Junior Games

Big Fun for Younger Players

• What: Junior Games
• When: 3 years and up
• Why: Fun, easy to play, made for kids
• Where: Amazon

Would you like to introduce your child to some of the classic board games from your childhood without waiting until they get old enough for the original version? Or maybe you’d like to play a game with them in less than an hour, but still have all the fun of the longer versions. No matter the reason, you can’t go wrong with the pared down versions of these popular games.

Monopoly Junior: Based on the classic board game, this version for kids features kid-friendly properties like a fun park with a shorter board and bills in smaller denominations. Kids can take turns trying to collect entire groups of color-coded properties, and still collect cash every time they pass go. But instead of taking hours to finish a game, it can all be done in much less time, usually around half an hour. 

Clue Junior: In this spin on the whodunnit mystery game, players can move any of the brightly colored figures (thus eliminating arguments over who gets to be what color pawn) around the board to collect clues. With a tamer mystery of who ate the cake, at what time, and with which drink to solve, parents have no concerns about explaining murder and other crimes of passion to their children. Easy to use pictorial clue sheets help kids eliminate options as they move around rooms parents will recognize from the original game.

Set Junior: Get kids started on this fast-paced card game with the beginners’ set. It comes with two versions and one less attribute in the cards so kids can make matches faster. With no shading, collect cards in sets of three based on shape, number, and color. Use the reversible board to learn the ins and outs of the game and work their way up to the adult version once they build their perception skills.

Rush Hour Jr: This traffic puzzle challenges players to work their way through the cars to the exit. In the junior version, kids try to navigate the ice cream truck through the obstacles. It includes simpler set-ups so kids don’t get frustrated, with cards rated at four different difficulty levels indicated by the number of scoops of ice cream on the bottom of the card, as well as color coding. Kids can work their way through all forty challenges or pick and choose what they want to try. 

Apples to Apples Junior: In this family game, three or more players compete to be the first to get four green apple cards. Much like the full version, one person takes a turn being the judge and laying down a card with a word or phrase on it. Other players pick the card that goes best and submit their entries anonymously. The judge picks their favorite, and the winning entry earns the green apple card. Each person gets a chance to act as the judge in this hilarious take on word association. The junior version includes references to cartoon characters and other recognizable words aimed at younger players, making it easier for players as young as eight to join in the fun.