EUR26,86
Kosmos Catan Junior
German
The best board games for preschoolers
12/12/2024
Translation: Julia Graham
Are you a board game fan looking for the perfect Christmas present for kids? Here are my five recommendations.
My son is five years old and sometimes has way too much energy. I really only have a few options for calming him down in the evenings. One of these is playing board games with me, as this forces him to sit and concentrate.
If you’re still doing your Christmas shopping, here are some toys worth rolling the dice on. We’ve tried a lot of board games, but these are some of our favourites that my son keeps asking to play.
1. Catan
Given that I’d play the game for hours as a child, there was no doubt that it’d end up in my sons’ nursery. I was ten by the time I was playing it, so I opted to try the junior version with my son, which Kosmos launched in 2007. As in the classic game, it’s set in an island world consisting of hexagonal fields. But instead of being settlers like everyone else, you and your child are pirates.
The cards depict gold, pineapple, wood, wool and sabres. You get raw materials by rolling the dice (there’s only one). These materials allow you to set up pirate camps, buy development cards or build ships, which you can then use to reach new shores and set up camp there too.
The robber in the base game is replaced here by Ghost Captain who can block production but doesn’t steal. To win, you have to be the first to build all seven pirate lairs on the board.
The game is recommended for ages six and up and takes about 30 minutes to play. It’s suitable for two to four players.
2. Bugs in the kitchen
My son is clearly fascinated by the battery-operated cockroach in this game, which moves across the board with a loud clatter. The idea is very simple: you have to try to lure the cockroach into your trap five times by building a maze of knives, forks and spoons so that it falls into the hole. The dice indicates which cutlery you can change.
We actually always play to try and get the cockroach into our opponent’s hole rather than our own, because annoying the other person just amps up the fun. While researching for this article, I found out this game variant is even officially available from Ravensburger. You lose when the cockroach lands in your trap five times.
This game is recommended for ages five and up. We sometimes let my younger son (3) play with us. It works quite well, as the game is easy to understand and with a bit of help, he also gets bug tokens.
3. Qwirkle
We’re big fans of the game Qwirkle because it requires concentration – something my son usually struggles with. The game is a great way for him to wind down. It requires both strategy and a bit of luck. The aim is to collect as many points as possible by strategically placing coloured wooden blocks. The game begins with a player placing any block from his hand on the table. Other players must then add a block that’s either the same colour or shape. Extra points are awarded for a row of six matching blocks.
This game from Schmidt is recommended for ages six and above and is designed for two to four players. One round takes about half an hour.
4. GraviTrax
GraviTrax Junior isn’t a board game in the true sense of the word, but I still want to mention it here. Your child can use it to build a marble run with curves, straights, bridges, ramps or acceleration boosts. They can extend or modify the marble run at any time – my son has spent a good hour doing this. Ravensburger also offers a number of large models and expansions, each based around specific themes, such as oceans or jungles. This marble run is recommended for children aged three and above.
Marble runs
Ravensburger GraviTrax Junior Starter Set S Ocean - Expandable marble run for children, marble run
Incidentally, fellow editor Anna and her son are also fans of GraviTrax Junior:
5. Man, don’t get angry
Games like the classic «Man, don’t get angry», similar to Ludo, teach youngsters how to roll dice, count, turf each other out and deal with frustration. As the game principle is straightforward, we started with it from the age of three. In my opinion, games like this are great for teaching young children patience and showing them you don’t always have to win to have fun.
What games do you like to play with your little ones? Let me know in the comments.*
A true local journalist with a secret soft spot for German pop music. Mum of two boys, a dog and about 400 toy cars in all shapes and colours. I always enjoy travelling, reading and go to concerts, too.