The holidays are right around the corner.  As a pediatric speech therapist, I often have families ask me about toys that will help their child learn.  One type of toy that is great for learning is a board game.  Children with speech and language delays often have difficulty understanding and participating in board games.  Board games are beneficial; because, they teach important social skills such as turn taking, cooperation, and interacting with others.  Here is a list of some games I checked out that would be good beginning board games for children.  Almost all games can be modified, so they are simpler for the child if needed.

1.Old MacDonald Preschool Game (Tara Toys) – Push a bubble popper and match animal faces to animals on your game card

2. Pop Up Pirate (Tomy) – Take turns sliding colorful swords into the barrel, but be careful, you never know  when the pirate might pop up!

3. Funny Faces (International Playthings) –  A fun game that works on identifying and making facial expressions.

4. Feed the Woozle (Peaceable Kingdom) –  Use different movements to work your way to the Woozle and feed him a yummy snack.

5. Roll and Play (Thinkfun) –  Toss a big, soft colored cube and match the color to the color on a card, which gives a simple activity to perform.

6. The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game (Educational Insights) – Use squirrel tweezers to pick up colored acorns and match them to colored spots on your log.

This list is by no means exhaustive, so if you know other great early games, leave a comment below!