30+ simple tabletop RPGs that work for little kids!
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Jump to: THE LIST of tabletop RPGs for little kids!
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How little kid skills are used in this list
I made this list so you could find some awesome tabletop RPGs that work with a young kid’s skill-set. With that in mind, I also know that all kids are different. Some kids develop skills in different orders or at different times. For example, my kid started crawling really early but needs a little extra time and help with tracing and some other fine motor skills. Because of that, instead of rating games by age, as I did in my main game list, I wanted to rate this one by what skills are used. I list if a game requires players to count to a certain number, read, write, trace, etc so you can see how it lines up with your particular kid.
Assumptions regarding initial skills for this little kid’s game list
All of these games do require understanding of the rules, which are all printed out, so… that means reading. I go into this list with the assumption that you, my reader, will read the game yourself and then explain the rules to your child.
To play any of these games, kids will also need to be able to follow short instructions. For example, if you say, “roll this” while holding up a die, they should then roll it.
A lot of these games (though not all) use dice or numbers in some way. I list which ones use dice and roughly the counting/math skills required so you can judge if your kid is able to handle it or if you’re willing to help them with this aspect of the game.
For each game, I also assume that we’re using the basic ruleset (i.e. for games that have different difficulties for different ages, we use the lowest tier) and that there’s no rules modification. You can always increase or decrease difficulty as you see fit, but the purpose of this guide is to help you find a base system to work with.
Suggesting more simple TTRPGs for little kid’s
Since listing a lot of these details requires me to have taken an in depth look at the game, I’m only including tabletop RPGs that I’ve actually played with my kid or fully read through. If you have a recommendation for a game to add, please let me know through the TTRPGkids contact form so I can consider adding it to my big game list or plan it into my review schedule. I’m specifically looking for simple TTRPGs that can be used with young kids (under the age of 8 years old). I’ll be adding to this list as I come across more games as well, so stay tuned!
List of 30+ tabletop RPGs for little kids!
Game name | TTRPGkids posts | Find a copy | Core skills used | Other important notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Venture Society | reviewfeatured project | kickstarter | count up to 10 use a simple character sheet follow modular stories | designed to teach SEL to young kids! |
Calvin Core | review | DriveThruRPG | count up to 6 increase complexity as able | |
Teddy the RPG | review | DriveThru | add 2d6 up to 12 hold a conversation/tell a short story | |
Stacks of Goblins | review | itchio | count up to 12 be able to shift roles hold conversation | no combat |
Adventures on a Single Page | review | itchio DriveThruRPG | hold conversation accept new mechanics (i.e. countdowns) | 1-pagers easy to follow |
Sodalitas | review | itchio DriveThruRPG | add 3d6 dice up to 18 | |
GDEC (Global Dragon Egg Conservation) | review | itchio | read and write (or get help from grown up) match card numbers/symbols | journaling game no dice! |
The Grandmother Tree | review | DM's Guild | if using with D&D: add dice totals (d20 system) and stats use multiple dice use character sheet and stats | |
Power Outage | review | game website | add d20 and stats use character sheet and stats hold conversation | scalable mechanics based on kid's readiness includes mechanics adjustments |
Michtim: Fluffy Adventures | review | itchio DriveThruRPG | add d20 and stats use character sheet and stats hold conversation | scalable mechanics based on kid's readiness |
Starsworn | Ch1-Ch 2 review Ch3 review interview | game website | count up to 6 use character sheet and backstory hold conversation accept new mechanics (i.e. countdowns) | teaches mechanics gradually as you play |
Stories RPG | review interview | itchio | count up to 6 use character sheet and backstory | |
Color My Quest | review | kickstarter | add 2d6 and modifiers up to 15 use character sheet and stats coloring | |
Adorablins | review interview | game website | add 2d6 and modifiers up to 15 use character sheet and stats | |
Gangs Jr | review | game website | add d6 and stats up to 13 track multiple game pieces and stat blocks | |
Dino Riderz | review | game website DriveThruRPG | use character sheet and stats use worksheets for logic puzzles, ABC, and counting practice draw/color | scalable mechanics based on kid's readiness - youngest tier is no combat, no dice |
Fairies of the Mistglade | review interview | game website DriveThruRPG | use character sheet and stats use worksheets for logic puzzles, ABC, and counting practice draw/color | scalable mechanics based on kid's readiness - youngest tier is no combat, no dice |
Overgrown | review | itchio | add d20 and stats track character stats | |
Trash Bandits | review | itchio | count up to 6 plan steps hold a conversation/tell a short story | |
Omotenashi | review | itchio | match card numbers/symbols hold a conversation/tell a short story | no dice! |
Felt, Friendship, and Feelings | review | DriveThru | count up to 6 use character sheet hold a conversation | |
Trouble at Santa's Workshop | review | itchio | add d6 to stats up to 9 use character sheet and stats | |
Shrewmanji | review | DriveThruRPG | count up to 20 use multiple dice track character sheet | |
Magic Rat | review | itchio | count up to 6 | |
Brave Bunnies | review | DriveThruRPG | count up to 6 track character sheet hold a conversation/tell a short story | |
Magical Kitties Save the Day | review | game website DriveThruRPG | count up to 6 track character sheet hold a conversation/tell a short story | |
No Mice, No Meowsters | review | itchio | track tokens hold a conversation/tell a short story | no dice! |
Amazing Tales | review | game website DriveThruRPG | count up to 6 answer short questions | scalable mechanics based on kid's counting ability |
Warrior Princess | review | google drive | count up to 20 recite facts or sing a song use character sheet | |
Hero Kids | review | game website DriveThruRPG | count up to 6 use character sheet | scalable mechanics based on kid's readiness |
Bard RPG | review | Kickstarter (pre-release, last update Jan 2023) | add up to 6d6 use character sheet hold a conversation/tell a story | |
Re-di-go | review | game website | count up to 5 make hand signals for numbers hold a conversation/tell a story | no dice! this game only uses hand signals! |
StoryGuider: A TTRPG to play with toddlers! | Published by TTRPGkids! | itchio | answer short questions participate in activities like spinning, jumping, waving | no dice! There's a full pre-K social-emotional curriculum set that uses this system! |
Glyfi (and expansions/adventures) | Published by TTRPGkids! (Glyfi base game) Published by TTRPGkids! (Glyfi Scouts) Published by TTRPGkids! (Skellian adventure) | itchio | compare and match symbols remember 3-5 character skills | no dice! this game uses paper tokens in a cup instead of dice |
Mystery Snacks | Published by TTRPGkids! | itchio | count up to 12 use a character sheet hold a conversation/tell a short story | |
Energeodes | Published by TTRPGkids! | itchio | count up to 18 use a character sheet remember 1-3 abilities at a time hold a conversation/tell a short story | |
Critter Mech Squad | Published by TTRPGkids! | itchio | count up to 12 use a character sheet hold a conversation/tell a short story |
Thank you for playing tabletop RPGs with your kids and helping to bring this fun hobby to the next generation! Keep up to date on new reviews, games, and articles with the TTRPGkids monthly newsletter, and please also let me know in the comments if you have feedback on the site or this has helped you in some way!
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