Collection: Ages 8+

It seems to be getting harder and harder these days to get kids to disconnect from devices and engage with the world around them, but you might actually be surprised how quickly young minds can take to fun board games.

You can find all kinds of board games for 8–9-year olds that are not only entertaining for them but can also improve their strategic and critical thinking skills, increase their knowledge, and help them to grow socially.

Perhaps the best part is that these games offer enough fun for the whole family to enjoy. They make for the perfect bridge between you and your rapidly growing little ones, helping to strengthen your relationships while building lasting memories.

Thinking strategically isn’t only important in games and competition. The organization, planning, prediction, observation, and analysis that strategy involves can be applied to countless other pursuits. These board games for 8–9-year olds can help develop those cognitive capabilities.

Katachi

Katachi is a popular favorite. This seemingly simple matching game is deceptively complex and ripe with opportunities for your child to nurture their spatial reasoning, predictive, and planning skills as they play.

Prickly Path

If you’re looking for fun board games for 8-year olds that require clever strategy and critical thinking, you can’t go wrong with Prickly Path. It’s a colorful and creative game that requires predictive ability and careful planning.

Social skills are crucial no matter your child's age, but ages eight and nine make up a vital time for building these skills.

These cooperative board games for 8-year olds provide a simple yet effective way to strengthen those social muscles and learn how to be a great communicator:

Pairamid

Cooperation is key in most 8-year old board games, but in Pairamid, it is essential. Players strategize with others in order to collect treasures and win this game.

The Reel Script

In The Reel Script, players are tasked with crafting the best movie script by bidding on line cards. At the end of the game, players vote on which script is the best of them all. This game can help your child build communication skills, think outside the box, and advocate for themselves.

A powerful imagination is one of the best tools to help your child develop cognitively and socially. Spark their creativity with these innovative board games for 9-year olds:

Asymbol

Imagination is essential in this game of communication and creation. In Asymbol, players select a card that offers a prompt that they have to use wooden shapes to create. Other players get to guess their words or phrases.

Chess on the Loose

Chess has long been one of the best games for challenging young minds, and this unique spin on it ups the ante in many ways. Chess on the Loose offers three variations of traditional chess to engage your child and use their imagination.

Your child can learn something from just about any game they play, but these board games for 8–9-year olds were designed specifically with education in mind:

Pelican Cove

Some children take easily to math, while others don’t gravitate to it quite as naturally. Fortunately, you can give your 9-year old board games like Pelican Cove if they fall into the latter category. This game requires quick thinking and early algebra skills, which can make the concept of math much more engaging for young minds.

Time Jumpers

History can seem like just a lot of dates and names to a young kid, but games like Time Jumpers can help them apply some context to those dates and names and bring them to life. The goal is to collect historical event cards and place them in chronological order. The highest score wins.

Your kids can gain skills and abilities by playing board games — and have fun along the way. To fully take advantage of the benefits these games can offer, it’s helpful to get your child excited about board game play with these key tips:

Choose Games That Suit Their Interests

There are many fun board games for 9-year olds, but the best one for your child will cater to their unique interests. Getting your child to engage with a game can be easier if it sparks their curiosity from the outset.

Get a Friend Involved

Few things can inspire a child to get excited by an activity more easily than the chance to do it with their friends. If possible, get their friends involved with your next round of board games.

Let Your Child Select the Game

Independence is becoming ever more important to your child. Encourage that skill by letting them choose the activity. Not only will it get them more excited about the game, but it can build their confidence as well.