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First Orchard vs Count Your Chickens is the most common choice parents face when buying a first board game. Both are cooperative, so the whole table wins or loses together and nobody has a meltdown over losing to a sibling. The difference is age: First Orchard fits a two-year-old, while Count Your Chickens asks a three- or four-year-old to count.
Best first game for two-year-olds: HABA First Orchard
Chunky wooden fruit, a color die and a raven racing to the orchard. It costs about $30.
Price band: $20–$30 (about $30) · Check today’s price on Amazon
First Orchard vs Count Your Chickens at a glance
| First Orchard | Count Your Chickens | |
|---|---|---|
| Age on the box | 2+ | 3+ |
| Players | 1 to 4 | 2 to 4 |
| Skill practiced | Colors, turn-taking | Counting spaces, one-to-one counting |
| Randomizer | Color die with basket and raven sides | Spinner |
| Pieces | Large wooden fruit | 40 small chick tokens |
| Play time | About 10 minutes | About 15 minutes |
| Price | about $30 | about $16 |
How First Orchard plays
Four trees hold wooden fruit in four colors. On your turn you roll the die: a color lets you pick one fruit of that color and drop it in the basket, the basket side lets you pick any fruit, and the raven side moves the raven one step down its path. Everyone wins together if the fruit is all picked before the raven reaches the orchard.
The pieces are big enough for small hands, and the only rule a toddler must follow is rolling and matching a color. Adults can play along without guiding every move, which makes it a good first experience of taking turns.
How Count Your Chickens plays
Mother Hen walks a path around the board while the chicks wait to come home. Spin the spinner, move the hen to the next space showing that picture, and count the spaces she crossed. That number of chicks hops into the coop. Some spaces add a bonus chick, and the fox sends one chick back out of the coop.
The counting is the point. Kids say every number out loud, and the group wins when all the chicks are home before the hen reaches the end of the path.
The real difference: matching vs counting
- First Orchard teaches color matching. Count Your Chickens teaches counting by ones.
- First Orchard has toddler-safe pieces. Count Your Chickens has small chicks and is not meant for under-threes.
- Count Your Chickens lasts longer at the table. Four-year-olds still enjoy it; most kids outgrow First Orchard by four.
- First Orchard works solo. A child can play against the raven alone.
Which first game should you buy?
For a child between two and three, start with First Orchard. It looks like a toy, survives being chewed and dropped, and makes the first rule easy. For a child who is three or older and starting to count, Count Your Chickens is the better buy because it turns counting into the main action.
Many families buy First Orchard for a second birthday and Count Your Chickens a year later. They do not overlap much on the shelf, because the skills are different.
Final pick: First Orchard or Count Your Chickens
Choose First Orchard (about $30) for a toddler's very first game. Choose Count Your Chickens (about $16) for a preschooler who is ready to count out loud.
Playing with very young kids
- Sit on the floor. Toddlers stay engaged when the board is at their eye level.
- Name the colors and numbers every turn. Repetition is how the learning sticks.
- Stop while it is still fun. One full game is a win at age two.
- Count the chicks together at the end. It turns cleanup into one more counting game.
For more early picks, see our best board games for preschoolers.
Durability and storage
First Orchard's wooden fruit and thick board hold up to years of toddler play, and the pieces are easy to wipe clean. Count Your Chickens uses a cardboard board and small chick tokens, so keep a zip bag in the box to avoid losing chicks under the couch. Both boxes fit on a standard shelf.
If grandparents are buying, First Orchard is the gift that will be pulled out at their house too, since it needs no reading and the box doubles as a toy. Count Your Chickens is better as a home game that parents play a few times a week while counting skills grow.
First Orchard vs Count Your Chickens FAQ
Are both games cooperative?
Yes. Everyone plays as one team against the raven or the end of the path.
Can a two-year-old play Count Your Chickens?
The box says 3+, and the chicks are small parts, so wait until three.
Which is better for a gift?
First Orchard for ages two to three; Count Your Chickens for ages three to five.
