The Clean Green House Blog: Life after Chutes and Ladders: Get Your Sanity Back with Games that are Actually Fun

I admit it. I hated playing Chutes and Ladders. Every second of this mind-numbing game. If you’re ready to graduate to games of strategy, here are some really fun games for younger kids. We play a LOT of games at our house, so we curated our favorite card and board games that will work for kids from age four and up! And, possibly more importantly, these games are short. All of these games can be set-up, played, finished and cleaned-up within 15 minutes. Unless you let your UNO game get out of hand… otherwise, these are a quick play-and-done games!! Wahoo!!!

Rat a Tat Cat (age 4+)

As soon as your kids can read numbers and understand the concept of number values, (like if they understand the difference between one cookie and nine cookies) buy Rat a Tat Cat. When I realized my kids could play this, it was like the angels started singing from the heavens. I was absolutely thrilled to play something that didn’t make me want to hit my head against the table. This game is often still entertaining for kids all the way through elementary school – so a family with a range of kid-ages will love this game. We’ve played this game so much, the cards are well worn. Great purchase!

Gobblet Gobblers (age 4+)

Gobblet Gobblers is a spin on tick-tac-toe; get three in a row and you win. However, players can “gobble” up pieces on the board by placing increasingly larger “gobblet gobblers” on top of each other to take over any particular spot. Because of the added twist, kids quickly learn to plan ahead. This game is simple to set up and put away. Also, this game is made of all-wood (with a bit of felt), which I also appreciate. Because it’s such a beautiful game, it’s also very gift-able.

UNO (age 5+)

Don’t overlook some of the tried and true card games, like UNO. To win, be the first one to get rid of all your cards. Some kids start playing this at 3-years old, and you can have twenty people play this at once — so it’s a highly inclusive game. We pack up UNO and take with us when we travel because it’s super easy to play and it doesn’t matter too much if we lose a card on the road. Plus, for $5, the price can’t be beat!

Sleeping Queens (age 5+)

From the same creators of Rat a Tat Cat, Sleeping Queens is a slightly more strategic card game. Both of these are really fun games, but with Rat a Tat Cat, your child simply has to know number values and be able to memorize two cards. With Sleeping Queens, they must be able to do math (adding, subtracting, or multiplication/division if they’re getting fancy). You could actually modify the rules so older kids must use multiplication/division. The goal is to get the most points, only awarded by the sleeping queens! The game ends when all the queens are “awake” {aka: flipped face-up}. Super, super fun — this game you won’t accidentally “lose”.

Bonus: We don’t have the anniversary Sleeping Queens set, but it looks like a cool one to check out!

Battle Sheep (age 7+)

We stumbled upon this little gem at a high-end toy store. I was hesitant to spend the money, but I’m glad we did. Battle Sheep is one of our best game finds for little kids. The strategy is legit even for adults. The game says 7+, but my kids started playing a little younger. It really depends on the kiddo and their interest in strategy games. It can get ruthless, but no one is super upset because they’ve only invested 10 minutes into the game. (Not like *cough* Catan *cough*). This game has moveable cardboard “pasture” pieces, and high-quality sheep tokens. Your goal is to get enough pasture for your sheep, while blocking pasture for other sheep.

Really Fun Games

Any of these games would make great family gifts for the relatives on your holiday list. Or you could get these for your own family; some of these card games will fit perfectly in a stocking! Make memories together by playing games that are actually fun! If you have a game you recommend for kids in kindergarten and younger, please share them in the comments below. Let’s help each other out by recommending really fun games!