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Playing with special needs children is the topic I could talk about for days!
I have been playing with my son for 14 years. Literally. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
Playing is our happy time, our reconciliation and our way of reconnecting and calming down after a hectic day.
In a family with a special needs child, playing together and having fun as a family is exponentially valuable and important!
Playing with a special needs child let us to connect and learn on an easy way. Also it lets us to communicate and share thoughts indirectly with them and gives us times filled with love and laughter.
For special needs children feeling, that they can share happy moments with the family is essential and means a great deal. Meantime they can also step out and release their often vulnerable and complicated inner world.

Finding the right activities for our special needs children needs a real learning curve from our side what also needs updating every time.
Board games have more advantages against  iPad games as the intensity and the ways of interactions are much more comprehensive.
Often for special needs children with any kind of intellectual disability can be very challenging and daunting to try a new game or activity and it might cause anxiety, feeling of failure and confusion what can even cause rejection and meltdowns. Plus it might also cost lot’s of money and time to finally find a game what our child can understand, enjoys and master.
As the best way to begin this learning curve is to start to PLAY, let me to help you with that by recommending some of our very well tested, million times played and never boring easygoing board games.
For our son Stony even a short 10-15 minutes play helps tremendously.  He reconnects, calms down and becomes much more centered and jolly.
Playing can be a real therapy, often also for the parent and  our children are always there and up to some fun and laughter!

These board games are our favorites we play them for years and can definitely recommend with confidence for families with special needs children with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities. In overall the age range suits for a wide range.)
(The list is continuously updated with the new board games we discover and love along way!
List was last updated on 22. March, 2022.
The article is not sponsored, the recommendations are based on experience.)

Fun and easy games for every day:
1. UNO
2. UNO Flip
3. Spot It – Blue Orange
4. Last letter -Think Fun Games
5. Phase 10- Mattel Games
6. Snakes and Ladders board game
7. Guess Who – MB Games
8. Beat the Parents Card Game – Spin Master Games
9. Pass The Bigs – Travel Edition

Constructional Games
1. Playmobil
2. Lego
3. Magnetic Sticks
4. Magnetic Polydron
5. Wooden blocks

Sensory Games, Fine Motor skills:
1. The Sock Game
2. Stacking Chairs Tower – deAo
3. Velcro Ball and Catch set
4. Avalanche Fruit Stand – Learning Resources Store
5. Fidget Pop Tube

Games for Math and Logic skills:
1. Rummikub
2. Labyrinth- Ravensburger
3. The Mind – Pandasaurus Games
4. Pase 10 (Card game) – Mattel Games
5. Sum Fun – Sum Fun Games

Games with physical activity:
1. Charades for Kids – Paul Lamond Games
2. Velcro Ball and Catch set
3. Treasure Hunt – Gotrovo
4. Go Find It – Sensory Trust
5. Darts Board Set