Cooperative board games for kids

No wonder cooperative board games are so popular: many of us enjoy working together in a team toward a shared goal. We can complement and support each other, and build on one another's ideas. Plus, the responsibility is shared, which can often feel like a welcome relief. Let's take a look at some great cooperative board games—and also talk about what makes them valuable!

Bandido

Place cards to block all escape tunnels before Bandido escapes.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 6 and up, 10-15 min, 1-4 players

Components: 70 tunnel cards, 1 super card, 1 Bandido card.

Skills: Logical thinking, planning, spatial awareness.

Players work together to block all tunnels and prevent Bandido from escaping. On each turn, they place a card that fits the path and try to close off all exits before the deck runs out.

Castle Panic

Work together to defend the castle from waves of monsters.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 8 and up, 30-60 min, 1-6 players

Components: 1 board, 49 monster tokens, 6 walls, 6 towers, 1 die, 49 castle cards, 1 monster bag, rulebook.

Skills: Teamwork, prioritization, threat assessment.

Players work together to defend their castle from waves of attacking monsters by playing cards to damage and eliminate threats. As monsters advance from the forest toward the castle, the group must coordinate card use and rebuild to survive until the bag is empty.

Hoot Owl Hoot!

A cooperative colour-coded board game where players work together to help the owls fly back to their nest before the sun comes up.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 4 and up, 15 min, 2-4 players

Components: 1 game board, 6 owl tokens, 50 color-coded cards, and a rulebook.

Skills: The game enhances cooperation, color recognition, strategic thinking, and turn-taking skills, as players work together to get the owls home before sunrise.

Players take turns playing color cards to move owls along paths of the same color, aiming to get all the owls to the nest before the sun rises. Since it's a fully cooperative game, players strategize together, making it great for younger children learning teamwork.

Magic Maze Kids

This is an engaging cooperative game adapted from the famous Magic Maze game but designed specifically for children.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 5 and up, 15-25 min, 2-4 players

Components: 1 modular game board, 4 hero pawns, 4 action tiles per player, 1 sand timer, 1 instruction manual, and various tokens for objectives and challenges.

Skills: The game enhances cooperation, problem-solving, spatial awareness, and communication, as players must work together silently to guide their heroes through the maze.

Players control different movement directions for all heroes and must cooperatively navigate the maze to complete objectives without speaking. The game introduces mechanics gradually, allowing children to learn step by step while fostering teamwork.

Mice and Mystics

Play through chapters of a story using dice and character actions.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 7 and up, 60-90 min, 1-4 players

Components: 22 miniatures, 8 custom dice, 1 storybook, 6 mouse hero cards, 36 initiative cards, 71 search cards, 100+ tokens and counters, modular game board tiles.

Skills: Story comprehension, cooperation, memory, and strategic decision-making.

Players take on the roles of brave mice trying to escape a castle and defeat evil foes through a series of interconnected story-driven chapters. Movement, dice-based combat, and exploration combine with narrative elements to create a deep cooperative experience.

Mmm!

Roll dice to collect food before the mouse gets caught.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 5 and up, 15-20 min, 1-6 players

Components: 1 game board, 56 food tiles, 5 custom dice, 1 cat token.

Skills: Probability assessment, collaboration, risk management.

Players take turns rolling dice and matching results to food tiles to collect them for the mice before the cat reaches the pantry. Communication and careful planning are key to gathering all the food in time.

Outfoxed!

This is a cooperative deduction board game where players work together to discover which fox stole Mrs Plumpert's prized pot pie.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 5 and up, 20 min, 2-4 players

Components: 1 game board, 16 suspect cards, 16 thief cards, 12 clue markers, 4 detective pawns, 1 evidence scanner, 3 custom dice, and a rulebook.

Skills: The game enhances logical reasoning, deduction, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, as players gather clues to identify the thief before they escape.

Players roll dice to move around the board, gather clues, and use the evidence scanner to eliminate suspects. By working cooperatively, they must identify the thief before they escape to win the game.

Stuffed Fables

Progress through a narrative by using dice and choosing actions.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 7 and up, 60-90 min, 2-4 players

Components: 1 adventure book, 6 hero miniatures, 23 dice, 40+ tokens, 100+ cards.

Skills: Imagination, narrative skills, emotional regulation.

Players embody plush toys on a mission to protect their sleeping child from nightmares, navigating through a storybook that doubles as a game board. Actions depend on dice draws and narrative choices, blending storytelling with tactical combat and exploration.

Zombie Kidz Evolution

Complete missions and unlock new content while keeping zombies out.

Age, Playing Time, Players: Recommended for ages 7 and up, 15 min, 2-4 players

Components: 1 board, 4 hero tokens, 8 zombie tokens, 4 lock tokens, 1 die, 13 envelopes (for legacy elements), rulebook.

Skills: Long-term planning, cooperation, perseverance.

Players defend a school from zombie invasion by locking all entrances before being overrun. The game evolves with each play, unlocking new powers, challenges, and rules through sealed envelopes.

Why Should We Play Cooperative Board Games? And Why Isn't It Always Necessary to Choose One?

Choosing Cooperation Over Conflict

One of the most common reasons we turn to cooperative board games is to avoid conflict. Especially in family game settings, many of us value spending time together without tension. We win together, we lose together—there's no confrontation between family members, and for many, that's an ideal setup.

Conflicts Have a Role in Kids Growth

However, it's important to recognize that avoiding conflict entirely may not be the best approach. Children benefit from learning how to handle conflicts, including understanding the nuances of winning and losing independently. Embracing competition and confrontation as natural, non-threatening aspects of play is essential. Alongside cooperative games, those with a high luck factor and narrative-driven games can provide a well-rounded gaming experience. This balance ensures an ideal gaming environment that fosters both harmony and healthy competition.

Beyond Conflict Avoidance - The Deeper Value of Cooperative Games

The popularity of cooperative board games extends beyond simply avoiding conflicts. There's a deeper, perhaps more significant reason for their appeal. Education systems worldwide are increasingly recognizing the need for collaboration. Life often demands cooperation, with situations requiring us to work alongside others, making social competency a key skill. While playing any board game is inherently cooperative - agreeing to rules, being present, and playing together - cooperative games add another layer to this dynamic.

Fostering Essential Life Skills Through Play

It's more exciting to approach this from the perspective of developmental opportunities rather than just avoiding risks. The ability to solve problems not alone but as part of a team is an incredibly valuable and transferable skill. It's no coincidence that proportionally more cooperative games are made for preschool-aged children—this is the age when we begin to notice our peers and need to learn how to play together, live together, cooperate, and games are an excellent tool for developing these skills.

Playing Together: A Key Pedagogical Principle

It's crucial at this stage to adhere to the fundamental principle of board game pedagogy: play together with the children. This means avoiding dictating their moves or over-explaining strategies. The goal is not for adults to find fulfillment in gameplay but to allow children to explore, even if it means making mistakes. This approach is vital for their cognitive and social development.

Choosing Age-Appropriate Games

While it's tempting to introduce older children's games to preschoolers, careful consideration is necessary. Just because a child can operate the game mechanics or follow the rules doesn't necessarily mean they're engaging in meaningful play. It's essential to choose games that match their developmental stage, ensuring they are not just operating the game but truly playing and learning. By focusing on age-appropriate cooperative games, we can provide children with a rich, developmentally beneficial play experience that nurtures their growing social and cognitive skills.

Cooperative board games can just be the start for the family

It's important to circle back to the notion that while the world of cooperative games is wonderful, it is not exclusive. Both parents and educators should feel encouraged to explore a variety of games. Engaging in different types of games is not just about entertainment; it's a valuable educational opportunity.

It's worth mentioning that cooperative games can serve as a comfortable and easy entry point for the entire family into the broader world of board games. Starting with cooperative games allows families to initially enjoy a non-competitive, collaborative environment. However, the eventual progression to other types of games can enhance the gaming experience, adding variety and new challenges. This progression is important as it opens up a more diverse and enriching world of board games, ensuring a well-rounded experience for all players.

We'd love to hear your new ideas, and thoughts on our above list. Join the conversation!