Board Games for a bright 5 1/2 year old

[Easy]

Can anyone recommend any. We're fed-up with snakes and ladders and ludo, have started playing scrabble (both the junior and the grown-up version).

He is desperate to play trivial pursuit (he reads out the cards when we play) but the questions are much too hard of course.

We have some games from orchard toys, but some are too simple, and one, about recycling rubbish has absolutely tortuous rules.

Monopoly?

Draughts or chess?

We like pop to the shops from orchard. Takes about half an hour to play. Maybe too easy tho for yr ds?
How about monopoly???
oh I see Enid says that.
backgammon is fun and not too hard to understand

oh we do play draughts now and then.

Have played pop to the shops with a little friend, but as you say, it is a bit simple for ds.

I wonder about monopoly. He is just getting the hang f monetary values, so it might work.

There is a junior monopoly - was wondering about this one for dd (6 soon)... anyone know if it's any good, or better to stick to original?

I'm sure there's a junior trivial pursuit, but he might still be a bit young at 5. Think its called the young edition or youth edition or something like that.

BadHair

It's trivial pursuit for Kids (hate that phrase), but it says for age 8 and above. I just don't think they have the range of general knowledge at 5.

I have considered thinking up my own question sets for him, some about his TV programs, what is the Queens name, simple sums, that sort of thing, but I'm so busy anyway ATM (says she, glued to MN)

Junior Monopoly is pretty good (well, you know) and can be managed by 5 year olds. When ds was in hospital they lent us a Disney Trivial Pursuit which was quite good and had children's and adults' questions. If his arithmetic is any good I would try and get Beelines by Galt, it's quite challenging and tactical without being too hard, and Who Am I (or variants thereof) is quite a good logical deduction game. HTH!

I'm sure your young one would manage 'grown-up' Monopoly. Cluedo is good too if they like to think things through.

My 5 yr old loves Junior Scrabble, junior Monopoly and Hangman. We make Hangman a bit easier by restricting it to categories such as 'it's an animal, a name, a superhero etc' -makes it a bit easier for them.
Connect 4 too...

Chess is definitely interesting and not mind-numbing like some of the younger games. My ds learned how to play when he was 5 and he's of average intelligence (wot? no boast)

Or keeping in the kids board game theme, ELC do some nice but fun games - even clever kids like fun!

what about the Mastermind board game -the one with the little coloured pegs?

I wouldn't know how to start teaching him chess. I'm rusty on it myself, and was never very good (I'm not a strategist). Daddy is a very good player, but much tooooo competitive to start teaching a 5 year old, I have to tell him to go easy when they play draughts.

Are there any books on teaching children to play chess?

Rolf, he would find Mastermind very easy I think, he's showing mind-reader tendancies ATM (I'm not joking, it's a bit scary)

I was playing I Spy with my kids the other day (8 and 12) and as it was night time, I thought "aah I'll do "shadows" they wont get that".

Me: I spy with my little eye something beginning with S?

DD: shadows
!

mine love a game called mancala, which involves moving beads around a board which has little cups in it and capturing your opponents. It can be as easy or as hard as you make it, it's an traditional African and Arabic game and is sometimes called Bao or Oware. We love it. If you google Mancala you'll come up with lots of links.

We also like Tantrix which is not a board but a series of tiles that you can use to play a game with an opponent or just do puzzles on your own.

What about the game in a cube that you muddle up the letters and then have to make new words - is it called Rumikub (sp?)

Wow, Easy, Pop to The Shops is still too complicated for my 5.5yo! My DS can't do the maths in PtTS, yet.
We just got DS this game , lots of complicated rules & unforeseen outcomes. DS can't read yet but he enjoys it.

Easy, I've bought a book called " Begin Chess" by D B Pritchard which is aimed at teaching children.
Haven't read it yet as leaving that to DH but it looks comprehensive but fairly easy to read. I would have thought five is a good age to start chess.

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If he likes Trivial Pursuit - how about "Tell Me", which is hilarious for all family gatherings. You have cards with questions such as "a book" and then you spin a wheel. The winner of that card is the first to shout out "a book" beginning with the letter the wheel lands on. Very addictive and all ages can play.

Some great ideas here, thanks everyone.

We do play cards with him, and one of his favourites is his happy families pack, but there have to be 3 to play, so it tends to be a weekend only occupation.

We have been playing connect four since he was 3, so it's lost some of it's appeal, still get it out now and then tho'.

Like the sound of 'Tell Me'. It's really about trying to find games we parents won't get too bored with. The trials of having an only child I guess.

ds likes Battleships and Labyrinth (Ravensburger) and has just got Rush Hour for his birthday. Not exactly board games but encourage logic and forward thinking.