Shawn and I have been big fans of board games for a long while now. While we do have a modest collection of board games at home, we also have worked on acquiring a travel board game collection. That way we can travel and still enjoy our hobby. After we traveled to Malaysia with our kids, we began to put together a collection of board games for preschoolers too.
Wondering why? Well board games for preschoolers help with a lot of different facets to a child’s development. It helps them think, reason, rationalize etc. Some board games for preschoolers also help with dexterity, fine motor and gross motor skills.
The reason why we started looking for board games after we visited Malaysia is because it is difficult to get good games here in India. Our stop in Kuala Lumpur always involves a visit to Meeples Board game café.
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⏰ In a hurry and looking for a great travel board game for preschoolers that adults can play too? I highly recommend either Qwirkle or Rhino Hero! 🎲
Travel Board Games For Preschoolers – Table Of Contents
- Considerations
- Best Travel Board Games For Preschoolers: Motor Skill Development
- Best Travel Board Games For Preschoolers: Reasoning
- Best Travel Board Games For Preschoolers: Memory
Considerations When Buying Travel Board Games For Preschoolers
There are a super wide variety of travel board games for preschoolers. I think this is largely because the target audience for kids is usually above 3-4 years. My kids started actively wanting their own games after they watched us play ours with our friends. It was the cool thing to do in the house.
The kids actively started playing their own games only after my elder child turned 3. The younger one was one and a half and she tried to join in. Usually, she played along with an adult. Many of the travel board games for preschoolers that we got were aimed at the 3 plus age group and hence the parental supervision.
There were also a couple of board games that we modified the rules to fit with the comprehension of a three years old. It was interesting to see how much they learned from the activity. Surprisingly enough, we learned from the activity too!
There are a couple of considerations that you need to keep in mind.
Age Of The Child
This is because of both the child’s need to comprehend the game and the motor skills required by the child. Alternatively the child also needs patience and should understand that everything does not get placed in the mouth!
Size of the components: Speaking of putting things in the mouth, you will want to take note of the size of the components that the board game has. Younger children just can’t help themselves. Everything needs to be chomped on. So you will want a game with larger and more durable pieces.
Size Of The Board Game
Since you are looking for travel board games for preschoolers, you will want a game that is portable. I think that this is the biggest challenge. It is hard to balance the size of the game and the size of the components. Most games will be larger than the ones you carry for yourself and that just can’t be helped.
Replayability
So many people would argue that this isn’t a factor that comes up with travel board games for preschoolers. I beg to differ. There are some games that children will play over and over again without getting tired or bored. There are others that they will not touch. This definitely differs from child to child so you would need to observe your kid to take an educated guess.
Plus, there are some games that you won’t be able to play more than twice. Trust me, you may want to consider leaving these at home.
Best Travel Board Games For Preschoolers: Motor Skill Development
Many of the travel board games for preschoolers works on developing their motor skills. They involve stacking cards, tiles etc. such that the pile or tower does not fall down. This is great for this age group because it helps with both gross motor and fine motor skills. Plus, it adds a bit of fun to the challenge.
1. HABA Rhino Hero
⭐️ Rating: 4.7/5 (1,279 Reviews) Price: $14.99 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 5+ years
HABA Rhino Hero is my all time favorite travel board game for preschoolers. It is one of those games that encompasses all the considerations that I talked about before.
It is light, easy to carry, versatile and I don’t mind playing it multiple times.
“Easy to learn and so much fun. It gives kids a chance to learn the concepts of cooperation, good sportsmanship (don’t gloat when your opponent topples the tower), balance, patience, finesse, and structural integrity!
We’ve had so many laughs while playing this game. A winner!”
Linda (read more reviews now!)
The only issue is the Rhino which is tiny. If your child is too small to be trusted with it, you can consider playing the game without the Rhino (not as much fun but definitely doable!)
The aim of the game is to stack up cards without letting the tower fall. This skill requires patience and dexterity. Skills that are great for a toddler to learn. Plus, no drafts or the cards come tumbling down.
Pros: Light, portable, fun for adults too!
Cons: The Rhino is small and can be a choking hazard.
2. Jenga
⭐️ Rating: 4.8/5 (71,001 Reviews) Price: $11.99 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 6+ years
Jenga is one of the most popular games in the house. It is great for all ages though the dexterity part is a work in progress with young kids.
(Yes, I know that the box says 6+ years but my kids really enjoyed it at a much much younger age. By 3, my elder child had the hang of the game.)
“I spend a lot of time busy with my work, and this game is my escape route to spend time with my daughter, she loves it, she even starts to structure and invent other things with the Jenga pieces, we really enjoy it.
His pieces are of very good quality, and the price is incredibly low. I am very satisfied.”
Sergio (read more reviews now!)
For those of you who haven’t played Jenga, the game requires a tower to be built with wooden bricks. At every turn, a wooden brick is pulled out from the tower and placed at the top. Sounds simple right? This is the point where my toddler will yell, “USE ONE HAND!!!!”
The thing about Jenga is since it is made of wood, the game is heavy. It is also bulky. There are smaller versions but the smaller bricks makes it even harder from small children. I still prefer to take the large game if I’m headed out on a road trip and weight//size is not much of an issue.
Pros: Fun, great for all ages, no choking hazards
Cons: Heavy, bulky and not very portable.
3. Humpty Dumpty’s Wall Game
⭐️ Rating: 3.4/5 ( Reviews) Price: $ Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 4+ years
I had never heard about the Humpty Dumpty board game till we headed out to one of the cafes in Penang.
“Hours of fun playing this game”
Valerie (read more reviews now!)
The ultra cute café had loads of toys and the Humpty Dumpty game was one of them.
This involves stacking a wall and placing Humpty on top of it. You then proceed to knock one brick out at a time. The person who collapses the wall loses. It is very similar to Jenga in theory but the motor skills required are slightly different.
Pros: It is a very easy game to explain toddlers
Cons: It can make younger children get very frustrated because the bricks can tumble easily.
4. Equilibrio
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 (214 Reviews) Price: $34.09 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 5+ years
Equilibrio is a game that is aimed at 5+ but my 3 year old picked it up quite fast. Well, at least the easier designs.
The game helps the child develop reasoning, dexterity and helps him/her identify different types of shapes.
“My nephew loves this game, and my sister loves playing with him! Many different creations to build that increase in difficulty to keep things interesting and challenging. Pieces are high quality. It was my nephew’s favorite gift for his 5th birthday!”
Ali (read more reviews now!)
The box itself is large. What I do to make it better as a travel board game for preschoolers is to place all the blocks in a bag and carry the manual separately.
Since the game is aimed at 5+ years, you will probably need to be around to help younger children. It is also a great activity for both parent and child to engage in. A big bonus is that there are no choking hazards.
Pros: Develops reasoning and dexterity.
Cons: Needs parental help for younger children.
5. HABA Animal Upon Animal
⭐️ Rating: 4.8/5 (1,400 Reviews) Price: $24.99 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 4+ years
HABA Animal Upon Animal is a pretty easy game. For adults that is. It is challenging for young children because it makes them work on their gross motor skills. The aim of the game is to balance the animals one upon the other.
The game comes with a special dice. Rolling the dice tells you what you need to do in your turn. Some of the options include balancing animals on top of other animals, handing your animal over to another player and deciding what your opponent needs to do.
“My almost 3 year-old daughter absolutely loves this game.
She still needs me to guide her concerning what all the different symbols on the die mean, but she understands rolling it when it is her turn and loves stacking the animals.
She wanted to play at least 4 times in a row. Highly recommended!”
Matt (read more reviews now!)
I find that this game also helps with hand eye coordination. Interestingly enough because this game works on this aspect of development, it is great for people with neuro deficits or even post stroke recovery.
The box isn’t too large. To make it a truly great travel board game for preschoolers, pack it in a cloth bag and put it in your suitcase. It hardly takes any space.
6. Dominoes
⭐️ Rating: /5 ( Reviews) Price: $ Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: Toddlers
Another great travel board game for preschoolers that helps with motor skills is Dominoes.
No. I’m not talking about the one with all the dots on the tiles. That game is more geared towards cognitive development.
“Everyone had fun with this domino set. All ages were in on large spiral. So much funny. It comes out regularly. Smooth and even. Work great. Lots of extras to make it interesting.”
Fredrick (read more reviews now!)
This game comes with colored tiles. Each tile is stacked in a way that by dropping a single tile, you can topple the whole design. While this does require motor skills, it also requires a lot of thinking and planning.
Most kids get this after a couple of tries. As they progress they make more detailed patterns. You can also pack it up in a bag and transport it pretty easily. You don’t really have to take all 1000 pieces to keep the kids interested either. This is why it makes a great travel board game for preschoolers.
Best Travel Board Games For Preschoolers: Reasoning
Some of the best travel board games for preschoolers helps work on a child’s reasoning. They aren’t very difficult when it comes to the rules. Most involve recognizing shapes and colors and matching them with something similar.
other travel board games for preschoolers involves following specific instructions to win the game.
7. Qwirkle
⭐️ Rating: 4.6/5 (3,837 Reviews) Price: $17.95 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 5+ years
Qwirkle has long been one of my favorite games. Turns out it is a great travel board games for preschoolers. This game is rather simple. It has six different types of shapes and the shapes come in six different types of colors.
The idea is to join all the shapes of a single color or to join all colors of a single shape together. Each title added counts for a point.
“I would describe Qwirkle as a cross between dominoes, sudoku, and scrabble. It’s simple and easy to learn, but there’s a surprising amount of strategy involved.
This travel set is small and portable, but because the smaller tiles don’t crowd a table as quickly, it’s also convenient for playing at home.”
Andrew (read more reviews now!)
If you succeed in completing a set you have a Qwirkle or a bonus.
As you can see, the rules are pretty easy to follow for people of all ages. With the younger kids we usually just skip the addition and concentrate more on the placement of tiles.
The best part is that Qwirkle is very portable especially if you manage to pick up the travel sized game. Ours came with a tiny pouch and we’ve carried it on most of our backpacking trips.
8. HABA My First Orchard
⭐️ Rating: 4.9/5 (2,175 Reviews) Price: $34.99 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 2+ years
My First Orchard has been rated as one of the best starter games for kids. This is because it has a board, a dice and simple rules to follow.
The pieces on the board are easy to handle and large so that it avoids any choking hazards.
The aim of the game is to harvest all the fruits before the raven gets to them.
One of the things that I like about this game is that 1-4 kids can play this game simultaneously.
“Well made, solid box, nicely finished wooden pieces. A simple game for smaller children to learn. My 4 year olds play it, they learned to the rules after a simple play-through. Too simple for older kids, but a good way to get younger ones into board gaming.
Might seem expensive for the amount of pieces and the likely use life (a year at best until the kids grown out of it), but its well made enough that it can be used by younger siblings, cousins or friends once one set of kids outgrows it.”
David (read more reviews now!)
The game is not extremely portable but it is not impossible to carry. I think it is all about repackaging it right. Luckily there aren’t as many pieces in the game so it is relatively easy.
Best Travel Board Games For Preschoolers: Memory
Memory isn’t something that we typically work on daily. Playing games with kids really helps them work on identifying and memorizing things. It isn’t rote memory that I’m talking about though. Most of these require visual memory.
Luckily most of these are card games which makes them amazing travel board games for preschoolers.
9. Spot It Animals
⭐️ Rating: 4.8/5 (5,418 Reviews) Price: $7.49 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 4+ years
Spot it is all about observation and reflexes. Spot it animal works for younger children too and it helps them learn the names of animals as they go along.
“This is such a great game for the entire family to play. Its good for all ages – and even us adults have fun playing it. Great for travel since its so small. Fun game!”
Bre (read more reviews now!)
All that a person needs to do is to match the animals on the cards.
The game is ultra light and portable which makes it one of the amazing travel board games for preschoolers and adults. I have to admit that this can get pretty intense if the kids at the table are competitive.
10. Disney Matching Game
⭐️ Rating: 4.8/5 (29,919 Reviews) Price: $9.71 Details: Read more on Amazon!
Age Group: 3-5 years
I love the Disney Matching game. It is really simple and works really well whether your kids are fans of Disney or not.
All the tiles are shuffled up and placed face down. Each player gets to turn two cards at a time.
If the two cards match then the pair is removed off the table.
The trick is to remember which tiles were turned over before. That way you can clear the table off quickly.
“The grandchildren recognize and love the Disney characters. It’s a simple game introducing rules and taking turns. It also helps them to develop their memory and understand “matching”.
I bought one for my 4 yr granddaughter and she loved it so much I bought another one for my 2.5 yr old grandson. They both have fun and are entertained by this game. There are a lot of cards so for the 2.5 yr old we use a subset of the cards.”
JR (read more reviews now!)
Since the game is made up of small tiles, it is light, packs in a small box and is extremely portable. This makes it a great travel board game for preschoolers.
⏰ In a hurry and looking for a great travel board game for preschoolers that adults can play too? I highly recommend either Qwirkle or Rhino Hero! 🎲
And there you have it. These are some of the numerous travel board games for preschoolers that we have been carrying around ever since we have started traveling. The one that we pick generally depends on where we are travelling and the space we have in our backpacks or suitcases.
Generally we have started to mix things up. We try to take one of the travel board games for preschoolers that involves motor skills and one that requires either memory or reasoning. That way we can swap things around while we travel.
If the travel board game for preschoolers is entertaining for adults too, we consider it a win-win situation. I guess that is why we love Qwirkle and Rhino Hero so much!
