Splendor Kids

My niece picked up the gem-collecting rules way faster than I expected, and she's only five. The cards are big and colorful enough that she can sort her tokens without help. We've played it four nights in a row now, which says a lot for a kid who usually quits board games halfway through.

Bought this for my 6-year-old thinking it might be too simple, but the gem-collecting mechanic actually makes her think about which cards to grab first. Setup takes two minutes and the whole game wraps up before she loses interest.

My 8-year-old caught on to the gem-collecting rules after just one round, and now she's planning her moves ahead like a little strategist. The simplified scoring keeps it fast-paced enough to hold her attention.