word reinforces early reading skills). Younger players can act out a toothbrush, a cat or a bumblebee. Older children can read the simple words and phrases and act out actions like eating spaghetti or playing guitar! It's great fun for the whole family as they try to guess the charade before time runs out! Adult version HERE

The Patch Products Buzzword Junior is designed with younger players in mind. You and your teammates have 45 seconds to solve a set of clues, and all the answers contain the Buzzword. Let’s say the buzzword is "see" and the clue is "teeter-totter." Your teammates shout "seesaw," and you buzz the buzzer. You will see why buzzword junior is the perfect family game with clues for all ages. Adult version HERE

Catan Junior: A Catan adventure for fledgling swashbucklers. Explore the Seas Catan: Junior introduces a modified playing style of the classic game giving younger players the opportunity to experience the world of Catan. Designed for players as young as 5 and is a perfect introduction to the Catan series of games for kids and families. Catan: Junior takes place on a ring of islands where 2 to 4 players build hideouts, and the mysterious Spooky Island, where the Ghost Captain lives. Each island generates a specific resource: wood, goats, molasses or swords and players can acquire gold. Each player starts with two pirate hideouts, then builds ships in order to expand their network. The more hideouts you build, the more resources you may receive. You use your resources to build ships, hideouts or get help from Coco the Parrot. Just watch out for the dreaded Ghost Captain. Be the first player to control seven pirate hideouts and you win the game. Adult version HERE

Quiddler Junior is easy to learn, great for kids and enjoyed by everyone – even adults! Be the first to arrange all of your cards into one or more words and go out! Then watch as everyone else gets one last turn to make their best word(s). The number of cards dealt increases each round upping the challenge. Aim for the top score by earning the 5-point bonus for the longest word! Scoring is easier and more fun when using point chips. Kids love to count, add and exchange their point chips creating a whole other dimension of play. Quiddler junior is kid, parent & teacher approved! Learn together - Play together - Laugh together! Adult version HERE 

Domino Junior Friends Get ready for fun of Tyrannosaurus proportions with Domino Junior! The stunt dominoes have been re-engineered to allow for easier set up for little hands. Set up is no problem with the easy-to-use domino spacer tool. Add in your dino friends to create cool chain reaction stunts! The included 100 dominoes and 3 dino stunts provide endless fun for kids ages 3 and up. Adult versions HERE 

In STARE! JUNIOR - the board game - kids can test and train their visual memory skills and have a blast doing it! Players have 30 seconds to stare at an image on a card. Images are varied and fun for kids to look at. It might be a movie poster, funny photo, comic, work of art and more. When time is up, an opponent will flip over the card and ask the player a series of questions about the image to see how much they can recall. What was the clown holding in his left hand? What color is the girl's party hat? Guess right and advance on the game board. Kids can play individually or in teams Adult versions HERE 

Junior Alias: Explain words and pictures to your teammates without actually saying the word that is being explained, but by using synonyms, opposites, hints and other descriptions. Each team tries to guess as many words as possible before the sand in the timer runs out. Includes 300 cards that feature a photo-real image and the word, so children of all ages can play, even if they haven't learned to read. This game is fast, frantic and funny! Adult version HERE

Okay, there's my list! I hope that if you have young kids, you now have a new arsenal of games to play with them. 

Do you/did you play games as a family?