The 15 Best Board Games for 9 Year Olds, Now!
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Inside: 15 of the very best board games for elementary-age kids: The best board games for 9-year-olds, the best board games for 8-year-olds, and the best board games for 7-year-olds, too!
Are your kids curious, energetic, and always up for a round of entertainment?
Well:
The perfect kid’s board game will keep your child busy for hours, all the while teaching teamwork and cooperation.
(Many of these games are strategic and help kids learn, and most are just downright fun and perfect for family game nights!)
Here’s the good news:
We’ve done the hard work for you and researched the best of the best when it comes to board games for 9-year-olds. Get your kids playing and off screens with these new and old board game favorites.
I’m here to give you the straight-up and recommend 15 of the best board games for elementary-age kids.
(**Your kids will thank you. **)
Note: All board games that include small pieces pose a choking hazard to children. The games mentioned below are not for children under three years of age. So if younger brother Johnny is following older brother Jack around, be sure there is adult supervision.
What to Look for in a Board Game for Kids
You should always check the recommended age level of the game and think about your audience. It’s also a great idea to consider your child’s skill set. The best board games are those that teach. Games that encourage counting and reading are perfect for young players, and for elementary-age kids, strategy games are amazing. But most of all, board games should be about fun and leave everyone smiling.
The 15 Best Board Games for 9 Year Olds
If you’ve been looking for the most suitable and best board games for 9-year-olds, don’t worry.
We’ve got you covered.
Here’s a stunning selection of 9-year-old board games that are ideal for hard-to-please elementary-age kids.
Board games encourage healthy competition, develop strategic thinking, educate in a fun-driven way, get kids off screens, and are often just plain fun!
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Because we all want our kids to be happy and healthy — not just for right now, but for the rest of their lives.
1. Hasbro Clue Game (8+ Ages)
One murder… 6 suspects. In this suspenseful Clue game, players have to find out who's responsible for murdering Mr. Boddy of Tudor Mansion in his own home. Get the scoop on the mansion's rooms, weapons and guests and start detecting! Was it Plum with the wrench in the library? Or Green with the candlestick in the study? Eliminate information throughout the game in this classic whodunit. The player who correctly accuses Who, What, and Where wins!
Who committed the murder in the mansion? Use judgment and deduction to solve the mystery in this classic game of Clue.
Kids will love this fun and intense thriller. They race around the board to figure out who is responsible for murdering the host at a millionaire’s mansion.
Was it Mrs. Green with the pistol in the kitchen? Or Mr. Plum with a wrench in the bedroom?
Trace the weapons, guests, and rooms, and start detecting.
This game teaches children to focus and improve their ability to deduce by understanding specific conditions.
The first one among all the players to be right about the location, suspect, and weapon is the mystery winner.
Highlights:
- Classic mystery game
- Intense mystery and suspense
- For 3 to 6 players
- 8+ Ages
- Helps children improve focus and problem-solving skills
2. Labyrinth Family Board Game
Fun play experience – In Labyrinth, Ravensburger’s hugely popular board game for boys and girls and their parents, you have to find the shortest route through the Labyrinth to win! The game is for 2-4 players aged 7 and up, and the aim is to reach all your treasures and targets as you move through the Labyrinth.
Find the shortest route through the Labyrinth to win!
Boys, girls, and even parents will LOVE this game.
The goal is to collect all the treasures and targets and move through the Labyrinth while figuring out the shortest route possible.
Labyrinth Family Board Game is an excellent gift for kids and families. The average playtime is 25 minutes, which means you are your kid won’t easily get bored!
The game will test your planning and strategic thinking abilities as the maze changes throughout the game. Watch out for mythical creatures like dragons & princesses.
Reviews from happy parents say that the Labyrinth family board game is sturdy, and the art is brilliant.
Since the maze keeps changing, each playtime is different from the previous one, making it a grand replay!
Highlights:
- Family fun play experience
- Easy to understand instructions
- High-quality components
- For 2 to 4 players
- 7+ ages
- Great replay value
- Players learn cause and effect, planning, recognition, and taking turns.
Pro Tip
Do you have younger kids as well? Then check out our epic list of the best board games for toddlers and preschoolers.
3. Stonemaier’s My Little Scythe
My Little Scythe is a competitive, family-friendly game in which each player controls 2 animal miniatures embarking upon an adventure in the Kingdom of Pomme.
In an effort to be the first to earn 4 trophies from 8 possible categories, players take turns choosing to Move, Seek, or Make. These actions will allow players to increase their friendship and pies, power up their actions, complete quests, learn magic spells, deliver gems and apples to Castle Everfree, and perhaps even engage in a pie fight.
Fast & fun to play. My Little Scythe deliciously profound and tactical.
Inspired by its bestselling predecessor Scythe (released in 2017), this adventurous board game is a fantastic choice board game for 8 year olds and up.
The game is aimed at slightly older kids as it’s a tad bit more complicated than some of the others on this list.
The first one to earn four trophies wins the game.
Highlights:
- Golden Geek Best Print & Play Board Game Winner of 2017
- A competitive, family-friendly game
- 45 minute-playing time
- For 1 to 6 players
- For 8+ ages
- Rated 5/5 on Amazon
4. Catan
The incredibly popular, multi-award-winning civilization-building board game of harvesting and trading resources. Players control their own civilization and look to spread across a modular hex board in a competition for victory points
Expand the uncharted island with cities and settlements to win!
Catan is a top-rated game that has won many awards, including “the best adult and family game.”
Your children will learn essential skills like clever trading, tactical agility, luck, and strategy playing this fantastic game.
Each settlement in the game is worth 1 victory point, and each city is worth 2 points. The first player to touch 10 victory points wins the game.
Highlights:
- Multi-award-winning civilization-building board game
- 45 to 90 minutes of playtime
- For 3 to 4 players
- Extension required for 5 to 6 players
- 10+ ages (Get Catan Junior for 6 – 10 ages)
5. Apples to Apples Junior
Apples To Apples is the hilarious comparison game where players are free to be totally subjective in deciding the outcome. Each round is filled with surprising and outrageous comparisons from a wide range of people, places, things, and events.
Apples to Apples is the best vocabulary game!
Created in 2002, this non-complex vocabulary game will help challenge and develop your child’s vocabulary while having fun with family and friends.
This fabled card game offers instant fun for 4 to 10 players with a playtime of 30 minutes. Each round of this game is stocked with diverse people, places, things, and events.
It’s hard to grow bored of this game, and their vocabulary will keep improving. WIN-WIN. Although it’s a game for 9+ ages, it’s totally suitable for 8-year-olds too. (In my opinion).
Highlights:
- Game of crazy combinations
- Improves vocabulary
- For 4 to 10 players (the more, the merrier)
- 9+ ages
6. Carcassonne Standard Board Game
Carcassonne is the perfect introduction to the modern world of board games. With its simple rules (place a tile, place a deeply, score points), should be part of everyone's collection.
Now we all love Monopoly, but Carcassome is an easy-to-learn game that can be used to introduce children to the broader world of board games.
I personally love this game. It has all the hallmarks we look for: easy to play, low complexity, learn and teach gateway tile-laying mechanics, strategy, brilliant art and theme, quick playtime with evident scoring, and above all, it’s fun.
If your kids get tired of the base game, you can add a full expansion or a mini-expansion. Carcassonne is the perfect game for a fun family night.
Player beware. You just might get addicted.
Highlights:
- A gateway for non-gaming kids to board games
- Easy-to-learn, less complicated, yet addictive
- High replay value
- For 2 to 5 players
- 8+ ages and up
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7. Sorry by Hasbro Gaming
It's an unpredictable game of strategy, chance, and luck as players chase, race, bump, slide, and score. Be the first player to get all 4 pawns to home base to win. This family board game is a great choice for Family Game Night! For ages 6 and up.
The Game of Sweet Revenge!
Do you remember playing the original “Sorry!” board game when you were a kid?
I bet you do!
Ditch the screen and reignite family night with this laugh-out-loud nostalgic tabletop game.
Although the Sorry board game can be played by young kids, it’s still a hit with older kids. This game is based on the luck of the draw, but there are still tough decisions to make afterward to improve your child’s strategic planning skills.
This is a challenging game of strategy, chance, and luck that brings friends and family together for an epic family game night.
Highlights:
- A classic game of sweet revenge
- Challenging and exciting
- Perfect for family game night
- For 2 to 4 players
- 7+ ages
8. Trouble Game, Star Wars Edition
The Trouble: Star Wars Edition game combines classic Trouble fun with the thrill of the Star Wars Universe. Everyone can move a pawn out of home for a fun and fast-paced game. Be the first player to get all 4 pawns to the finish spaces to win!
Imagine racing around a dangerous planet in the outer extents of the galaxy to rescue The Child (an adorable Star Wars character “Baby Yoda”).
With its familiar Star Wars character, this edition of the Trouble Classic Game is a hit among 9-year-olds. Playing as Finn, Rey, Chewbacca, or Kylo Ren, players attempt to acquire four pawns from the start to home.
The objective behind this game is similar to “Sorry!” but you use a Pop-a-Matic die to roll instead of using cards. It’s an excellent gift for Star Wars fans.
If your kid is more of a superhero fan, check out the Marvel Avengers Trouble Game.
Highlights:
- The Mandalorian Edition for Star Wars fans
- Skills: Strategy
- Great art and theme
- For 2 to 4 players
- 6+ ages
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Empower your kids with these 12 Mini Mindfulness Exercises for Kids. Get ’em right to your inbox.
9. Zombie Kidz Evolution
Gather your friends together for this co-operative game and come up with the best strategy to beat back these foul creatures!
- The more you play, the more the game TRANSFORMS!
- Fulfill SPECIAL MISSIONS and mark your progress using STICKERS!
- Open MYSTERY ENVELOPES that will enrich the game!
- Give POWERS to your heroes! MUTATE your zombies!
The best ever Zombie cooperative game!
Every child has different interests, but if your kiddo loves scary and intense stuff, this is the game for them!
Zombie Kidz Evolution is not overly complicated yet still draws players in, leaving them wanting more. Although zombie-driven, this game isn’t scary; it is kid-friendly.
This is a legacy cooperative game, which I’m obsessed with as you either all win together or the game beats you. I think cooperative board games are the best board games for 9-year-olds as they promote teamwork, one of the essential aspects of life.
Awarded the Best Children’s Game People’s Choice at 2019 UK Games Expo, this game is an excellent pick for your child.
Highlights:
- Zombie cooperative game
- Best for children who get excited by scary stuff
- Kid-friendly
- Lightly strategic
- For 2 to 4 players
- 7+ ages
10. Magic Maze
After being stripped of all their possessions, a mage, a warrior, an elf, and a dwarf are forced to go rob the local Magic Maze shopping mall for all the equipment necessary for their next adventure. Can they find their way out?
Magic Maze is one of the best fantasy games for 9-year-olds!
A super cooperative game that your kids will love so much you’ll have to hide the game to get them in bed!
Magic Maze has cool features that include grid movement and a modular board within a maze-type adventure.
It’s stimulating with a short playtime of 15 minutes but offers loads of replay value. What’s funny is that parents usually love the Magic Maze more than children do.
Highlights:
- Cooperative fantasy game
- Complexity: light/medium
- Multi-awarded board game
- For 1 to 8 players
- 8+ ages
11. Outfoxed
Mrs. Plumpert's prized pot pie has gone missing, and now it's a chicken Chase to crack the case! In Outfoxed, you move around the board to gather clues, then use the special evidence Scanner to rule out suspects. You have to work together quickly because the guilty fox is high-tailing it towards the exit! Will you halt the hungry hooligan before it flies The coop or will you be Outfoxed?
The Best Whodunit Deduction Game!
Outfoxed works as an ideal teacher of deduction skills. It is brilliant for all children, with perfect cooperative features and fun gameplay.
This game aims to capture the sly fox together with other players.
Highlights:
- An excellent whodunit deduction game
- It can be enjoyed by all-age children (5+ ages)
- Non-complex, clue-type board game
- For 2 to 4 players
- 5+ ages
12. Stare Junior – Second Edition
In STARE! JUNIOR board game, kids test and train their visual memory skills and have a blast doing it! Players have 30 seconds to stare at an image on a card. Images are varied and fun for kids to look at. It might be an illustration, funny photo, comic, animation and more. When time is up, an opponent will flip over the card and ask the player a series of questions about the image to see how much they can recall. What is the clown holding in his left hand? What color is the girl's party hat? Guess right and advance on the game board. Kids can play individually or in teams.
Winner of the National Parenting Center Seal and the Teacher’s Choice Award for the family, this game is the ultimate way to help build your kiddo’s observation skills.
In this game of Stare, a player draws out a card from the pack. The kids get to stare at the card for 30 seconds. The other player then asks a sequence of questions based on the picture on the card.
If the answer is correct, the player moves up on the game board. These cards include photos, comics, and illustrations. It can be a single-player game as well as a cooperative game.
Highlights:
- A straightforward game
- Improves observation skills and memory
- For 2 to 10 players
- 6 to 12 ages
13. CoderMindz
- HIGH QUALITY- The future is here and it's ready to play! Coder Mindz is the only board game and STEM toy, that teaches Coding and Artificial Intelligence concepts using a fun gameplay.
- EASY PLAY - Use it at home, in school, coding clubs, Montessori, STEM clubs, boys girls scout, summer clubs, tutoring, after school, day care, maker space, hackathons and for Girls who code!
- YOUNG INVENTOR - Created by Samaira, a 9 year old girl and Codermindz is now used in over 106 schools.
Codermindz is another great game in this epic list of best games for 9-year-olds!
Fun Fact: a nine-year-old girl invented CoderMindz. This game is now being used in over 100 schools to teach children. It is famous for blending AI and computer programming into a board game.
Children can learn coding and AI concepts just by playing this game.
It includes coding concepts such as loops, conditionals, functions, and algorithm writing, amongst various other skills. Kids won’t have any idea of the invaluable knowledge they are gaining while playing this brilliant game.
Highlights:
- An AI-driven game that teaches coding and computer programming concepts.
- Invented by a nine-year-old, now used in 100+ schools
- Out-of-the-box styled board game
- For 2 to 4 players
- 6+ ages
14. Kingdomino
Kingdomino' lifts the time-honoured principle of dominoes to a new level – without losing any of the sleek elegance of its predecessor.
Kingdomino is the gateway to strategic and mechanism-driven board games.
Winner of the Spiel des Jahres 2017 (Board Game of the Year), Kingdomino is a great light-strategy fantasy game based on the Medieval theme.
The more your children play this game, the more they’ll realize how much there is to Kingdomino.
Highlights:
- Strategy tabletop board game
- 5/5 rated by 3400+ users on Amazon
- Multi-award winning game
- For 2 to 4 players
- 8+ ages
15. Azul – Best Abstract Game
The king wants you to decorate his royal palace...Azul is a tile-placement game in which players compete for the highest score by claiming tiles and arranging them on their board to score points.
Azul is the most complex board game on this list of best board games for kids. A really relaxed and focused attention kind of game when you first start it.
Later, it’s highly addictive.
Highlights:
- An abstract strategy pattern-building board game
- It offers a Renaissance theme
- For 2 to 4 players
- Ages 8+
other Free Games
If you love games, then you will definitely be interested in our collection of free and premium Bingo Games:
What to Look for in a Family Board Game
One of the best family night ideas is to play a fun family board game. (Oh, and if you click here, we’ve also got 45 more epic family night ideas).
Family game nights are a fantastic way to spend screen-free time together, and whether you love old classics or new and exciting games, I’m sure you can find something the entire family will love.
(Struggling on ways to connect with your kids? Check out 15 ways to spend quality time with your kids).
Questions to start GREAT conversations.
A fun mix of age-appropriate questions that range from silly to thought-provoking and are perfect for mealtime!
Number of players
How many people are in your family? Will there be cousins or other relatives joining?
Some games need lots of players to be exciting, yet others just get confusing with larger groups.
Some games can also be lots of fun in teams.
Difficulty
Do you have younger players in your household?
This will dictate what type of game you should choose for a family games night.
When in doubt, pick a game that would allow for younger players to team up with an older player.
Time
How much time do you have?
We all know younger kids have shorter attention spans. Be sure to consider this when picking a game.
We all know how important a bedtime routine is to maintaining a happy, healthy home, so pick a game that won’t disrupt this too much. So check the time play before choosing your family board game.
Another fun idea is to play the game in stages over the weekend. Start it Friday night and finish it off on Saturday. Like that jumbo lollipop that never ends, spread the joy all weekend long!
Final thoughts on Board Games for 9 year olds
Elementary-age kids are at such a prime age to get into board games. They are old enough to tackle strategy games and understand some fun and friendly competition.
Either way, I’m positive one of these fun games will be a hit with your 7, 8, or 9 year old.
Tell me below, which one is your favorite…
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