25 Best Board Games For 8 Year Olds In 2023

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We absolutely love playing family board games and these are the best board games for 8 year olds.

These board games for kids are great for family game nights and are a great way for younger players to have fun.

Spending quality time together is just the best. It also gets the kids off their video games for an hour or two!

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What are the educational benefits of playing board games?

Playing board games with 8 year olds offers a wide range of educational benefits that can positively impact their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. Cognitive Skills:
   • Board games often require strategic planning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Children learn to analyze situations, predict outcomes, and make choices based on their understanding of rules and game dynamics.
   • Many board games involve counting, addition, subtraction, and basic arithmetic operations. Players naturally practice math skills while managing resources or calculating moves.
   • Games with rules, patterns, and sequences help improve memory skills as players remember rules, card positions, and previous moves.
   • Board games encourage logical thinking and reasoning, as players figure out cause-and-effect relationships, deduce opponents’ strategies, and adapt their plans accordingly.
2. Social Skills:
   • Playing board games fosters communication skills as children discuss rules, make plans, negotiate with others, and share their thoughts and strategies.
   • Children learn to wait for their turn and respect others’ time, enhancing their patience and self-control.
   • Winning and losing are integral parts of board games. Children develop good sportsmanship, learning how to handle both success and failure gracefully.
   • Many board games involve teamwork and collaboration. Children work together to achieve common goals, promoting cooperation and social bonding.
3. Emotional Development:
   • Experiencing wins and losses in a controlled environment helps children build emotional resilience and learn to cope with disappointments.
   • By understanding opponents’ strategies and reactions, children develop empathy and perspective-taking skills.
   • Board games require children to regulate their emotions, manage frustration, and make thoughtful decisions even when facing challenges.
4. Language Skills:
   • Many games involve reading cards or instructions, exposing children to new vocabulary, and improving their reading skills.
   • Children articulate their thoughts, ideas, and strategies, enhancing their verbal communication skills.
5. Creativity and Imagination:
   • Some board games involve creating stories or scenarios, fostering imagination and creativity as children invent narratives around game themes.
   • Children learn to adapt to changing game situations, which promotes flexible thinking and the ability to consider multiple options.
6. Family Bonding:
   • Playing board games provides an opportunity for families to spend quality time together, promoting bonding and positive interactions.

Best Games For 8 Year Olds

Prepare for a captivating journey into the world of fun and games! These are the absolute best board games for 8 year olds that the whole family is going to love.

Whether they’re into sizzling strategy showdowns, super cool teamwork vibes, or even sneaky education (shh, don’t tell!), these games are like a rollercoaster of fun – no seatbelts required!

Board Games Top Picks

These are the best board games for 8 year olds:

1. Taco vs Burrito
2. Guess in 10
3. 5 Second Rule Jr
4. Kingdomino
5. Genius Square
6. Throw throw burrito
7. Clue
8. Zombie Kidz Evolution
9. Rush Hour Traffic Jam
10. Ticket to Ride
11. Brain Games Kids
12. Gravity Maze
13. Apples to Apples Junior
14. Gnomes at Night
15. Laser Maze

For even more board games for 8 year olds carry on reading to see what else we recommend.

Other board games for different ages

• Board games for 3 year olds
• Board games for 4 year olds
• Board games for 5 year olds
• Board games for 7 year olds
• Board games for 10 year olds
• Card games for teenagers

If you are looking for Christmas board games check out our favorites in our recent blog post.

Other educational board games

• money board games
• math board games,
• history board games
• geography board games
• science board games

You will also enjoy our favorite books for 8 year old boys.

Even more games for younger kids

Carry on reading to see what are the best family board games for 8 year olds.

Ghost Blitz

Ghost Blitz is a great game that we continue to play years later, it is great for older kids, little kids, and the entire family. Interestingly though we have found that younger kids have much faster reflexes!

Check out our detailed Ghost Blitz review here for more information, but we really love it.

Igloo Mania Game

The aim of Igloo Mania is to get Parka Pete to remain in place. The game is over as soon as he is knocked down and the loser is the person with the most ice blocks (normally the one who knocks Parka Pete down!).

There are penguins with picks that are used to gently remove each ice block and you take it in turns to take one block out. Hoping no more fall outside of the dome, because if they do they are added to your pile. The age of this is 5+ and is suitable for 2-4 players.

Check out our Igloo Mania review here.

Pandemic Board Game

Pandemic is a strategic board game, that is so much fun.

Check out our detailed Pandemic board game review for more information about this fantastic strategic game.

Ticket To Ride

Ticket to Ride is a great family game. Travel around America connecting railway routes on the way.

Check out our detailed Ticket to Ride review for more information, but this is a family favorite.

I think you will also enjoy our favorite geography board games.

Cobra Paw Game

Cobra Paw is a really fast and funny game for the whole family. The recommended age is 6+ but I am sure younger children will also love it. 

It is all about speed and ninja-style moves!

Check out our Cobra Paw game review now.

Emojito

Once you have imitated the emotion on your card to the other players, they must try to guess which emotion you were trying to channel. The first player to make five rounds around the game board wins!

Emojito is a great fun game to play for all of the family. This is probably our favorite board game (check out our Emojito review here) for 8 year olds.

Set Game

Set the family game of visual perception is a great card game for 8 year olds.

Grab your copy of Set game here and have fun with the kids.

This is a game that can be played as a one player game for kids too.

Dynamite Dare Game

Diffuse or lose! a wacky wild west game where players try to diffuse the dynamite and save the gold. Includes a fun safe, just stack the red foam dynamite in the back, wind up the timer and start the game.

The clock is ticking – time to get picking! which detonator plugs will diffuse the dynamite? Push the plugs as fast as you can but watch out – choose the wrong one or take too long and the dynamite explodes! can you get the gold and win the game?

Push the correct Plug and the timer pops out of the front of the safe and you win the game. Check out our Dynamite Dare game detailed review here.

Frenetic

This is an amazing educational board game based on the periodic table of elements. It combines science, English, and Maths into this excellent educational game that is fun for all the family. For even more science board games check out some other favorites.

For some reason this is not yet available in the USA, but, I have listed a similar game called Periodic that looks just as fun. Get your copy of Frenetic here. Check out our detailed Frenetic game review here.

Safe Breaker

My son is going through wanting to be a Spy phase. So this is a perfect game.

Check out our Safe Breaker review for more information.

The aim of Safe Breaker is to crack open the safe and release the coins before the alarm goes off. This is suitable for people aged between 6 and 106.

Now I’m 40 and my hubby is 50 and we loved it. I can’t testify to a 106 year old though!!!

Staccups Game

Staccups certainly gets the competitive juices flowing, well certainly in our household! It is a very simple board game.

You have to stack the cups on your side as quickly as you can in the correct color order. The winner is the first person to have stacked up all of their cups.

Check out our Staccups review here.

Bang On Game

Bang On is another of our favorite board games for 8-year-olds. There are 99 question cards, 1 challenge card, 2 playing pieces, bang-on the unit, and a hammer inside the box.

This is a team game really but can be played with just 2 people as myself and my son did. You have to name as many answers as you can before the time runs out.

Check out our Bang on game review for more information.

Big Beard Battle Game

Snip, SNIP and win by growing the longest beard. Big beard battle will test your memory as well as your beard growing skills. Put on your mustache and flip the spinner to collect your beard cards. Use your memory to turn over the correct color and easily affix it to your beard.

But beware, if your opponents spin the scissors or shaver they can choose a player to SNIP or shave their beard off! if a player spins the shaving foam, hurry as all players get a chance to touch one of their own cards and win that round.

The first player to add four beard pieces to their beard wins the board game! Great family fun with hilarious game play! Check out our detailed Big Beard Battle review here.

 Pandemonio Game

This is a quick-fire card trading board game from Drumond Park for up to 8 people for ages 8+. It is a loud, funny, and raucous game with 2 levels for all skill and age groups. The idea of the game is to get all the way up the board, which you can only do when you collect as many of the correct cards as possible.

This is harder than it sounds as you collect cards that are facing down!

With each turn, you must swap as many cards as you can. In order to move up the board you need to have collected the card that matches the square you are on (bike, planes, false teeth etc).

You only have until Wind Up Colin grinds to a halt though, so it really is frantic. Board games don’t get much better than this! This is a perfect board game for 8 year olds.

Coding Video Games For 8 Year Olds

Check out our favorite educational toys for 7 year olds too.

Osmo Coding Jam

There is a constant battle in our house with my son insisting on playing on computer games. And me insisting that he either reads or plays more educational games. I am sure (well I hope!) we are not the only 2023 household in this situation.

As he wants to be a rock star when he grows up, this is a great educational game for him.

It is all about having fun while getting the kids into coding and programming. Check out our Osmo coding review.

Play Osmo – Coding with Awbie

Osmo. Is a magical, award-winning game system that encourages creativity and problem-solving skills through hands-on play.

Osmo Coding makes coding more fun and approachable!

Kids navigate the character Awbie through his magical world. Learnin real programming concepts by linking Osmo Coding blocks into sequences, loops, and ‘if/or’ actions.

Thinking and problem-solving skills are rewarded. With fun stuff like strawberries and pies and new adventures.

Kids learn coding fundamentals and have fun at the “berry” same time!

Last Updated on 7 September 2023 by homeschoolof1