If you’re designing a board game that’s either specifically for young children, or for families with young children, it’s critical to make sure your game’s components are designed with the needs of kids in mind.
Designing game components for young children is an opportunity and a challenge. When your game will be played by kids under ten, and especially kids under five, the physical components become far more than aesthetic choices.
Rather, they shape how children interact with your game, how safe the experience is for young kids, how well the rules can be understood, and whether your game gets enough interest to get repeat play, whether at home or in a school classroom.
Designing games for kids is a very detailed topic. In this guide, we’ve focused on five key areas that are the most important when designing your game components for kids:
- Safety. Many game components that are safe for adults aren’t safe for young kids. This means you’ll need to make sure your components don’t create choking hazards or have sharp corners that could be dangerous for children.
- Accessibility. Kids’ motor skills, vision, attention span and reading ability changes very quickly with age. Your game needs to be accessible for people who might not have the dexterity or reading skills for something complicated.
- Ergonomics. Small things like the gripability of your game components can have a big impact on how fun your game is for young children.
- Durability. A good game for kids needs to be durable enough to survive rough play and heavy use. It also needs to be cleanable and easy to keep hygienic.
- Avoiding common mistakes. Lots of games make small mistakes that can affect their appeal for kids and parents. Luckily, most of these are avoidable.
All of these areas matter a lot, and we intend for this guide to serve as both a general guide and as a resource you can return to as you’re designing and manufacturing your game.
By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to make cost-effective and children-friendly component decisions, as well as how partnering with the right manufacturer helps to make sure your game is both safe and memorable for young players.
If you’d like to talk to our team more about creating your game, or if you have any questions about the game manufacturing process, feel free to contact us.
Age Ranges and Developmental Stages for Games
The first and most important step in designing board game components for kids is knowing that the term “kids” covers a very wide range of developmental stages.
A four-year-old and an eight-year-old kid may both enjoy a family game night, but their physical abilities, cognition and reading skills are very different. What is safe and unsafe also varies a lot based on the player’s age.
Because of this, your game components need to match the youngest players’ needs. If even a single element of your game exceeds the abilities of the youngest player, the entire experience can break down and fail to feel fun.
It’s useful to think of children’s game design in broad age bands. These aren’t strict categories, but they offer reliable guidance for choosing your component types, sizes, materials, and your game’s visual complexity.
Ages 2-3: Toddlers
For toddlers, everything about a board game needs to be oversized, simple and very safe. At this age, children use their whole-hand to grip objects rather than finger-level precision, which means components need to be large and easy to hold.
Kids in this age range have a limited ability to understand rules and will respond best to simple shapes and bright, highly contrasting colors. This age group has the highest risk of choking on game components, since toddlers are curious and tend to put objects in their mouths.
Good components for toddlers include large, chunky tokens, very thick cardboard tiles, wooden shapes or plastic pieces that are larger than a toddler’s fist and other items that are easy to see, easy to hold, and too large to accidentally swallow.
Anything small enough to fit fully inside a mouth needs to be avoided if your game is aimed at this age group. Games for toddlers usually rely on basic mechanics like matching, stacking or sorting rather than strategy.
Ages 3-5: Preschoolers
By age 3 to 5, children are developing good hand-eye coordination and the ability to handle a variety of component types. Pre-reading skills are emerging, but text inside a game will still be mostly inaccessible to kids in this age range.
Preschool-appropriate components include thick tiles or oversized cards, larger meeples and figurines, dice with symbols instead of numbers, and bright game icons. A good practice with this age range is to focus on using very clear, simple symbols that can be interpreted easily.
Ages 5-7: Early School
Around ages 5 to 7, kids start reading simple words, can handle smaller components and can learn some multi-step game rules. Most of the classic “children’s games” we’re all familiar with from our own childhoods are aimed at this age range.
At this age, kids can start to play with standard-sized cards that have rounded corners, easily understand dice with numbers, use punchboard tokens in a variety of shapes, and can make sense of game boards with more detail, text and icons.
Ages 7-9 and Older
As children approach age 9, they’re capable of playing true family games with adults. Strategy becomes possible, smaller components are easier to manage, and cards or game boards that are heavier on text start to make sense, meaning more complex games become fun.
If your game is aimed at this age range, its components can include full card decks, resource cards, smaller tokens (making sure to avoid choking-hazard sizes if younger siblings will also play) and elements like multi-layer game boards.
Even at this stage, consistency and color clarity make gameplay a lot smoother, especially in mixed-age households. Remember that even if your game is aimed at kids 7+ in age, 70% of households with children have multiple kids, meaning younger siblings will also want to play.
Mixed-Age Family Games
If your game is meant for families with multiple children, always design your components for the youngest expected player, not the average. A single token that’s too small or a set of icons that are too similar can make the game frustrating for everybody.
Safety: Designing Safe Board Game Components for Kids
Safety is the single most important consideration when designing board game components for young children. Many pieces that are completely safe for adults can become choking hazards or cutting risks for kids under five years of age.
Because of this, safety shouldn’t be something you “check” at the end of development. It needs to guide your component choices from the very beginning of your game’s design process.
Choking Hazards and Small Parts
Small parts are the biggest safety issue in kids games. If a component can fit entirely inside a young child’s mouth, it’s dangerous. This includes not just intentionally small pieces, like cubes or coins, but also parts that might break off during rough play.
Components like thin plastic connectors, fragile standees, and poorly glued wooden pieces can all become hazards if/when they break during gameplay.
As a rule of thumb, all game components for children under five should always be large, chunky and impossible to swallow. Even for older children, avoiding small loose parts reduces both risk of choking and injury, and frustration if the parts are lost while playing your game.
According to Nemours Kids Health: “Toys should be large enough — at least 1¼ inches (3 centimeters) in diameter and 2¼ inches (6 centimeters) in length — so that they can’t be swallowed or lodged in the windpipe.”
This guideline should be applied to all pieces in your game, as even a single piece can pose a significant choking hazard for a toddler.
Materials, Inks and Finishes
Kids explore the world with their hands and mouths, so the materials you choose matter a lot if your game is aimed at a younger audience. For younger age ranges, prioritize:
- Non-toxic, water-based inks
- Low-odor varnishes and finishes
- Rounded edges on cardboard, wood, and plastic
- Sturdy materials that won’t splinter, break or flake
Metallic foils, glitter and very glossy finishes can sometimes shed particles or become slippery, so they’re best avoided in games for kids under five unless they’re very carefully sealed.
Regional Safety Standards
Children’s products, including board games, must comply with regional safety standards. While the specifics vary by country, testing generally covers small parts, material toxicity, sharp edges and component durability.
Our guide to board game safety testing covers this topic in more detail and explains the specific standards your game will need to meet to go on sale in international markets.
Accessibility: Making Your Game Easy for Kids to Enjoy
Different age groups interact with game components in different ways. A game component that feels intuitive and easy for an eight-year-old might be frustrating or even completely unusable if a child is only four.
When you’re designing your boards, cards, tokens, or other components, it’s important to think about how children at each developmental stage physically hold, move and interpret each type of component.
Boards and Mats
Boards for younger kids should be large, flat and very stable, with strong colors and oversized spaces. Toddlers and preschoolers will often lean on boards while playing, so thin or multi-fold boards can bend or lift off the table.
For ages 2 to 5, a single-piece board or a thick playmat works best. By ages 5 to 9, a traditional folding board is fine, and you can begin to introduce more detailed illustrations, pathways on the game board and icons.
Meeples, Figures and Other Pieces
Young children need pieces they can grasp with a whole-hand grip. Meeples should be chunky and simple, without narrow necks or thin parts that can snap when they’re held tightly. Wood or thick plastic works well for ages 2 to 5, since it’s strong and difficult to bend or break.
From ages 6-9, you can introduce more stylized meeples, standees, or even simple miniatures, as long as nothing is small enough to become a choking hazard for younger siblings who might also want to play.
Cards and Tiles
Cards are one of the biggest pain points for young children. Preschoolers often can’t fan cards in their hand or hold multiple items at once, so tiles or oversized cards are a better choice than regular playing cards.
Ages 5-7 can often handle standard cards with rounded corners, but keep the number of cards in hand small so they’re never overwhelming. Thick cardboard pieces that lie flat are generally easier for all younger ages and are less likely to bend or tear than playing cards.
Dice, Spinners and Randomizers
Large dice with symbols (not numbers) are ideal for pre-readers. For very young children, avoid tiny “board-game standard” dice and instead use oversized wooden or plastic dice that can’t be swallowed easily.
Spinners can work well for ages 4-7 if they’re sturdy and have wide, clearly marked sections so players can easily see the outcome of each spin.
Finally, bag-draw systems are also good randomizers for all ages when games are played with parents, especially when dice might be too small for a child to handle easily.
Tokens, Counters and Small Objects
Tokens for young children should be large, thick and easy to pick up. Avoid gems, beads, coins or anything that can fit into a toddler’s mouth. For ages 6-9, you can introduce smaller tokens or cubes, but clarity and color contrast are still essential for your game to make sense.
Ergonomics: Designing Components Kids Actually Use
Even the most imaginative children’s game can fall flat if the game components aren’t physically usable. Ergonomics, meaning how game pieces feel in the hand, how easily they can be picked up, and how quickly kids can visually interpret them, plays a major role in how enjoyable your game will be.
Good ergonomic design makes a game easier to play. It also reduces frustration, improves flow, and keeps children engaged for longer by preventing them from becoming distracted.
Flat or tiny tokens that lie flush against the table are difficult for young children to handle. If your game uses tiles or tokens for players under six, consider increasing their thickness so kids can lift them without scraping or bending them.
Visual Design
Young children process visual information more slowly, especially when they’re confronted with low contrast or busy artwork. High contrast, such as bold shapes with clear edges and distinct color differences is essential for kids under five and still helpful for older children.
Color blindness should be considered even in children’s games. Relying on color by itself to communicate function can exclude players or cause confusion, so pairing colors with shapes, icons or patterns ensures every child can understand the components.
Any icons used in your game should be simple, consistent, and instantly recognizable. If your game is aimed at a younger audience, try to avoid unnecessary lines, visuals or textures that might make your game icons harder to interpret at a glance.
Text, Numbers and Symbol Use by Age
Children under five generally cannot read and may not reliably recognize numbers. That’s why many early-age games rely on symbols, colors or shapes instead of text.
By ages 5-7, children begin reading short words and identifying numbers, so simple numerals and clear labels become helpful in your game. For ages 7-9, full text is usually manageable if it’s printed in a large, easy-to-read font.
For any game aimed at children, use large, highly legible fonts and keep any text as brief as it can be while still retaining its meaning.
Reducing Cognitive Load
Children have the most fun when a game is easy to interpret. Too many component types or visually similar pieces with different gameplay functions can overwhelm and confuse younger players, meaning your game might not catch on and achieve multiple plays.
When your game has too many rules or systems to remember, kids can experience cognitive overload and either give up or react emotionally.
To reduce cognitive load in your game, try to limit your number of unique tokens as much as possible, make components with different functions look very clearly different, and use bold, distinct colors, shapes and icons throughout the entire game.
A well-designed component set should help children intuitively understand what each piece does, even before the rules are explained to them.
Durability: Designing a Game for “Real Life” Use
Children’s games need to survive more physical stress than games aimed only at adults. Young kids bend game boards, drop components, spill drinks and mix pieces between boxes.
Designing with real-life use in mind helps your game stay functional (and appealing) long after the first few play sessions.
For younger age groups, durability matters just as much as aesthetics. Boards should be thick and resistant to warping and tiles should withstand bending without creasing. Components that tear or break easily, like thin cards or lightweight plastic items are best avoided.
A child-friendly game should feel solid and be able to handle repeated setup and teardown with relatively little visible wear.
Storage is another overlooked aspect of usability for kids games. Parents and teachers greatly appreciate boxes where every component has an obvious place. Game inserts should be very simple, robust and not rely on fragile thin plastic.
For games aimed at preschoolers, try to make component sorting extremely simple by including large compartments in your insert that pieces can easily be dropped into.
Finally, it’s important to make your game hygienic. Kids spill, smudge and make a mess during play. Components that can be wiped clean with some water and a tissue can extend the life of your game dramatically.
Laminated or coated boards, varnished tiles, and sealed wooden pieces all resist moisture and stains. Avoid fabrics, felt bags or highly textured materials for younger children unless they are washable, as these can easily stain, soak in moisture and allow germs to grow.
Avoiding Common Mistakes in Kids’ Games
Even well-designed children’s games can run into avoidable pitfalls. These mistakes often come from applying adult design logic to an audience of kids.
Making Pieces Too Small or Too Numerous
Tiny cubes, thin tokens and small dice are some of the most common issues in kids’ games. Not only are they safety risks for younger kids, they also frustrate players who struggle to pick them up or keep them organised.
Likewise, too many similar-looking pieces can overwhelm children and slow the game down due to the need to continually explain what they are and how they work.
Overly Complex Icon Systems
Another one that we’ve mentioned above, it’s worth repeating that younger children don’t absorb symbolic language in the way adults do. If icons look too similar, or if one icon in your game has multiple meanings, gameplay becomes confusing.
Keep icons bold, simple and consistent throughout your game, and avoid relying solely on color to communicate important information.
Fragile or Overly Delicate Components
With young kids, a good rule of thumb is that if it can break, it will break. Any components that are fragile, thin or delicate won’t survive real-life use. It’s always better to make your game too durable than to prioritize aesthetics and create pieces that could easily break, bend or warp.
Ignoring the Parent Experience
Finally, designing for parents is also important. A game that is hard to set up, difficult to pack away or full of components that scatter easily is unlikely to get repeat play, as parents won’t want to go to the effort of setting it up and packing it away again.
Simple storage, durable components and quick cleanup go a long way. If your game can be packed up and stored in two to three minutes without any difficult steps, it’s usually going to be the game that parents turn to when it’s time for a family game night.
The Bottom Line on Making Your Game Suitable for Kids
Designing board game components for young kids requires balancing your creative vision with a good understanding of the practical side of family fun.
In order to be a good choice for young kids, your game needs to be safe, accessible, designed with the physical needs of children in mind, durable enough to survive rough play, and made to satisfy parents as well as kids.
We’ve helped hundreds of game publishers manufacture their games successfully, and we can help you check that your game design is kid-friendly before you go into production.
If you’d like to talk to our team, ask a question about child-friendly game design, or get a quote for manufacturing your game, contact us. We’re happy to answer your questions and make the process of manufacturing your game as easy as possible.
