9 best board games for preschoolers

We went straight to the expert to compile this list of the best board games for preschoolers. Sandra Smith, the marketing product manager at Scholar's Choice, has been buying teaching and learning toys and games for 16 years. Here are her top picks!

Teaching letter recognition and early reading is a breeze with this 52-piece puzzle (which forms 26 mini puzzles, one for each letter) with photos of an item with it's name below and connecting pieces with corresponding letters. A for apple!

$16, scholarschoice.ca

The classic game is a great way to get kids counting. "You can talk about odd and even numbers, patterns and counting by twos or threes," says Smith. 

$23, scholarschoice.ca

These little piggies need help building their 3D puzzle-piece houses. But watch out—if you see the wolf, hurry up and get your piggy out of harm's way. This game is great for developing logic skills. 

$40, mastermindtoys.com

Little learners can reach their hands into this cinema-style box to find 100 popcorn-shaped cards with upper and lowercase letters. It's a fun way to teach letter sounds and recognition. 

$15, scholarschoice.ca

In this spelling game, players use a mouse tail to hook cheese-shaped letters. It's great for practicing fine motor skills, too. 

$35, scholarschoice.ca

Beautifully illustrated, each card features six cute animals for kids to spot. Flip two cards and have your little one quickly identify two matching images. They'll have so much fun, they won't even know they're improving their visual perception and cognitive skills.

$16, indigo.ca

This puzzle is a fun way to quiz little ones on basic French words and helps wee linguists practice their fine motor skills as they spell out some bon mots by piecing together the colourful pieces. 

$18, scholarschoice.ca

Based on Eric Carle's much-loved best-selling book, players move their caterpillar around the board to different pieces of fruit, stoping for a snack and collecting a butterfly puzzle piece as they move along. "If it's familiar, the child can pick out what colour caterpillar they want to use. It's about learning simple numnbers and it all goes back to one of their favourite stories." The game also encourages building skills and letter recognition. 

$23, scholarschoice.ca

Perfect for pre-readers, players match the picture to the word via cards with simple illustrations and a word below. "This is great because the word is on the card with the picture, so when your child sees the card, they'll know the picture and begin to recognize the words as well," says Smith. 

$30, mastermindtoys.com

Read more:Why kids NEED to play Printable school supplies checklist Kids' apps we love 2016