A game that does not defy children, but does not demand too much from them. And at the same time, the playing along with adults and older siblings is fun: It's not so easy to find something like that.

On Thursday, the 36th International Games Days, also known as the "SPIEL" fair, begin in Essen. There is a mass of new games presented and among the 180,000 expected visitors are certainly many parents who are looking for new game hits for the family. But the large selection does not necessarily make the search easier.

Here are ten games for children under the age of eight that have proven to be a true perennial favorite in family testing.

From the age of eight, children can usually play family games of the complexity of a "Game of the Year" ("Catan", "Carcassonne" or "Ticket to Ride") and you no longer have to play games of chance when giving away.

Ten games for children under eight years

1. "Catan Junior"

Without "(The Settlers of) Catan" this list is not enough. However, "Catan Junior" does not just have a famous name. The game is also a very successful offshoot of the worldwide million seller and a great introduction to the "Catan Universe" for kids five or six. The small pirates settle on a clear board, throwing away resources, but simply trading a market (and not with each other). This saves haggling with a whining child. This makes the game more child-friendly and playable for two.

For whom?

Adult "Catan" fans make their children happy with this and make sure that the kids are ready for the original game after a year or two of being "Catan".

"Catan Junior" by Klaus Teuber, Kosmos, 2-4 players, ages 6+, approx. 25 Euro. Our photo of a game scene shows a slightly older edition, the current "Catan Junior" looks even better.

2. "Stone Age Junior"

And right next junior game: "Stone Age Junior" is an offshoot of the not so well-known classic "Stone Age", which is about building a stone age village by the skillful insertion of figures. The game for the adults is a bit more complicated than "Catan", the two junior versions are on the same level. However, "Stone Age Junior" scores well with the memory elements that are always popular with children, so that the little ones can sometimes be more successful in building materials than adults who can not remember anything.

For whom?

For families who value playful high-quality, yet easily accessible children's games. "Stone Age Junior" is a real highlight. And the even catchier "Stone Age Junior: The Card Game" even works with four-year-olds.

"Stone Age Junior" by Marco Teubner, Hans in luck, 2-4 players, ages 5+, approx. 14 Euro. The game currently seems to be everywhere on offer.

3. "Rhino Hero Super Battle"

Consciously buying parents should not be put off by the comical look of "Rhino Hero Super Battle". The game is really good, and besides, kids over five find it really "cool" when they already know that word. "Rhino Hero Super Battle" is a building game in which to build a skyscraper together and climb your own superhero as high as possible and not let the building collapse. This leads to exciting actions, and after a few laps, the children actually learn about statics and how to make a tower stable.

For whom?

For kids in the superhero stage who might want to play a fun building game on the floor rather than a quiet board game on the living room table.

"Rhino Hero Super Battle" by Scott Frisco and Steven Strumpf, HABA, 2-4 players, ages 5+, approx. 20 Euro. Please do not confuse with the previous game "Rhino Hero".

4. "Drop it"

"Drop it" looks like a colorful copy of "Four wins". But even here, the first impression is not true, even if "drop it" also pieces are thrown into a slot. However, the pieces have different shapes and colors. If you let them fall, you should not touch the same colors or the same shapes. Quickly creates a fascinating structure. Although the game can be played in such a way that it is too complicated for children, in the simplest version it is easily created for six-year-olds.

For whom?

For families who are looking for a somewhat unpredictable fun game that really everyone understands in a minute. It's also fun in pure adult rounds!

"Drop it" by Bernhard Lach and Uwe Rapp, Kosmos, 2-4 players, ages 6+, approx. 35 Euro.

5. "Kippit"

Five-year-olds already know well and also the effect that one should always rock with approximately equally heavy people, because otherwise one always hangs in the air. "Kippit" makes use of this principle. The idea is to place differently heavy cubes on a wooden seesaw on the raised side so that the seesaw does not tip over. As soon as she tilts, the teammate is on it. The first player who loses all the dice wins. It's a simple and awesome game - and you can see real aha effects on the kids, such as finding out that dice placed at the end of the seesaw are heavier than dropping them near the middle.

For whom?

Parents who only rely on wooden toys "Made in Germany" get their money's worth - and on top of that get a great game!

"Kippit" by Torsten Marold, franjos Spieleverlag, 2 players, ages 5+, approx. 25 Euro.

6. "Cockroach"

If there are board games that bring children into ecstasy that only digital media can do, it's the "cockroach games" with the Hexbug nano; a battery-powered "cockroach", which stutters over the board stupidly and chases the characters of the players. "Cockroach" is the simplest game in the series. The players really only have to roll the dice and cross a backyard with their beetle figures. Sounds easy, if the crazy cockroach does not constantly appear via looping from the ground and move the beetle wild. Children are often so fascinated by it that they forget about dice, adults too.

For whom?

If you have difficulty inspiring children for analogue games, you should try "Kakerlaloop". Here the technical "bells and whistles" are cleverly integrated into the game.

"Kakerlaloop" by Inka and Markus Brand, Ravensburger Spieleverlag, 2-4 players, ages 5+, approx. 38 Euro.

7. "Cockroach"

"Cockroach" is now released for the fair SPIEL and is the latest game with cockroach. It's a bit more complicated than its predecessors. This is especially true for the initial setup, for which an adult should take at least 20 minutes. The game is played together and not against each other. It is especially funny that every few minutes you try to fire the Dracula cockroach off the board with a catapult. This of course causes quite a Bohei, but annoys a bit in the gameplay (at least the playing adults).

For whom?

Families in which the first two cockroach games have arrived well, make nothing wrong with "cockroach". It should also be more interesting for seven- and eight-year-olds as "cockroach".

"Kakerlacula" by Inka and Markus Brand, Ravensburger Spieleverlag, 2-4 players, ages 6+, approx. 38 Euro.

8. "Leo has to go to the hairdresser"

The title sounds like a pedagogically valuable educational game, but that's not what this cooperative game is about. Rather, the lion Leo is sent on a memory jungle path to the barber. Stupidly, Leo chomps all the tiles and loses so much time that night falls. If this happens too often, everyone loses as a team. So it is important to remember together which tiles Leo is allowed to step in to arrive at the barber in time.

For whom?

Like all cooperative games, "Leo must go to the hairdresser" is particularly well-suited for children who can not yet lose well. If everyone loses together, the little ones will learn how to deal with defeat, hopefully soon after the motto "shared suffering is half suffering".

"Leo must go to the barber" by Leo Colovini, Abacusspiele, 2-5 players, ages 5+, approx. 18 Euro.

9. "Deep in the reef"

"Deep in the reef" is another cooperative game. Four juvenile fish explore a coral reef. The aim is that they find all marine animals. To do this, each player is allowed to move around each of the four fish according to their dice. This is interesting for children from the age of five, but not so easy to implement. That they do not own a particular fish - ideally, of course, the "Nemo" fish - do not necessarily understand children right off the bat. "Deep in the reef" is therefore indeed a game that can play five-year-olds, but older players are quite often with advice to the side. That makes it maybe even more interesting for the older than "pure" children's games.

For whom?

For families who already know and play a lot of co-op games, "Deep in the reef" is a very nice choice, also visually. The game is more strategic than the others presented here.

"Deep in the reef" by Alex Randolph, Amigo games, 2-6 players, ages 5+, approx. 18 Euro.

10. "Dobble"

There are already many variants of "Dobble", some of them especially for children or with Pixar, Disney and other topics. What all the games have in common: they are so much fun. Depending on how you play, two or more cards are displayed, showing six or eight symbols. There is always exactly one symbol on two cards, no matter what cards you choose. Sounds incredible, but works.

For whom?

"Dobble" is good for traveling or situations where you play a bit by the way. However, as an adult you should not be too ambitious to play, since children from four onwards will not have a chance. But if you let them, you can keep the little ones busy until the waiter brings the food.

"Dobble" (different versions) by Denis Blanchot, Guillaume Gille-Naves, Igor Polouchine, Asmodee, 2-8 players, ages 6+ (from 4 if you give the children more time), 8 to 10 euros. Our example shows "Dobble Hollywood".

A few tips to give away: If you play younger children games should ideally know the rules of the game when the game is handed over. So you can start playing right away and the game will not be forgotten, while the kids are waiting for the adults to read the rules of the game. What is not always so easy to do during a birthday party or the mess.

In addition, there are now almost all games also rule videos on the Internet, so you do not even have to open the game to learn it. Whats also good: Unpack the game with the children and then together look at a (previously selected) rule video. In this way, it is possible at best to transfer the childish enthusiasm for the smartphone to the analogue board game.

Need more gaming tips? Here are six games that are fun analog and digital:

Board games and their apps

Pretty clever (nominated for the Kennerspiel of the year 2018)
We already reported on "Pretty clever" in July, when it was nominated for the "Kennerspiel des Jahres". Now there is an app implementation of the game, which looks at first glance like a complicated "Kniffel" variant: It is rolled and ticked, this is not difficult. But it is not easy, because you have to weigh after every dice throw, which dice you keep, which are put away and what you leave the teammates. In addition, the five areas on the block are so interwoven that you notice only after a few rounds, where you can really score. This has nothing to do with "Kniffel". A really clever game that has always worked solo well.

Dice game vs. app
There are analog games in which a game is enough to see that they are great as a mobile game as well: games like "Pretty clever," where you solo a high score.

Conclusion
A very good solo game for the smartphone. Who wants to crack a highscore alone should take the app. With several other players you still need the analog game - which is great fun for two, because it can be played through quickly. By three or four, the game flow is then already tougher.

Pretty clever by Wolfgang Warsch, Schmidt Games, 1-4 players, ages 8+, about 13 Euro. App by Brettspielwelt GmbH for iOS, Android, 2.99 Euro.

Splendor (nominated for Game of the Year 2014)
Splendor was for many the best board game of 2014, though it never won the Game of the Year award. Here, players become gemstone merchants vying to turn rough diamonds into jewels. They will need mines, transport routes and artisans who will be collected during the game - but only in the form of cards with some printed symbols and values. Really cool are the gemstones in the analog game: fat poker chips that actually feel like heavy diamonds. The game is quickly explained, understood and played through in thirty minutes, making it one of those few "re-games" that are played multiple times because someone always demands revenge.

Board game vs. app
The app perfectly transports the game feeling from the game board to the smartphone and offers a number of successful challenges and good AI opponents for solo players.

Conclusion
"Splendor" can be recommended both digitally and analogously. If you're alone, you have to take the app, with several makes the handling of poker chips right mood.

Splendor by Marc André, Space Cowboys / Asmodee, 2-4 players, ages 10+, for 30 Euro. App by Asmodee Digital for iOS, Android, Kindle, Steam, 4,99 Euro.

Patchwork (on the recommendation list for the Game of the Year 2015)
Board games are notorious for their sometimes abstruse themes. In the two-person game "Patchwork" the opponents mend their blankets around. If you sew the patches together the most skilfully and quickly so that you do not get any holes in your own patchwork blanket, you win. That sounds nerdig first, but it is quite exciting and a very good game, if you want to sit down in the evening for half an hour for two to the game table. The game is always quick and can degenerate into a pretty exhausting competition.

Board game vs. app
"Patchwork" is a game with a puzzle character and therefore almost predestined for an app implementation that has also become really good. In the next few months, an "express version" of the board game will be released, so the game is likely to have sold well.

Conclusion
A game night for two with wine under the quilt is of course not replaced by the app - to practice, to be better than the one or the sweetheart, but it is well suited.

Patchwork by Uwe Rosenberg, Lookout Games, 2 players, ages 8+, around 20 Euro. App by Asmodee Digital for iOS, Android, Steam, 3.49 euros.

Galaxy Trucker (on the recommendation list for Game of the Year 2008)
"Galaxy Trucker" is an anarchic space race, devised by the game inventor Vlaada Chvátil. But before they can be launched, players first have to assemble Gaga spaceships from space junk in real-time and at the same time (and thus very hectically). That's always funny. Even after that there is a lot of bohei, because almost all ships break during the flight. An unusual and after ten years still very playable game. However, errors often occur in the analog version because rule details are overlooked. Everything runs smoothly in the app.

Board game vs. app
Apps offer a huge advantage over board games: they take over all mental arithmetic and do not even allow forbidden moves. 1: 0 for the app.

Conclusion
The board game is an insider tip among the classics and the app is a really good implementation. "Galaxy Trucker" proves that a good social game can become an even better app.

Galaxy Trucker by Vlaada Chvátil, Czech Games Edition / Asmodee, 2-4 players, ages 10+, at 40 Euro. App from CGE digital for iOS, Android, Kindle, 4,99 Euro.

Isle of Skye (Kennerspiel des Jahres 2015)
Who will be king in the north of Scotland? For six rounds each player puzzles a small clan area and tries to become more powerful than any other. For this they have to bid appropriate landscape tiles. These are stupidly often in the teammates. At this point, "Isle of Skye" becomes refined and interactive because players set their own prices for three tiles each. But you can not ask too much, otherwise you have to pay yourself. A tricky and highly entertaining affair!

Board game vs. app
"Isle of Skye" is interactive, it is auctioned and bluffed - because you would not necessarily have expected an app implementation. But this works, although the AI ​​opponents in the weaker stages in setting prices and buying not just the smartest impression.

Conclusion
The interactive "Isle of Skye" is just a great game for a game night - so the analog version is usually more fun. To get to know all scenarios, the app is well suited.

Isle of Skye by Alexander Pfister and Andreas Pelikan, Lookout Games, 2-5 players, ages 10+, at 25 Euro. App by Asmodee Digital for iOS, Android, Steam, 4,99 Euro.

Istanbul (Kenner Game of the Year 2014)
"Istanbul", the "Kenner Game of the Year 2014", could be the most popular game on this list, it is at least a bestseller with some extensions. Recently, an app for the quick hunt about the bazaar has finally appeared. It's about getting as fast as possible to five rubies. In addition one can visit 16 different places in a bazaar quarter and carry out different actions there. Depending on how the locations are designed and what you focus on, different strategies can lead to victory. The game is always going very fast and offers something for every taste: collecting, gambling, buying and selling - "Istanbul" is a very solid family game.

Board game vs. app
There is a lot going on on the "Istanbul" board and there is a lot of game material to keep an eye on. This works in analogy with tangible material better than on the small smartphone screen, where you hardly recognize what the AI ​​players actually do.

Conclusion
The analogue game emits a charm that unfortunately the app can not replicate. Solo you need them, however - and it works well, the AI ​​opponents are surprisingly strong.

Istanbul by Rüdiger Dorn, Pegasus Games, 2-5 players, ages 10+, at 35 Euro. App by Acram Digital for iOS, Android, 7,99 Euro.

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