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There are many preschool games on the market that are perfect for hours of fun and learning. Below you will find just a few of the many great preschool games available for indoor and outdoor play. Some of the best preschool games have been hand selected and listed below. Read more about these preschool games and then use the direct links to purchase them.
Hasbro Elefun Preschool Game
From Amazon.com: "This adorable baby elephant will have your children and their friends jumping with delight as they scramble to collect the most butterflies. With one deep breath, the elephant blows his huge trunk straight up, sending colorful butterflies into the air. Kids can practice their catching skills with the butterfly net or hurry to gather the butterflies off the floor. Includes Motorized Elefun body with a four-foot trunk, four butterfly nets, 30 butterflies and instructions. For 2 to 4 players."
The Very Hungry Catepillar Preschool Game
From the manufacturer: "In this game children go on a journey of learning and transformation seeing their caterpillar develop from an egg to a beautiful butterfly. As children guide their caterpillars through the game, they practice color recognition, counting and fine motor skills Includes game board, four feedable caterpillar pieces, 40 food pieces, spinner, and instructions."
Rivers, Roads and Rails Preschool Game
From Amazon.com: "There are 140 picture tiles that show segments of rivers, roads, and rails. Place all of the picture tiles face down in the box or on the playing surface. Each player draws two picture tiles from the box and puts them face up in front of them. The players then take turns adding their pictures tiles on to an expanding network of rivers, roads, and rails. But there's a catch! Some tiles may have rivers and some may just have roads and rails, so you may not always be able to make a match."
Simple board games are appropriate from age 3: Candy Land (color matching, taking turns), Chutes and Ladders (number recognition, sportsmanship with outcomes of chance), and Hi-Ho Cherry-O (counting, fine motor). At ages 4β5, introduce more complex games: Zingo (matching, fast visual processing), Uno (color and number matching, special cards), and Spot It (visual discrimination). The primary readiness indicators: the child can take turns, follow 2β3 step rules, and accept an outcome they didn't choose. Start with games of pure chance before games of skill β chance games reduce the outcome predictability that makes losing harder.
Best toys for age 3: Duplo or large-piece construction toys (spatial reasoning), art supplies and play dough (fine motor and creativity), dress-up clothes and dramatic play props (social-emotional and language), simple puzzles with 12β24 pieces (spatial reasoning and problem-solving), and ride-on toys or balance bikes (gross motor and spatial navigation). At age 3, children move from parallel play (playing near others) into early cooperative play β toys that can be used with others (blocks, role-play props, art supplies) become more valuable than strictly solo-use toys.
Related reading: See also our block building guide and our sensory bin ideas for more ideas on this topic.