Board Games to Entertain Even the Most Restless 9-Year-Old

They say the average attention span of a nine-year-old is approximately 20 minutes. When you get a group of them together though, I say 3 minutes tops. They are constantly distracting one another and bouncing off of the walls.

If you find yourself with the delightful task of entertaining a group of 8-10-year-old kids, I cannot help you with your inevitable headache. However, I can share with you some entertaining and action-packed board games that just might help you keep them in line for a bit. So read on and good luck!

Entertaining & Action-Packed Board Games for 9-Year-Olds

1. Looping Louie 

Loopin’ Louie is a fun and fast-paced tabletop game designed for 2 to 4 players, primarily aimed at children but enjoyable for all ages. The objective of Looping Louie is simple: be the last player remaining with chickens still in play.

Gameplay: As Louie’s airplane circles the board, players take turns pressing their levers to flick Louie away from their chickens and towards their opponents’ chickens. The airplane’s motion is unpredictable, so players must time their actions carefully.

Winning: If Louie hits a player’s chickens, they lose one token. The last player with any chicken tokens remaining wins the game. Kids will love the interactive nature of this game, especially the collisions! Try it out: Looping Louie!

2. Pie Face

Pie Face is a suspenseful game designed for 2 or more players. The objective is simple: avoid getting a pie in the face while having lots of laughs.

Gameplay: Players take turns turning the handles on the pie thrower. They must spin the game wheel to see how many times they need to turn the handle. With each turn, there’s a chance the pie thrower will splat the player in the face with whipped cream.

Winning: The player who turns the handles without getting pie-faced wins the round. Points can be tallied to determine the overall winner.

Kids love the chance to get messy or see someone else getting a pie thrown in their face. The anticipation and unpredictable nature of the game keeps their attention and keeps them giggling. Check it out: Pie Face!

3. Don’t Break the Ice

Don’t Break the Ice is an engaging game for 2 or more players where the goal is to keep the penguin from falling. Overactive kids won’t have to wait long for their turn and they will want to watch closely in anticipation to see if their opponent will break the ice. Drama builds with each successful cube knocked loose, ensuring to keep any youngster’s attention.

Gameplay: Players take turns tapping out ice blocks from the ice tray using a mallet. The challenge is to avoid breaking the ice that supports the penguin.

Winning: The player who makes the penguin fall loses the game. The last player to successfully remove an ice block without the penguin falling wins. Be sure to check it out: Don’t Break the Ice!

4. Beasts of Balance

Getting your kids to put down their screens can be difficult. But what if you can incorporate some screen time into a constructive family game? Beasts of Balance is a unique hybrid game that combines physical stacking with digital interaction for 1 to 4 players.

Gameplay: Players stack beautifully crafted animal figures on a platform. Each animal has a corresponding digital element in the connected app, which evolves as the tower grows.

Winning: The game is cooperative and challenges players to balance the animals while keeping their digital world in harmony. Check out Beasts of Balance!

5. Connect 4 Shots

Connect 4 Shots is a dynamic twist on the classic game for 2 or more players, involving bouncing balls into a grid. The old version of the game is fine but it lacks the physical element that gets kids moving. This active component can help release energy and keep children engaged longer.

Gameplay: Players bounce balls into the grid, aiming to get four in a row either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

Winning: The first player to connect four of their balls in a row wins the game.

The dynamic nature of bouncing balls into the grid makes the game faster and more exhilarating. Quick rounds ensure that kids do not lose interest and can enjoy multiple games in a short time. If you have kids to entertain, Connect Four Shots is definitely worth checking out.

6. Bounce-Off

Bounce-Off is a competitive game for 2 to 4 players that challenges players to recreate patterns by bouncing balls into a grid. The physical and dynamic nature of the game keeps kids engaged and active. Each round is fast-paced, keeping the excitement levels high and reducing downtime. This quick turnover ensures that kids remain interested and enthusiastic throughout the playtime.

Gameplay: Players take turns bouncing balls onto the game board, trying to complete patterns shown on cards.

Winning: The first player or team to complete the required pattern wins the round. The player or team with the most completed patterns wins the game.

7. Emotional Roller Coaster

Let’s switch gears with this one. This game is not necessarily designed for over-active youngsters, but it is designed to help them improve their behavior. Sometimes the best way to treat the symptom of unrulyness is to get to the core of the issue. If you are struggling with a child who cannot control their emotions well, Emotional Roller Coaster might be a fun way to help them grow.

Gameplay: The game is laid out a bit like shoots and ladders. Players take turns drawing cards, the idea is to recognize the reasons that cause them to get mad, upset, etc., and then learn ways they can deal with these emotions.

Winning: The game continues until all players reach the end of the roller coaster path. The first player to reach the end wins, but the primary focus is on the experience and learning rather than winning.

Learn more about the game here.

8. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters

When I was a kid, anything mysterious or spooky would catch my attention, this game has enough spooky fun to do that without being too scary for younger kids. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters is a kids’ game with a spooky setting. This game is simple but challenging with the goal being: collecting treasures and avoiding ghosts.

Gameplay: Players work together to move around the board, collect treasures, and evade or fight ghosts.

Winning: The players win if they collect all the treasures and return to the starting point before the haunted house is overrun by ghosts.

9. Dungeon Mayhem

Dungeon Mayhem is a quick, card-based game for 2 to 4 players with a fun, fantasy theme. Emphasis on quick. This game is perfect for any kids who you think will get excited by the idea of battling it out (in the game) to win treasure.

Gameplay: Players choose a fantasy character and use their unique deck of cards to battle opponents, dealing damage and defending themselves. The game is simple, each round players draw a card and play a card. Pretty simple to learn and still fun!

Winning: The last player standing after all others have been eliminated wins the game.

Be sure to check it out!