{"title":"Best of 2026: Games for Kids","description":"\u003cp\u003eGames for younger players, and for the grown-ups playing alongside them. Easy rules, short rounds, and a good mix of cooperative and friendly competitive picks for the whole family table.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOne of our Best of 2026 Collections\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"catan-junior","title":"Catan Junior","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCATAN Junior is for families with children ages 6-9. Simplified building rules, child-oriented trading, and a more innocuous robber equivalent called the “Ghost Captain” provide access to the world of CATAN games.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"gamefacts\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"age\"\u003e6+Children\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"players\"\u003e2–4 Players\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"duration\"\u003e30–40 min.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"metacomment\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSkills:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome tactical and strategic thinking, although less than in the original “Catan.” Needless to say, luck plays a role too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the game\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"body\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"field-items\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"field-item even\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCATAN Junior takes families with children ages 6 and up to a place quite different from CATAN as we know it. There are no \"settlers\" around here. Instead, the players slip into the role of pirates who build their hideouts - called pirates' lairs - all over the islands and set sail to find new places and build more pirates' lairs there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCATAN experts will easily recognize that many essential elements of the CATAN base game are included in CATAN Junior, although - in accordance with the theme - they received different names: pirates' lairs are built adjacent to islands, and if the islands' numbers are rolled, the players receive resource tiles. The resource tiles depict gold, goats, wood, molasses, and cutlasses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese tiles are used to build ships and more pirates' lairs or to buy development cards (here called \"Coco tiles\"), which are played immediately after their purchase.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo launch a new ship, you need wood and wool from goats. And if you want to build a pirates' lair, besides wood and wool you also need a cutlass and molasses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe robber – well-known from the CATAN base game – also exists in CATAN Junior, but here he is a spooky fellow named \"Ghost Captain.\" The Ghost Captain isn't as bad a guy as the robber in the CATAN base game. He blocks the resource production of the islands he is placed on, but that's all - nothing is being stolen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe die-cut resource tiles included in CATAN Junior are very convenient for children, because unlike in the CATAN game for adults, the players don't have to hold cards in their hands but can place the resource tiles in front of them. Catan Junior can also be played as a 2-player game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough CATAN Junior contains some simplified rules so that 6-year-olds can participate without any difficulty, it is still unmistakably a \"CATAN\" game. CATAN Junior is not just a game for kids but a genuine family game, to be enjoyed by adults and young children alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Asmodee","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38124110348485,"sku":"210000006116","price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0533\/0334\/5349\/products\/catanjunior_2nd_ed.jpg?v=1614621895"},{"product_id":"buildzi","title":"BUILDZI","description":"\u003ch2 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe fast-stacking, nerve-racking, block-building game! Quick, grab a BUILDZI block and start building. Be the first to build your tower, but — careful — don’t let it tumble. 32 BUILDZI blocks, 32 tower cards, 32 block cards and lots of ways to play!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tenzi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38124133580997,"sku":"210000010924","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0533\/0334\/5349\/products\/Screen-Shot-2020-04-29-at-8.21.50-AM.png?v=1614621122"},{"product_id":"sleeping-queens","title":"Sleeping Queens","description":"\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eImagine a place where there's a queen of all pancakes, a king of cookies and a pack of over-protective dragons. If this sounds like something out of a dream, it actually is! Sleeping Queens was invented by 6-year-old Miranda Evarts, who thought up the game one night when she couldn't fall asleep. She awoke the next morning and with help from her older sister, Madeleine and her parents, Denise and Max created this wonderfully whimsical world of napping nobles. As you immerse yourself in the Evarts's fantasyland, you will find a game that helps develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills. Just be careful when playing potion cards or you could wind up putting all the players to sleep!\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Gamewright","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38127879225541,"sku":"210000005062","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0533\/0334\/5349\/products\/sleepingqueens.jpg?v=1624643649"},{"product_id":"spot-it-classic-box","title":"Spot It Classic (Box)","description":"\u003cp\u003eRace to spot the one symbol that matches between two cards. It is quick, loud, and plays well across a wide range of ages, including grown-ups.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toy Soldier Games","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43566763311320,"sku":"210000012744","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0533\/0334\/5349\/files\/SPR105ML-image0_2000_535x_fff4a903-d9c3-4ca2-803d-2fe8f00bb98d.jpg?v=1794425227"},{"product_id":"cascadia-junior","title":"Cascadia Junior","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis game releases on MARCH 14th 2025!\u003cbr\u003eWe can not ship until then.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toy Soldier Games","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50095138013400,"sku":"210000021789","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0533\/0334\/5349\/files\/81aQtJT9OCL._AC_UF894_1000_QL80.jpg?v=1771188997"},{"product_id":"azul-kids","title":"Azul Kids","description":"\u003cp\u003eA younger player's version of Azul's colorful tile game, with simpler rules so kids can take a seat at the table.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toy Soldier Games","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52316606431448,"sku":"210000026146","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0533\/0334\/5349\/files\/SCOAZK0101EN-image0_2000_535x_a9fe4526-afbb-4ef8-bfee-7ab1e0a626a6.jpg?v=1794425227"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0533\/0334\/5349\/collections\/81aQtJT9OCL._AC_UF894_1000_QL80.jpg?v=1794261960","url":"https:\/\/toy-soldier-games.myshopify.com\/collections\/best-of-kids.oembed","provider":"Toy Soldier Games","version":"1.0","type":"link"}