If you have a child on the spectrum, playing board games is a great way to bond. It’s also a great way to learn real skills applicable to the real world. You’ll find our top selection of board games for kids with autism below…
Let us know which one you like best…
Battleship
- A great strategy game, Battleship encourages players to focus on learning from the mistakes that they have made in the past while trying to sink their opponent’s ships and using that information to form their new moves.
- With grids and coordinates, this game is highly logical and teaches math skills and reasoning without players knowing that they are learning.
- The strategizing included in this game is very appealing to all players.
- Requires a lot of planning, which is a great real-life skill that can be applied to other areas of life.
- As players play this game more often, they will develop their own strategy and learn how to better make decisions based off of the result of their prior actions.
Animal on Animal
- Players must roll the dice and then take turns trying to stack various wooden animals on top of each other.
- All of the animals are durable and solid feeling, and since they are painted with brightly-colored paint, they are eye catching and very interesting to see.
- This game does a great job improving hand-eye coordination in all players.
- Helps players improve their abilities to interact socially with others as they discuss strategy and how they will place their next piece.
- Requires a lot of patience and planning for the game to be successful.
- Even major setbacks can quickly be rectified, as it is easy to roll the dice again and start placing animals without a lot of major repercussions that can be very frustrating for players to accept.
Qwirkle
- While s
till a competitive game, this game is not as fast paced as others on the list. - Scoring is a part of the game, but can be ignored if players are still working on their social skills and understanding how to play the game.
- The bright colors of the tiles are appealing to all ages.
- Perfect for improving spatial reasoning, matching, and helping players learn how to look for a missing piece.
- Players will work on improving their math skills without realizing that they are, as there isn’t any obvious counting or other type of equations.
- Small pieces are easy to handle and move, perfectly safe, and have a comfortable weight to them that is very appealing.
Blue Orange Battle Sheep
- While an abstract game, it plays relatively quickly and is very intuitive.
- Perfect for two, three, or four players and has a high playability value.
- The fun illustrations prevent the game from being boring and the sheep chips are easy to hold and fun to move.
- Through fun gameplay, this game introduces players to strategy and abstract thinking without it being encouraged in a very pressure-filled environment.
- Great for helping improve fine motor skills.
- Encourages social play as the players all have to talk to each other and wait patiently for their turns.
- Great option for players who are learning how to work together and to think out their strategy before each turn.
Race to the Treasure
- Cooperative gameplay is great for introducing board games to players who may not yet be willing or ready to start playing competitive games.
- All players work together, but still have to take turns when moving, which helps to teach patience.
- The fun illustrations and idea behind the game are appealing and won’t be too scary for most players to be able to handle.
- Durable cardstock is able to withstand regular gameplay without being damaged or showing signs of wear and tear.
- All players either win or lose together, allowing players to model great behavior no matter the outcome of the game.
Go Fish
- Cards are large enough to easily hold and are fun to play.
- Teaches players how to wait their turn while others interact and trade cards.
- Does a great job with helping players learn how to come up with a set of their own cards.
- Requires some strategy as players learn how to hunt for the cards that they need.
- Clear game rules ensure that the game progresses the same each time that it is played.
- All players have to be aware of the types of cards that other players are looking for so that they can ask for them in the future, if possible.
Chinese Checkers
- A classic game that is brightly colored and offers many pieces for players to enjoy moving.
- There is more decision making involved in this game than in other similar games, which is great for keeping players not only interested, but involved in the moves that they are making.
- Can be played with two, four, or six people, which is perfect for use in a family or with a small group.
- Deceptively simple game does require paying attention to not only your own moves, but also the moves of the opponent.
- Each time players play they will be able to pick up on new moves that they want to include in their own repertoire.
No Stress Chess
- Perfect way to introduce new players to the game of chess, while limiting the moves that can be made to reduce the stress of the game.
- Allows new players to quickly learn what moves are allowed for each piece without feeling like they do not have a chance at winning.
- Cards are clear and make it easy to understand how the pieces move and interact with each other.
- Offers multiple levels of play as new players become comfortable with chess and start to understand the mechanics of the game and how to play.
- Two-sided board can be flipped as players advance.
- Cards offer two ways to play and don’t have to be used as players become more comfortable with the moves their pieces can make.
Scrabble
- Using a random selection of letters, players have to work hard to make as many words as they can on the game board.
- Encourages social interaction and can easily be modified for players to play on teams, which will allow them to learn how to work together and get the necessary help to succeed.
- Offers great help in language development, as players not only work with letters to spell new words, but also discuss the meaning of the words that are played.
- Basic math skills are also worked on, as players add up their points and make adjustments based on the tiles they land on the board.
- Players have to learn how to wait patiently for their turn while others plan out their words.
- Great for making players understand how to control emotions as they have to find new locations on the board to play their word when their desired spot is taken.
Candyland
- This is a very straightforward game that requires users to choose a card from the deck to move their piece.
- By removing all choices from the game, players won’t have to worry about making the wrong decision.
- Players can experience obstacles and setbacks that will cause them to have to move their game piece backwards or even to the beginning of the game.
- Does a great job teaching about setbacks and let downs.
- Perfect game for two to four players, although a single person can play it by themselves if they simply want to enjoy moving their piece according to the color cards that they draw.
Ticket to Ride: First Journey
- Very methodical gameplay tends to be predictable, but allows players to try to come up with a strategy that will allow them to win.
- Fast-paced version of the classic takes less than 30 minutes to play.
- Simplified rules are easier for all players of all ages to understand.
- Works well with two to four players, but players can double up on teams to make the game easier for new players to understand.
- New map has been designed to make the game faster to play and easier to understand.
- Players learn how to deal with the disappointment of their moves being blocked by others.
Connect 4
- Perfect for one-on-one gameplay.
- Does a great job teaching strategy in a low-stress environment.
- Games move quickly enough that a new one can be started again right away without a lot of setup time or without worrying about how long the game will take.
- Textured pieces are easy to grip and to move, which is great when working on improving fine motor skills.
- The bright colors of the game are engaging and ensure that they will hold the attention of the player.
- Other versions are available that are made of wood, which have more muted tones and a different feel to the pieces, if desired.
Chutes and Ladders
- Classic game that is a great way to teach players how to wait for their turn.
- Fun movement through the game is fast paced and will help to prevent players from getting bored while playing.
- There is very little risk involved, as even if you are forced to move backwards, it is done in a fun and easy way.
- Spinning the spinner means that you don’t have to worry about planning a strategic move and having it not work the way that you wanted it to.
- Players learn that all actions have consequences and how to deal with them in a healthy way.
Ticket to Ride: First Journey
- Very methodical gameplay tends to be predictable, but allows players to try to come up with a strategy that will allow them to win.
- Fast-paced version of the classic takes less than 30 minutes to play.
- Simplified rules are easier for all players of all ages to understand.
- Works well with two to four players, but players can double up on teams to make the game easier for new players to understand.
- New map has been designed to make the game faster to play and easier to understand.
- Players learn how to deal with the disappointment of their moves being blocked by others.