I don’t know about you, but when I sit down to play a board game with my kids, I have visions of us laughing and enjoying our time together. But the reality is that usually my oldest son ends up cheating or my middle son starts crying that he didn’t win. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy some friendly competition and I believe childhood is a great time to learn to be a gracious winner and a good sport about losing, but sometimes you just need a break from the arguing.
What’s the solution? Cooperative games. We have been introduced to several cooperative board games and they have changed our game night experiences.
What are cooperative games? They are games that involve all the players working together to accomplish a task or beat the game.
Cooperative games promote:
- Teamwork
- Sibling Bonding
- Encouragement of others
From my experience, introducing cooperative games has led to calmer and more enjoyable board game experiences.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Outfoxed! by Gamewright
2-4 players ages 4+
In this game, a sneaky fox has stolen a chicken pot pie and it is the job of the players to determine which of the 12 suspect fox is the guilty one. Think of it as Clue but for kids. There are clue cards that the players earn to help identify characteristics of the thief to determine which fox stole the pie. All the players work as a team to unveil the guilty fox before it makes it to the fox hole.
As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. We personally own and love this game).
Want to see this game in action? Watch my kids and I play Outfoxed!
Lion in the Way by eeBoo
2-6 players and ages 5+ (but my 4 year old plays and loves this)
This was our first introduction to cooperative games and it was a huge hit. My 4 year old especially loved this one. We are working on his speech and this game really got him talking and I could see his confidence rising while playing.
Object: come up with creative solutions to get past obstacles in the path. For example, in the scenario below, my son said that he would use the fireworks to blast through the mountain to get through them. After each player shares their idea with their tool card, a new obstacle card is placed in the path. Play continues for a predetermined amount of obstacles or until players are ready to stop.
You’d be amazed at the clever ideas your kids will come up with.
Which tool card would you pick to get past the fire in the path?
Race to the Treasure by Peaceable Kingdom
2-4 players (ages 5+ but my 4 year old plays this and loves it).
I personally have so much fun playing this game too!
Object: All players work together to build a path, collect three keys and beat an Ogre to the treasure chest. I especially like that the players need to use strategy to decide which direction to build their path. I have found my boys talking over different possible moves and deciding together which to pick.
It’s you against that ogre and the kids just love working together to beat him!
Get Race to the Treasure. Just click below!
