Finding board games for 8 year olds can be tricky due to the sheer number of options that are available online. If you’re interested to learn more about what the top board games have to offer, you’ll want to check out our review.
We’ve researched the best choices so that you don’t have to. All you need to do is have a read below and pick out the one that you think your child would enjoy the most. For additional information, you can also find a buying guide section at the end which contains further details to help you make the best decision.
Our List of the Top Rated 8 Year Old Games
Blokus Strategy Game
Summary
This is an excellent game that 8 year olds can have a blast with while developing their strategic thinking skills. It involves each player putting their 21 pieces on the game board one at a time. All of the pieces have to be in contact with another piece that’s the same color at the corners.
The idea of the game is for everyone to try and strategically place their pieces on the board to try and claim an area and block each other from taking over. When the board is completely full with pieces, the game is over and whoever is left with the least number of pieces left to be played is the winner.
This is a fun game to play in groups and is awesome for your child’s social skills, as well as their ability to focus.
Pros
- Develops strategic thinking
- Improves social skills
- Helps with focus
Cons
- Some find the pieces are a little lighter than they’d prefer
What makes this game stand out?
Children love playing this game in small groups and trying to outsmart each other by using their strategic thinking abilities.
Dragonwood A Game of Dice & Daring
Summary
The Dragonwood Game of Dice & Daring is a board game that can be played by 2-4 people. As a result, it can be an effective way to help your kids improve on their social skills. This game involves rolling dice and collecting a range of adventurer cards along the way to face your opponents with.
We liked how there is a lot of strategy involved with this game. Therefore, it’s a great way for children to improve their strategic thinking skills. This is also effective for developing their ability to concentrate better. The games usually last around 20 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to keep kids engaged without getting bored.
Pros
- Great game time
- Develops strategic thinking
- Improves social skills
Cons
- Can involve a lot of cards for kids to hold
What makes this game stand out?
This is another game that’s awesome for improving your child’s strategic thinking skills. With games lasting for 20 minutes, you can be sure that kids will have a blast being engaged with this game for a while to come.
Stare! Junior – 2nd Edition
Summary
This 2nd edition of Stare! Is a junior board game that features larger cards and new images. It’s an incredibly effective game at helping children to improve their ability to concentrate, think with more imagination, and develop their memory skills.
There is a total of 960 questions available, as well as a game board, 160 image cards, playing pieces, a sand timer, and die. Therefore, you have everything you need to start playing right away. Since it’s a game that involves asking and answering questions, it’s fantastic for improving your child’s social skills.
Pros
- Improves concentration
- Develops memory skills
- Helps with social skills
Cons
- Some questions can be a little difficult for kids
What makes this game stand out?
Children have a lot of fun playing this game in groups with friends and family while also developing their memory skills and ability to focus.
Spontuneous – The Song Game
Summary
Spontuneous – The Song Game can be played by 4-10 players which makes it an awesome choice for playing at parties and larger group events. It involves one person reading out a word while everyone else tries to think of a song with lyrics that include that word. As soon as they have it, they can shout out or sing the song that contains the given word.
This makes the game awesome for encouraging children to improve on their social skills. Kids have a ton of fun playing this game together and it’s a fantastic bonding experience for them. Not to mention, it can improve your child’s memory abilities too.
Pros
- Can improve memory
- Develops social skills
- Great for parties
Cons
- Instructions could be improved
What makes this game stand out?
Kids love playing this game in larger groups and competing to see who can come up with songs first. It’s great for their social skills, as well as their memory recall.
Wonder Forge Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It
Summary
Wonder Forge Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It is a super fun game for kids to play in groups of 2-4 people. We were impressed with how it’s a game that requires players to work together in order to complete the game. As a result, it’s an excellent way to help children develop their social skills, as well as their ability to work effectively in teams.
In addition to this, the game involves kids trying to identify specific objects and shouting out “I found it!” whenever they find what they were looking for. Their matching skills are also put to the test as well.
Pros
- Improves matching skills
- Develops teamwork abilities
- Helps with object identification
Cons
- The pieces are smaller than some expected
What makes this game stand out?
This is an exciting game which provides kids with the opportunity to work together in teams to win. Their collaborative teamwork abilities are improved, as a result, and so are their matching and object identification skills.
Simon Game
Summary
The Simon Game is a highly interactive and fun game that kids have a blast playing with. There are a range of sounds and lights available which are incredibly stimulating for kids. It’s effective at improving their audible and visual learning skills.
We also liked how the game encourages children to develop their sequence recognition abilities. As you progress further with the game, the sequences become longer and you have to try and keep it exactly the same for as long as you can. This is also a fun way to improve your child’s memory.
This game also keeps track of the scores which adds a more competitive element to it. Therefore, kids are more likely to play in with their friends to see who can get the highest score. It’s good for improving their social skills.
Pros
- Improves social skills
- Develops sequence recognition abilities
- Helps with audible & visual learning
Cons
- Smaller than some were hoping for
What makes this game stand out?
This is an interactive game which kids have a blast playing with and improving their sequence recognition skills along the way.
Dabble
Summary
Dabble is a fun word game for 2 to 4 players. The object of the game is that players race to spell 5 words with their 20 tiles. The first one to complete all 5 words wins! This is a good game that is not only entertaining, but will also help 8 year olds improve their spelling skills.
Pros
- Fun and fast paced games
- The game is competitive and challenging
Cons
- The tiles are extremely thing
What makes this stand out?
The fast pace of this game makes it ideal for kids to play since they tend to avoid games where it can take several minutes between turns.
HedBanz – Family Guessing Game
Summary
Hedbanz is a popular game for 8 year olds that has a fast pace to it. As a result, kids are kept on their toes and able to focus and stay engaged for longer. The game involves wearing a headband with an animal card in it and asking “yes” or “no” questions to the group. You then have to try and guess what animal you are from the responses that you get.
Therefore, it’s excellent for your child’s social skills, as well as their problem-solving abilities. We liked how they’ve included a one minute sand timer to ensure that the game always keeps a good pace to it.The game is highly effective at improving your child’s knowledge on different animals as well.
Pros
- Develops problem-solving abilities
- Improves social skills
- Teaches kids about different animals
Cons
- Some questions can be difficult for kids
What makes this game stand out?
Kids have a blast playing this game in groups and it’s fantastic for developing their social skills, as well as improving their problem-solving abilities, and knowledge on different animals.
Googly Eyes – Family Drawing Game
Summary
Googly Eyes is a drawing game that the entire family can play together. It’s an excellent option for family game nights and can improve your child’s social skills.
You can split the family up in to teams and have one person wear the goggles while another draws. These goggles have a vision-altering feature which makes it difficult to make out what the drawings are. Whoever is wearing the goggles has a certain number of goes to guess what their teammate has drawn.
We liked how this is a simple game that is quick to play and is sure to get a lot of laughs!
Pros
- Super entertaining vision-altering goggles
- Develops social skills
- Great for family game nights
Cons
- Games take longer than some were expecting
What makes this game stand out?
The vision-altering goggles make this game a ton of fun for kids to play with their family. It’s a fun way for them to improve their social skills too.
Ravensburger Labyrinth
Summary
This Ravensburger Labyrinth Board Game comes with a range of 4 playing pieces, 24 treasure cards, a game board, and 34 maze cards. The instructions that are included are easy to understand and ensure that kids can start playing right away, without any hassle.
The game is played by each person taking turns to place their tiles on the board to open up passages in the Labyrinth to get closer to winning. We liked how there’s a lot of strategy involved in playing this game. As a result, it’s excellent for improving your child’s strategic thinking skills.
Children are also able to improve their ability to concentrate better. This is because the games usually last between 20 and 30 minutes, which is the perfect duration of time to hold your child’s attention without them getting bored.
Pros
- Develops strategic thinking
- Improves concentration
- Great game time
Cons
- Instructions could be improved
What makes this game stand out?
Kids have a blast playing this game in small groups and using their strategic thinking skills to try and beat each other.
Plan B Games Azul Board Game
Summary
This Plan B Games Azul Board Game can be played by 2-4 people which makes it a fun little group game which helps children to improve their social skills. The games can last between 30 and 40 minutes, which means that children are able to have enough time to use their logical thinking skills to try and beat their opponents.
It involves a range of tile pieces which have been made with high-quality materials. Therefore, you can expect these pieces to be durable and last your child for years of play.
Pros
- High-quality tile pieces
- Develops strategic thinking
- Improves social skills
Cons
- Some find the game is damaged due to delivery issues
What makes this game stand out?
This is a fun game that encourages children to use their strategic thinking skills and have fun trying to win.
Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Strategy Board Game
Summary
The Blue Orange Games Photosynthesis Strategy Board Game is an extremely strategical game which children have been having a ton of fun playing. It involves planting seeds and creating a forest as you go through the game. You’re able to take trees through their life cycles while playing and earn points by how much energy from the sun the leaves are able to take.
There are certain areas that are better for sowing than others. Moreover, kids have to think about where they want to place their trees because the shadows can block them from the pretend sunlight and cost them points.
We were impressed with how this game involves so much strategy. It can be played by 2-4 people as well, which makes it great for improving your child’s social skills.
Pros
- Unique game-play
- Improves social skills
- Develops strategic thinking
Cons
- Board doesn’t fold up as well as some were hoping for
What makes this game stand out?
We liked how unique this game is and how kids are able to really put their strategic thinking skills to good use.
ThinkFun Shadows in the Forest Play in the Dark Board Game
Summary
ThinkFun’s Shadows in the Forest Play in the Dark Board Game comes with glow-in-the-dark die, 6 Shadowlings, 10 hiding places, a 6 Shadowling masks. It can be played by 2-7 people, which is awesome for improving your child’s social skills. The instructions that are included are easy to follow and ensure that kids are able to start playing without any confusion.
This is a pretty unique game which involves one person being the seeker who holds the lantern and is against of the team of Shadowlings. These people wear the Shadowling masks and have to try and avoid the light. The people playing the Shadowlings have to try and make it to the same tree without being exposed to the light and becoming frozen.
It’s a super fun game that also helps kids to improve their ability to work cooperatively in teams. Their strategic thinking abilities are also put to the test as well.
Pros
- Improves social skills
- Unique game
- Develops strategic thinking
Cons
- Games last longer than some would prefer
What makes this game stand out?
This is an exciting game which gives kids the chance to wear masks and work in teams to try and be the victorious team.
Buyers Guide on the Best Games for 8 Year Olds
After reading through our review of some of the best games for 8 year olds, you may be wondering how you should go about trying to pick out the one that would be best for your child.
We’ve put together this buying guide section to provide you with additional information to ensure that you have everything you need to feel confident about the game that you get for your 8 year old.
Top Age 8 Games by Gender
An important factor to think about when looking at kids games 8 and up is the gender of the child that you’re buying it for. While most boys and girls will be more than happy to play the same games together, there may be some types of games that are best for girls and others that boys would prefer.
Boys
One of the games that eight year old boys may prefer to girls that we’ve reviewed is the Dragonwood game. This is because it involves an adventure theme which boys seem to have more fun with compared to girls.
Girls
When it comes to finding toys 8 year old girls will love, they tend to love the same type of board games that boys do.
Types of Board Games for 8 Year Olds
After reading through our review of the best fun games for kids above, you will have seen that there are different types available. To help you distinguish between the various kinds of games with ease, take a look below.
You can learn more about the kinds of games that are available and what makes them different from another. This can provide you with a better idea on which game your 8 year old would like the most.
Cooperative Games
There are a number of games that we’ve discussed in this review which involve players coming together in order to try and win. Depending on the game, this may involve everyone working towards completing it, or, you may split the group up into teams to compete against each other.
Either way, these kinds of games are excellent for helping children to develop their social skills, as well as their ability to work effectively in teams.
Strategic Games
Games that involve some strategy are perfect and educational for kids age 8. They’re getting to the age where the games that they may have been playing before aren’t challenging enough for them. As a result, they can end up getting bored.
However, these strategic games are a lot more engaging and ensure that kids are given ample opportunity to develop their strategic thinking skills.
Unique Games
There are some unique games in this review, such as the Shadows in the Forest game, which enable kids to expand their creative thinking skills. Moreover, they’re able to have a ton of fun playing games with their friends and family which they’ve never experienced before.
Party Games
Party games, such as the Spontuneous Song Game are a lot of fun for 8 year olds to play when you’re throwing a party. These kinds of games involve larger groups of people and they encourage children to be more social and have a blast playing with their friends.
Interactive Games
Interactive games for 8 year olds are excellent for helping them to play with something that’s more beneficial for them. For example, the Simon Game comes with a variety of light and sound effects.
This is highly engaging for 8 year old children and stimulates their audible and visual learning senses.
Family Games
While the games in this review are all fantastic for playing with family, there are some, in particular, that are more family driven than others. The Hedbanz game is an example of this because of how it’s super easy to play and there’s a lot of interaction going on among children and adults.
The Goggly Eyes Drawing Game is another excellent family game due to how kids and family members can have a blast laughing at how hilarious it is.
Final Thoughts On Popular Board Games for 8 Year Olds
All the information you need to pick out the best games for 8 year olds can be found, just above. Be sure to read through all of the main details, pros, cons, and what makes each of the games stand out. That will give you a better idea of whether it’s the best choice for your child.
Furthermore, our buying guide section includes even more information to help you narrow down your search. Hopefully, you can be well on your way to finding the best games for your 8 year old!
