The Spiel des Jahres jury made plenty of headlines yesterday with its Spiel and Kennerspiel nominations, but the Kinderspiel des Jahres shortlist quietly slipped out at the same time and it is well worth a look if you've got kids at the table. Three games are on the 2026 children's game shortlist: Buh Party, Die Insel der Mookies and Verflixt verzaubert.
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See how it worksBuh Party is the noisy one. Designed by Florian Sirieix and Benoit Turpin for French publisher Loki, it is a costume-party memory game for 2-6 players aged 5 and up. Up to five players play monsters in disguise trying to mingle with the party, while the Seer peeks at vision cards and tries to spot which monsters chose a forbidden costume. Sessions run 10-15 minutes, which is exactly the right length when half the table can't sit still. Die Insel der Mookies is the Kosmos and Scorpion Masqué co-publication of Florian Sirieix's Mooki Island, a two-player set collection game for ages 4 and up that already won France's As d'Or for Best Children's Game in March 2026. Verflixt verzaubert, from Thomas Dagenais-Lespérance and published by Game Factory, is a one-versus-all dice deduction game for 2-4 players aged 5+, leaning a touch more strategic than the other two.
Sirieix appearing on two of three slots is the notable bit. He has been quietly turning out short, sharp family games for years, and 2026 looks like the year that finally pays off. Three more games sit on the recommendation list: Kleiner Stinker, Magische Spiegel and Paleolino.
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Find events near youWinners are announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday 12 July in Berlin alongside the main Spiel and Kennerspiel trophies. If you run a family game night or a parent-and-child session at your local shop, this shortlist is the obvious place to start your shopping list. Find a community in your area if you want to swap recommendations with other parents working the same territory.
Sources: Spiel des Jahres | ICv2 | BoardGameGeek
