As the holidays approach, parents everywhere are trying to find fun and educational toys for their young ones. Give your son our daughter a jump start on learning with one of these fun board games for 2 year olds.
Board games are a timeless classic and an all around fun family activity. However, finding the best board games for 2 year olds can prove to be a difficult task so we’ve done the work for you and found the top options and included them below. Our list includes a summary and all the pros and cons you need to know about each game.
For boys and girls age two years old and up there are plenty of exciting board game options. Many of them are puzzle, matching, counting, and other learning related games and activities.
The early years of childhood are critical in developing motor skills, eye hand coordination, social skill development, and creativity. Let one of these games help your 2 year old improve their cognitive skills while having loads of fun!
Top 2 Year Old Games for Fun & Learning
Peaceable Kingdom Snug as a Bug in a Rug Game for Little Kids
Summary
This extremely popular game teaches kids ages 2 and up cooperation, matching, and other fun skills to beat the nasty stink bugs. It also incorporates simple strategy while helping kids learn their shapes and colors. The game play involves getting all the small bug pieces under the rug to safety before the stink bugs are on top. Spin the wheel and move a bug of the corresponding color. Better hurry up!
Many parents have said that this game has helped their little boy or little girl learn cooperation and it is an excellent tool to teach teamwork. A fun game for the whole family, this colorful and delightful game is sure to be a hit this holiday season in your house.
Pros
- Great developmental tool for many cognitive skills
- Promotes teamwork
- Perfect starter board game
- Is more collaborative than competitive
Cons
- Game pieces are small and present a choking hazard so parental supervision is required
- Spinner may stick occasionally
What age is this recommended for?
2 years olds and up
What makes this stand out?
This is a fun board game for young boys that will teach him necessary preschool skills along with many other educational benefits.
Peaceable Kingdom Where’s Bear? Stacking Blocks
Summary
An instant classic for young tots,“Where’s Bear?” is a block stacking and hidden object finding game. The game revolves around hiding a bear inside one of six stackable blocks and hunting it down. It’s an excellent tool for teaching 2 year olds spacial concepts, problem solving, and matching.
A simple durable game that provides endless fun, it is definitely a worthy addition to the family game chest.
Pros
- Versatile game that can be played with an adult as an interactive game or alone
- Very sturdy and child friendly
- Teaches early cognitive skills
Cons
- Not very challenging to older kids
What age is this recommended for?
18 months and up
What makes this stand out?
This is a perfect starter game to teach a little child to play within the rules of a game.
HABA My Very First Games – First Orchard
Summary
A simple but fun board game for two year olds and up, First Orchard has got plenty of fun and learning at the same time. Everyone works as a team to pick all the colorful fruit from the trees before the crow can make his way across the board. P
layers win or lose as a team making it is a wonderful tool to teach social interaction and teamwork. A perfect first game for a children to learn colors and counting.
Pros
- Fun learning game
- Promotes teamwork
- Very durable pieces
- Older children enjoy as well
Cons
- Dice may present choking hazard soparental supervision required
- Wood may have a slight paint smell
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
While most 2 year old games are only fun for a year or two, this game provides levels of fun that can be enjoyed by kids up through kindergarten.
HABA – Here Fishy Fishy! Magnetic Fishing
Summary
A wonderful game for young kids, “Here, Fishy, Fishy!” gives young ones a free play experience on a board game. With simple, easy to understand rules, kids can play together taking turns using the magnetic fishing rod to pull brightly colored sea creatures off the board. Or they can play by themselves for hours without getting bored.
This board game fosters hand eye coordination and it gives the child an exciting matching game, along with the mystique of magnets that we all remember from being a kid.
Pros
- Sturdy and hard to break pieces
- Fun in groups or alone
- Promotes fine motor skills
- Teaches matching skills
Cons
- A few orders reported missing pieces
- To children with well developed motor skills, game may not pose a challenge
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
This game stands out from the rest by providing an open field for play and creativity with the simple fishing mechanism. It is not held back by common board game constraints thus making it a great toy for that creative grandson you may have.
HABA Tidy Up! – A Cooperative Organizing Game
Summary
A fun board game suitable for a young girl or boy, Tidy Up! is a game about picking up after yourself and learning about matching. Help the kitty cat put away his toys at the end of the day by matching the items to their slot in the shelf.
With sturdy components, a simple setup, and colorful images, this is sure to be a fun activity with your little one
Pros
- Sturdy design
- Teaches simple rules and turn taking
Cons
- Toy tiles present a choking hazard so parental supervision is required
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
This game impresses on children at an early age the concept of picking up their rooms while also teaching them basic cognitive skills.
Peaceable Kingdom Feed the Woozle Game for Baby’s
Summary
Feed the Woozle is a super fun game that young kids and parents can play together with. It’s a simple counting game where the goal is to feed the Woozle all of his snacks before time runs out.
A colorful and addicting game, Feed the Woozle teaches 2 year olds color identification and counting while being really fun in the process. It comes with three varying levels of play so as your child grows older, they can play with more complicated rules.
Pros
- Teaches counting
- Gets harder as kids get older
- Teaches teamwork
Cons
- Presents a choking hazard, so parental supervision is required
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
A really fun family game, it provides a colorful approach to learning teamwork and eye-hand coordination.
Educational Insights Frankie’s Food Truck
Summary
With many glowing reviews from early childhood educators, Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco is an awesome educational option for 2 year olds. 1-4 players take turns using a spinner and placing various geometric shaped pieces to fill orders and win. It teaches the basics of identifying shapes and colors along with a sense of teamwork.
Your 2 year old will definitely love this as their first board game.
Pros
- Teaches shapes
- Teaches teamwork
- Holds interest levels as child grows older
Cons
- Presents a choking hazard, so adult supervision is required
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
With varying degrees of difficulty depending on the rules you use, this game will not grow boring soon.
Peaceable Kingdom Stack Up! for Young Kids
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Summary
A simple but super addicting game for little kids, Stack Up provides three different rule sets so as your child gets older, the game gets harder. The game revolves around using a spinner and stacking the color of block that you land on. It includes challenges such as stacking with one eye closed and other fun ideas.
For children 2 and up, it promotes eye hand coordination, teamwork, color matching, and positive self esteem.
Pros
- Teaches eye hand coordination
- Builds an early concept of teamwork
- Very durable
Cons
- Presents a choking hazard, so parental supervision is required
- Older children may lose interest
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
This game is an excellent one you can get for your young niece or nephew since the varying rules allow for different difficulties, making this game great as they grow up.
MindWare Seek-a-Boo Game for Kids
Summary
Seek-a-Boo is a super fun matching and vocabulary building toy for little ones 18 months and up. Your little one will learn basic vocabulary while matching the large laminated cards. The youngest kids can have tons of fun playing this game and learning core preschooler skills at the same time.
The concept is placing cards face down on the floor and having the players find the corresponding card you hold up.
Pros
- Large pieces present low choking hazard risk
- Cards are tear resistant
- Great early learning tool
Cons
- Cards can bend easily
What age is this recommended for?
18 months and up
What makes this stand out?
It’s an easily modifiable game for every developmental stage of a child. With a little imagination, there are lots of fun games that can be created.
ThinkFun Roll and Play Game for Kids and Parents
Summary
Roll and Play is the winner of numerous child game awards, and it’s not hard to see why. An amazing concept, it comes with a plush cube with different colored sides. Your youngster rolls the cube, and then picks a colored card that matches the color on the cube.
There are 48 cards with 8 different categories and each one is a fun simple learning activity. Cards include instructions like “count your fingers” or “find something yellow” to name a few.
This is one of the most basic games if you’re itching to get games for your 18 month old!
Pros
- Simple instructions even the youngest can understand
- Encourages active play and creativity
- With creativity, child will not get bored
Cons
- Cards can tear
- Cards can get lost
What age is this recommended for?
18 months and up
What makes this stand out?
This game pushes the bar on educational options for 2 year olds to a high level. It builds numerous necessary skills, while still being fun for the whole family.
HABA Town Maze
Summary
This is a great maze board game for any 2 year old because all of the pieces are contained within the board, making it the perfect first board game for achild.
There are 3 different sets of colored balls that the player has to get to the same colored garage using the attached slide wand which they slide over the clear plastic game cover. The child guides the balls along the track.
There are also a couple of roadblocks that need to move out of the way. This game is great for developing fine motor skills, spatial skills, counting and problems solving.
Pros
- Everything is nicely contained so that nothing gets lost
- The board is well made and the string on the wand is long enough to use easily
Cons
- Plywood board on the back of the game falls apart easily
What age is this recommended for?
2-6 years old
What makes this stand out?
The really great thing about this game is that all the pieces are contained keeping the pieces from getting lost. The game is also great for taking when traveling.
Hi Ho! Cherry-O
Summary
A classic beginners game that has been around for generations, Hi Ho! Cherry-O is a fun counting game perfect for your little boy or girl. Kids pick fruit and and add them to their bucket, teaching them fundamental math skills like addition, subtraction, and counting.
One of the top children’s games for decades, this game will be a hit with your 2 year old this holiday season.
Pros
- Teaches essential early level math skills
- Kids do not lose interest quickly
- Very durable pieces
Cons
- Choking hazard, so parental supervision is required
- Buyers occasionally reported missing pieces
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
The fact that this game has been around so long and is still loved by parents and children everywhere says a lot for this games quality.
Don’t Break the Ice
Summary
Teach your 2 year old simple strategy and turn taking with this fun game. Take turns tapping ice blocks and avoid making the ice crack or you’re eliminated! This classic game is very durable, and provides hours of fun for your son or daughter.
Pros
- Durability
- Simplicity
- Teaches simple strategy
Cons
- Some customers reported flimsiness
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
This simple game has been called a precursor to chess. It is one of the best ways to teach a child strategy.
Lucky Ducks – The Memory and Matching Game that Moves
Summary
This fun little memory game has a moving platform with ducks on it. Each duck has a different symbol on the bottom. Kids and parents take turns picking one and trying to match them with their symbol.
A fun way to help kids develop memory skills. Your boy will love it this as a birthday present or for Christmas.
[Related: Great Books for 2 Year Old Boys & Girls]
Pros
- Very simple
- Durable pieces
- Good memory game
Cons
- Requires batteries
- Short battery life
- Choking hazard, so parental supervision is required
What age is this recommended for?
2 years and up
What makes this stand out?
This game can be enjoyed for many years. It’s simplicity and fun are immediately engaging for kids of all ages.
Ants in the Pants Games
Summary
Perfect for the energetic little kid, Ants in the Pants is an active game that doesn’t require the child to take turns. The objective is simply flick all of your colored bugs into the dogs pants. A very simple but very appealing game for children.
This is a wonderful activity that nearly every child can enjoy over and over again.
Pros
- Durable components
- Teaches competition
- Kids don’t get tired of it
Cons
- Choking hazard, so parental supervision is required
What age is this recommended for?
2-3 years and up
What makes this stand out?
While most early childhood games are focused on teaching kids things such as counting or matching, This game is pure fun and competition. A game that requires some skill, little kids are very quick to pick it up and do well.
Game Zone Honey Bee Tree
Summary
A fresh spin on the classic game “Kerplunk.” This child friendly game is a long standing family favorite. The game starts with placing sticks through the hive shaped tube until there is no way for the bees to fall through. After placing the bees inside the hive, you take turns pulling out the sticks and try to avoid making any bees drop. Any bee that drops is a point, the person with the least points at the end wins.
Pros
- Teaches eye hand coordination
- Teaches strategic thinking
- Sturdy design
Cons
- Takes time to setup
What age is this recommended for?
2-5 year olds
What makes this stand out?
As a classic game, odds are most parents have played a game similar to this in their life. While it takes time to setup, it is one of the most beloved games in the world. Children of all ages love it and this family friendly edition will be a favorite for years to come.
Buying Guide on the Best Board Games for 2 Year Olds
In order to assist you with finding the best game for your little one, this buying guide is here to answer commons questions you may have. This section should contain any additional information you may want need in order to select the perfect board game for your 2 year old.
Top Games by Gender
At such a young age, all of these games are enjoyable by any gender and boys and girls can play together with any of these games. However some games are more appealing to girls and some to boys.
Boys
One of the top reviewed games for young boys was the Here Fishy Fishy! magnetic fishing game. It provided a fun tactile experience that boys seemed to enjoy immensely.
Girls
The most highly reviewed board game for girls was Hi Ho! Cherry-o. The emphasis on simple math while at the same time being fun and colorful makes it an excellent choice as a gift for your 2 year old girl.
What Are the Common Types of Educational Games for Two Year Old Kids?
After reading through all of our reviews, you’ll realize that there are many different categories of games. Below is a list of the different categories. We hope it will help you choose the best board game for your two year old.
Cooperative Games
Quite a few of the games reviewed above are cooperative and promote teamwork. Whether it’s with parents, or with friends, they all require cooperation to win and have fun! Most of the cooperation involved is teaching children teamwork and socialization skills.
Strategic Games
While most strategy games are not suitable for a 2 year old, some simple ones are classic childhood games. These include the Honey Bee Tree game and Don’t Break the Ice. These games are loads of fun and age well. Children can enjoy these versatile games for many years. These games promote strategic thinking.
Unique Games
While some games have similar counterparts, Roll and Play by ThinkFun is a truly unique product. It teaches most of the preschool skills at once, while being very engaging at the same time.
Family Games
There are quite a few of these games that can be played with the family, however Ants in the Pants, Lucky Ducks, and Feed the Woozle are all games that are the most fun when played together as a family. They are all easy and with plenty of interaction for a hilarious experience.
Final Thoughts On Popular Board Games for 2 Year Olds
Information about fun games to play with 2 year olds can be found above. We hope this article is helpful. Be sure to read through and carefully pick out the right learning games for your child. The buying guide should provide accurate information pertaining to the types of games. We hope your 2 year old enjoys his first board game!
| Top Board Games by Age |
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