Our Toddler’s Favorite Disney Board Games
Much to my own dismay, not every one of our days can be spent in a Disney theme park. For those days that we’re home, we still like to enjoy all the magic that Disney has to offer. One of our toddler’s favorite ways to do that is by playing Disney-themed board games. In this post, we’ll share our toddler’s (current) favorite Disney games and share the pros and cons of each so you can decide if they’re a good fit for your family too!
Disney Enchanted Cupcake Party Game
First up is the Disney Enchanted Cupcake Party Game. An instant favorite with my toddler, the object is to follow recipe cards and assemble classic Disney character inspired cupcakes. The colors are vibrant, the cards are easy to follow and my toddler will spend upwards of an hour at a time making cupcakes. He’s only three years old, so we don’t follow the actual rules of the game just yet. He prefers going through each recipe card and finding the corresponding pieces to create a cupcake.
PRO: The biggest pro for me is how easily transportable this game is. The cards and pieces fit into a small container that I’m able to fit in our diaper bag. It’s a great game to bring along to keep your toddler entertained while traveling, eating at a restaurant, or staying in a hotel.
CON: The biggest con is definitely how small the pieces are. Be careful with your little ones if they like to put things in their mouth as all the cupcake parts are very tiny! This is definitely a game best played under supervision.
This game is available on Amazon and is currently priced at $33.14. There is another version of the game that is themed specifically to the Disney Princesses called Disney Princess Enchanted Cupcake Party Game.
Candyland The Disney Theme Park Edition
This classic board game received a Disney theme park twist! Players take turns picking different colored cards that correspond to the colored squares on the game board to move. The first to reach the castle is the winner! The game features three distinct areas reminiscent of those in the theme parks: Adventureland, Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Your little one can choose to play as a tea cup, train, carousel horse or pirate ship. The board is beautifully illustrated with all your favorite Disney characters, theme park snacks like Mickey Premium bars, and rides like The Jungle Cruise.
PRO: The rules are fairly simple to follow and your little one won’t need to know how to read yet in order to enjoy the game. Setup is quick and easy and we didn’t have any trouble explaining to our toddler how to play. It’s such a great way to practice colors and counting, your toddler won’t even realize they’re learning because they’ll be having too much fun!
CON: The only con I can think of is that my toddler doesn’t really enjoy playing this for a long period of time at once. It will hold his attention, for the most part, long enough to make it through an entire game, but beyond that he doesn’t like playing more than once in a row. Also, unlike the cupcake game I previously mentioned, this one isn’t as easy to bring along with you.
We purchased our version when we were visiting one of the Disney theme parks. It is also available from the Disney Store website for $24.99.
Funko Disney/Pixar Cars Launch ‘N’ Race Game
We are big Cars fans in this house; it is one of my toddler’s favorite movies. Players take turns spinning the spinner and move their car the equivalent number of spaces. The goal is to be the first one to complete 4 laps. To begin each lap, you’ll have the opportunity to launch your car down a bumpy track, hoping to avoid landing in Taillight Caverns! The game comes with a small Lightning McQueen and Mater toy car.
PROS: The rules of the game are simple to follow. And the best thing about this game in my opinion is even if your little one is not particularly in the mood to sit through an entire board game, they can still have a lot of fun launching the cars. Ir’s a great way to practice counting, taking turns and sharing! Setup takes less than a minute, there aren’t a lot of pieces and depending on the numbers you spin, the game can go by pretty quickly.
CONS: Honestly, I don’t have very many negative comments on this one. Occasionally, my toddler doesn’t want to go the full 4 laps around and will get side-tracked launching the car instead, but as long as he’s having fun, that’s all that matters to me! Overall, this is a great first board game for toddlers to try.
Funko Disney/Pixar Cars Launch ‘N’ Race Game is available on Amazon for $24.99.
Final Thoughts
There are so many great ways to enjoy Disney at home. Board games are just one of the options. When searching for games to play with your little ones, look for ones that are easy to set up and have simple rules to follow. I like to choose ones that have a theme that I know my toddler will enjoy. As an added benefit, look for games that may offer learning opportunities, whether it be colors, numbers, site words, counting etc. It’s also a great way to practice taking turns, sharing and listening to directions. Most importantly, board games provide our family with a way to spend quality time together remembering some of our favorite Disney memories.