Top 5 Board Games for Kids That Beat the Boredom Bug (and Enrich Vocabulary)

Scrabble Junior

Scrabble Junior is a simplified and kid-friendly version of the classic Scrabble board game. There are multiple ways to play the game, according to the vocabulary skills of the kids playing. You have the option to choose which set of rules (and which side of the board) they’ll use. So, picking between the beginner and advanced rules is just a matter of knowing how comfortable the kids are with spelling and finding words.

Number of Players: 2 - 4 

Ages: 5 and up

Boggle Jr.

Boggle Jr. is a significant overhaul of the original Boggle, creating an experience that very young children can enjoy. It’s primarily a single-player experience, but there is a ruleset for a two-player version of the game.

The goal of Boggle Jr. is to memorize and spell new words. You don't need to solve a word scramble. The words played are only three or four letters long. The game’s first “round” begins with the kids matching the letters on a card to the letters on the game’s dice. The cards also show pictures of whatever objects the words represent. 

Once they are familiar with the words, you cover the words on the cards. The kids need to remember what words went with the still-visible pictures and spell them with the dice. Boggle Jr. is one of the best board games for kids who are a bit younger. 

Number of Players: 1 - 2 

Ages: 3 and up

Wordplay for Kids

Wordplay for Kids challenges players to quickly create words that contain specific letters. During each player’s round, the game selects two important letters and a category. The player must write down words that come from the selected category and contain the selected letters. There is a 60 second time limit.

This board game is primarily for younger children. But, what’s nice is that adults can play along with their kids if they want to. How well anyone does while playing Wordplay for Kids depends on their vocabulary. Parents and other adults can take it easy on the kids while still getting to spend time with them.

Number of Players: 2+

Ages: 6 to 12

Word on the Street Junior

Word on the Street Junior is more of a party game compared to other board games for kids. Played one-on-one or in teams, Word on the Street Junior challenges children to spell a single word per turn. However, the word chosen must match the category provided by a category card.

Players win the game by “capturing” eight of the 26 letter tiles that rest in a row at the center of the game board. These tiles move to one team’s side of the board or the other whenever someone uses them to spell a word. 

Once someone moves a tile to their side three times, they keep it. If a tile remains on the board, the other team can pull it back toward their side by using it to spell a word on their turn. Word on the Street Junior plays like a word game version of tug-of-war.

Number of Players: 2 - 8 

Ages: 7 and up

Apples to Apples Junior

Apples to Apples Junior surpasses Word on the Street Junior in the party game sense. This board game is almost identical to the regular Apples to Apples. The main difference is its use of more simplified topics, noun phrases and adjectives.

Each round starts with one player, serving as the judge, placing a Green Apple card out for every player to see. Once everyone sees the noun phrase on the card, they each choose one of their five Red Apple adjective cards and place it face down next to the green card. 

The judge reads all of the red cards aloud and picks the one they like best. Whoever played the chosen red card gets to claim the green card. The first player to claim 4 green cards wins.

Number of Players: 4 - 8

Ages: 9 and up

Word Games to Keep Your Kids Busy Anywhere

The best board games for kids are tried-and-true ways to help children make the most of their vacation days. But as good as they are, they aren’t the only options. They also aren’t always playable in every situation or location. Being stuck on a long car ride is a good example. To find games that are fun wherever and whenever, explore this list of online word games for kids that the little ones will love.

Zac Pricener has been a content creator for the past eight years. He’s a bit of an all-around nerd, and he has a bad habit of working movie and TV show references into conversations whenever possible.