The best board games for 10-12 year olds have been carefully selected to ensure you get the most out of your time with family and friends. Whether you're looking for a strategy game that will allow you to develop your brain, or a party game that will result in hours of laughs, there's something here to suit every need.
Strategy games are ideal because they stimulate all those important brain cells, but can also be played at a level that makes it accessible to younger players too. Party games on the other hand tend to be fast paced and entertaining as well as being visually stimulating making them perfect for families who want a bit of entertainment when sitting down together.
The choice is vast which means it's important that you find the right balance between complexity and simplicity so everyone can keep up with what is going on and have fun while doing so. You'll also want to consider how long each game takes because no one wants to spend more time setting up than playing.
How We Choose
We've taken into account a range of factors when choosing the best board games for 10-12 year olds, including:
Complexity: We've only included games that are suitable for younger players. These games have a low level of complexity and are easy to understand.
Playtime: We don't want you spending all day playing one game! That's why we've picked options that are quick and easy to play through.
Family appeal: Whether you're playing with friends or family, these games will keep everyone entertained! They're fun for beginners AND more experienced players.
Forbidden Island is a game that's all about working together to beat the clock, and it does this in style. Players are part of a team trying to collect four sacred treasures from the sunken ruins of an ancient civilization, but they'll have to work together as quickly as possible if they want any hope of getting out with their loot intact before the island sinks beneath them.
Each player has an adventurer card which lists certain strengths that can help with certain stages of the mission, and everyone must pool their resources if they want any chance of success. There's also plenty of strategy involved, since you'll have to decide how much time you'll spend collecting treasures versus running for your lives - though don't forget that there are random event cards too.
This game works best when played with between two and four players, so it's ideal for smaller groups or families. It's great fun, especially if you're looking for something different from traditional board games like Monopoly or Scrabble.
Forbidden Desert is a more family-friendly take on the sci-fi adventure genre. It's built around an impressive central model of a flying machine, which players must work together to find and recover in order to escape the desert.
This game uses similar mechanics to Pandemic, but you have no direct control over the movement of your pawns or their actions - they move themselves when it's time for them to act and all you can do is help them by placing cards in front of them that improve their skills or give them tools. This means it relies heavily on luck and pushes players toward working as a team, which is great if you're playing with younger kids who might be less skilled at strategy games.
The story in Forbidden Desert is fun too - you're archaeologists digging up relics from an ancient civilization buried under a sandstorm when suddenly everything goes wrong and you're forced into survival mode until you can recover the pieces needed to rebuild the flying machine that will get you out alive.
Dragon Realms is a game that takes the traditional formula and gives it a little twist, allowing you to play as goblins trying to steal treasure from adventurers rather than the other way around.
This means that when you land on an adventurer card, instead of paying them gold as you would in most games, they pay YOU gold. This is also how you get rid of your adventurer cards which will allow you to explore new areas, collect sets of adventurer cards and roll dice.
The artwork on this game is pretty spectacular too with beautiful dragon scenes scattered through the board and cards making this a really visually appealing game. It's easy to set up and learn with simple rules but still allows for deeper strategy once you start exploring further into the realms.
Forbidden Sky is a cooperative game where 2 to 5 players work together as they try to repair a damaged flying machine. It's set in the skies above a fantasy world, so you'll be battling monsters as well as trying not to fall off the high wire cables that form the bridge between each of the towers.
The difficulty level is medium but can rise quickly if you get unlucky with card draws or encounter some particularly tricky monster cards. You can help mitigate this by using your power-ups wisely and working together effectively to repair parts of the flying machine.
Forbidden Sky is an imaginative game that really captures the feeling of being part of an airborne adventure crew. The theme is strong and there are lots of little details in both the artwork and gameplay which add to that experience, such as lightning strikes hitting other towers instead of yours, forcing you to quickly make repairs before your tower gets fried!
Trekking The World: The World Travel Family Board Game - A Journey to Earth's Most Iconic Destinations
The World Map Game from Underdog Games is a slightly different take on the travel-themed trivia game, and will appeal to families who like to sit down together for a fun round of questions.
The box contains a giant world map board, with spaces for placing markers representing each player as they answer questions correctly. There are also mini cards packed full of interesting facts about countries all over the world, which can be played in order to help you win extra points during your turn.
It's ideal if you're looking for family games that get everyone talking and learning about new places, and we love that you can choose between easy, medium or hard difficulty levels when deciding which questions to play.
Best Board Games For 10-12 Year Olds FAQs
It can be tough to find the best board games for your kids. There's a lot of different options out there and it can be hard to know which ones are the best.
We've created this list of the most Frequently Asked Questions about board games so that you can make an informed decision when purchasing a gift for your child or as a treat for yourself!
What Board Game Is Everyone Playing Right Now?
Depending on the year, this question can elicit some surprising answers. In 2017, it was answered mostly by digital or card games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon; in 2016 it was dominated by analog games like Settlers of Catan; in 2015 it was dominated by dice games like Dungeons & Dragons.
The popularity of board games ebbs and flows with the tides of pop culture. Right now we're at a high point thanks to things like renewed interest in tabletop RPGs and a smattering of popular board game adaptations on smartphones and consoles.
Which Board Game Is Best For Developing Brains?
The answer depends on which aspect of brain development you're focused on. If it's learning new information, then a trivia game is the way to go. If it's problem solving, then logic or strategy games are your best bet.
There are also games that emphasize creativity and language skills. Some of the best include Scrabble, Pictionary, and Charades (or any other similar word-guessing game). You can also play board games with a storytelling theme such as Tales of the Arabian Nights or Once Upon A Time – these encourage players to come up with their own tales based on prompts from the storyteller.
Conclusion
The best board games for 10-12 year olds offer a variety of strategies and experiences that help children develop critical thinking skills, problem solving abilities and strategic thinking. With so many different options available, it can be difficult to know where to begin when shopping for the perfect game. Make sure you read reviews before purchase and pick one that is age-appropriate for your child so they can have fun without any worries about safety or content issues. By choosing from this list of great board games for 10-12 year olds, your child will not only have an enjoyable time but also get valuable learning opportunities along the way too!
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