Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Best Board Games for GT kids?

Would anyone share your favorite board games for GT kids? I have a 5 yr old and a 3 yr old boys. Santa has already picked up their gifts. I have to do mine through Amazon. Thanks a lot.

For that age.... Guess Who, Dominoes, and at 5 my DS was wayyyyyyy into Monopoly - in fact we had a Rudolph version. I am sure I will think of more later.

There are some in this thread:
http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB/ubbthreads.php/topics/90497/1.html

The bolded ones were recommended multiple times by people here. I can't update the original post now, since it's locked, but I hope it helps.

Thanks lucounu. I am surprised that Hedbanz Game is not on the list.

My guy (3yr old) loves perfection and operation (without batteries or timer) at the table by himself. Of course I put it away when he's not using it. Perfection has lasted a long time and has been much loved and used often as far as toys go. Just bought him magnetic Supermind and Mighty - too soon to tell, but I believe these too will have staying power as entertain yourself games.

Clue, monopoly, yahtzee, go fish, and connect four are fun, but those are fun because they're time spent playing games with momma. Side effect of yahtzee- the other day ds took a stray d6 from my jewelry box (souvenir of mine) and was rolling on the floor off the fridge and calling the numbers outloud. When I noticed he showed me the dice to prove he called the right number.
Since you have two kids already you could go with hungry hippos.

At that age, Dominos were big. Now at 7, DS loves Blokus!

That's tricky to find ones they both can play together. I have a DS6 and a DD3. Honestly, DS6 plays games for older kids/adults and has for the last couple years (like Blokus, Phase 10, mastermind, Carscassone, and other games that are mostly strategy based). So he can't really play those games with DD3 and we play together after she is in bed. He does however really like to play games with her so he tries to play the games she can play. Those include: Cariboo, go fishing, kerplunk, hungry hippos, hi ho cherrio, candy land, chutes and ladders, monopoly jr (not sure if she sat for this one but he tried it). Not board games, but they also build together with block buddies, wedgits, and tinkertoys and things like that. Also DS loves those thinkfun games: hoppers, chocolate fix, serpentiles, cover your tracks. And DD likes to just play around with the pieces and match the patterns. She doesn't qutie get how to play yet, but they can each pick one out and play alongside eachother in their own ways.

My husband and sons absolutely love playing laser chess. http://www.khet.com/

My DC are 22 mos apart. Even though DD(now 5) didn't quite get the entire game at 3, she did (and still does) enjoy Uno. We did have to adapt some of the rules though - like if she had a blue card but didn't want to put it down, she could pick up a card from the deck, etc. DS(7 on Saturday) has been playing Uno since he was 3 as well. Of course, he was strategizing before he could even hold all the cards in his hand at one time!

I will add the new recommendations here to the other thread. For a 3 year old, I recommend these as possibilities, in no particular order:

Clever Castle (single player)
Rush Hour Jr. (single player)
Topitop (the snowman one is way cuter, but both versions are the same gameplay-wise)
Carcassonne (a three-year-old can have fun playing this, though the totalling up may have to be done by someone else)
Froggy Boogie
Don't Break the Ice
Bandu / Bausack
Blokus / Blokus Duo
Sequence for Kids
Tiddly Winks
The Ladybug Game
Old Maid
Chinese Checkers