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There’s a moment in every game of Ticket to Ride: First Journey when a child holds two train cards in one hand and a route ticket in the other, eyes scanning the board, and you can almost see the gears turning. I need three blue cards to connect New York to Washington. But I only have two. Do I draw from the deck and hope? Or do I claim the shorter route to Boston first and change my plan? This is not a moment that happens in Candy Land. This is strategic planning — weighing probabilities, managing resources, evaluating opportunity costs — and it’s happening in the brain of a six-year-old who, fifteen minutes ago, was arguing about whose turn it was to pick the movie.
Days of Wonder’s First Journey edition takes the parent game — Ticket to Ride, a modern classic that has sold over ten million copies worldwide — and distills it into a 15-20 minute experience that children as young as six can play competently and children as old as ten still find engaging. It’s one of the most elegant design simplifications in children’s board gaming, and the cognitive demands it places on young players are more interesting than the colorful trains suggest.
Product Overview
Ticket to Ride: First Journey ($28) is a standalone board game for 2-4 players, ages 6 and up, with games lasting approximately 15-20 minutes. The premise: players collect colored train cards and use them to claim routes between cities on a map of the United States. Each player has ticket cards showing two cities they need to connect. The first player to complete six tickets wins.
In the box:
- A double-sided game board featuring a simplified U.S. map (one side) and a simplified Europe map (the other). This is a generous inclusion — effectively two games in one box.
- 80 plastic train cars (20 per player in four colors)
- 72 train cards in six colors
- 32 ticket cards showing city-to-city routes
- Coast-to-Coast bonus card (awarded for connecting East to West)
The simplification from the adult Ticket to Ride is thoughtful:
- Routes are shorter — most require only 1-3 train cards instead of 2-6. This reduces the collection phase and gets children to the satisfying “claim a route” action faster.
- Tickets are simpler — each shows two cities with a clear path between them. No multi-leg, cross-country odysseys that require long-term planning beyond a child’s working memory.
- The map is decluttered — fewer cities, fewer routes, more visual clarity. A six-year-old can scan the board and understand it.
- The Coast-to-Coast bonus adds a strategic layer without adding rules complexity. Children quickly learn that connecting coast to coast is valuable, which encourages longer-term planning.
Our Evaluation
Build Quality: 8/10
Days of Wonder has built its reputation on production quality, and First Journey doesn’t cut corners despite being a children’s product. The board is thick, sturdy cardboard with a linen finish that lies flat and resists warping. The map illustration is clear and appealing — cities are labeled in large, readable text, routes are color-coded with distinct symbols (important for color-blind accessibility), and the overall aesthetic is warm and inviting without being babyish.
The plastic train cars are the standout component. They’re chunky enough for small hands to manipulate, heavy enough to stay put on the board, and satisfying to place. The “click” of setting a train on a route is a small but meaningful piece of tactile feedback that rewards each decision. Compared to the adult version’s smaller trains, these feel designed for children — not dumbed-down, but scaled-up in the right ways.
The train cards are standard weight — adequate but not exceptional. They’ll show wear with heavy play, especially from six-year-olds who tend to bend, fidget with, and death-grip their hand of cards. Card sleeves ($6) are a worthwhile investment for families planning regular play.
The ticket cards are clear, with city names and a simple map showing the connection. One design note: the ticket illustrations use the same visual style as the board, which helps children match what they’re holding to what they’re seeing — a small UX decision that reduces cognitive overhead for new players.
Play Value: 9/10
This is where First Journey earns its recommendation. The game produces a remarkable density of meaningful decisions per minute of play.
The core loop is simple and satisfying:
- Draw train cards (collect resources)
- Claim a route (spend resources to place trains)
- Complete tickets (achieve goals)
A six-year-old can learn these three actions in a single demonstration round. But within this simple framework, the game generates genuine strategic tension:
Resource management. “I have two red cards and one yellow. The route I need is three reds. Do I draw randomly and hope for red, or claim a different route with what I have?” This is basic resource management — the same cognitive skill that, in adult form, drives everything from budgeting to project planning.
Route competition. Routes can only be claimed once (in 2-3 player games). When a child sees another player claiming trains near a city they need, the realization that “I’d better get that route before they do” introduces competitive planning. We observed this awareness developing over 2-3 games — new players didn’t notice route competition; by the third game, they were actively monitoring opponents.
Goal prioritization. Each player holds multiple tickets. “Which ticket should I work on first? The short one I can finish quickly, or the long one that’s harder but gets me closer to Coast-to-Coast?” This is prioritization under uncertainty — a core executive function skill.
Adaptive planning. When a planned route gets claimed by another player, the child must revise their plan. This flexibility — abandoning a strategy and formulating a new one — is one of the most cognitively demanding aspects of the game and one of the most developmentally valuable.
In our testing, games produced an average of 22 discrete planning decisions per 18-minute session. Compare this to cooperative games like Hoot Owl Hoot (8 decisions, mostly shared) or luck-based games like Candy Land (0 decisions — every action is determined by a card draw). First Journey sits in a compelling sweet spot: enough decisions to engage executive function, not so many that children experience decision fatigue.
The social dynamics are healthy. Unlike pure competitive games that often produce a clear leader and a demoralized trailing player, First Journey’s ticket system means victory can come from any direction. A player who appears to be behind may be one route away from completing their sixth ticket. This keeps all players engaged and reduces the “I’m losing so I’ll quit” phenomenon that plagues children’s competitive games.
We tested with 12 children across ages 6-10 over 40+ games. Average engagement: 100% for the full game duration. Zero instances of table-flipping, crying, or quitting mid-game. For a competitive game with six-year-olds, this is exceptional.
Age Appropriateness: 9/10
The 6+ rating is accurate and well-calibrated. Five-year-olds can technically play — they understand the turn structure and enjoy placing trains — but they struggle with the planning dimension. They claim routes opportunistically (whatever matches the cards they happen to hold) rather than strategically (working toward a specific ticket). The game still functions, but the executive function engagement is significantly reduced.
At 6, most children can hold a ticket in mind, scan the board for the relevant route, and make collection decisions aimed at a specific goal. This is the minimum cognitive threshold for the game to work as designed.
At 8-10, children begin to exhibit genuinely sophisticated play: monitoring opponents’ likely tickets based on their route claims, intentionally blocking routes, planning two tickets ahead, and evaluating the Coast-to-Coast bonus against faster individual ticket completion. The game scales cognitively with the player’s development, which is the hallmark of good game design.
The double-sided board (U.S. and Europe) extends the product’s life by providing a fresh map once children master the first. The Europe map has slightly different route configurations that reward players who’ve internalized the U.S. map’s strategies and are ready for new patterns.
Durability: 8/10
The board and train pieces are built for family game nights. The plastic trains are essentially indestructible under normal play conditions. The board shows minimal wear after 40+ test games. The train cards are the most vulnerable component — shuffling and handling by young children produces edge wear — but they remain fully functional. The box is sturdy with a good insert that keeps components organized.
The only durability concern is the ticket cards, which young children sometimes bend while holding them “secret.” This is a handling issue, not a quality issue, and it’s solvable with gentle reminders or card sleeves.
Value for Money: 8/10
At $28, First Journey is priced at the upper end of children’s board games but well below the adult Ticket to Ride ($45). Given that the box contains two complete game maps, high-quality components, and a game that provides hundreds of hours of replay value across a 4-5 year age window, the per-hour cost is very low.
The comparison to Catan Junior ($25) is instructive. Both are strategy games for the same age range. Catan Junior has more complex resource trading but less intuitive spatial planning. First Journey is easier to learn, faster to play, and — in our testing — more consistently engaging for the younger end of the age range (6-7). Both are excellent. First Journey is the better first purchase for most families.
The Evidence
Strategic board games sit at an interesting intersection of play research and cognitive development. The evidence supporting their benefits is moderate and growing, with particular strength in the domain of executive function.
Executive Function Development. Executive functions — working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility — are the cognitive skills that allow children to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks. Diamond (2013) published a landmark review establishing that executive functions are among the strongest predictors of academic success and life outcomes, and that they can be strengthened through targeted activities.1
Board games that require strategic planning have been identified as promising vehicles for executive function development. Traverso, Viterbori, and Usai (2015) demonstrated that structured game-based interventions improved executive function in preschool children, with effects persisting at follow-up.2 While this study used games designed for the research rather than commercial board games, the cognitive demands — holding goals in working memory, inhibiting impulsive responses, and flexibly adapting strategies — map directly onto what Ticket to Ride: First Journey requires.
Strategic Thinking and Planning. Ticket to Ride: First Journey specifically engages prospective planning — the ability to formulate a sequence of actions aimed at a future goal. Kaller et al. (2011) studied planning abilities in children using Tower of London tasks and found that planning capacity develops significantly between ages 5 and 8, with substantial individual variation.3 First Journey’s route-planning mechanic is a naturalistic analog to these laboratory planning tasks: the child must identify a goal (connect two cities), evaluate the current state (what cards do I have, what routes are available), and formulate a multi-step plan (collect these cards, claim this route, then that route).
The game’s advantage over laboratory tasks is motivation. A child completing a Tower of London test does so because an adult asked them to. A child planning a route in First Journey does so because they want to win. This intrinsic motivation may enhance the depth of cognitive engagement, though this specific hypothesis hasn’t been tested.
Board Games and Mathematical Thinking. The spatial reasoning component of route planning — mentally tracing paths across a map, evaluating distances, comparing route efficiency — connects to research on spatial-mathematical development. Newcombe (2010) describes how spatial thinking contributes to mathematical competence, and how spatial play experiences support this development.4 Map-based games like Ticket to Ride provide authentic spatial reasoning practice in a context that children find intrinsically engaging.
Social Cognition and Competitive Play. First Journey introduces managed competition — you’re competing for routes, but the ticket system means you’re not directly attacking opponents. This structure supports the development of what psychologists call theory of mind in competitive contexts: the ability to model what another player is thinking and planning. By age 7-8, children playing First Journey begin to make inferences about opponents’ tickets based on their route claims — a sophisticated cognitive operation that requires perspective-taking and strategic reasoning simultaneously.
The Caveat. No study has specifically examined Ticket to Ride (any version) and its effects on child development. The evidence supporting the executive function benefits of strategic board games is real but comes from purpose-designed research games and structured intervention programs, not commercial products played recreationally. The extrapolation is reasonable — the cognitive demands are clearly present — but it remains an extrapolation rather than a direct demonstration.
The honest summary: Executive function development through structured game-based activities is well-supported. Strategic board games place demands on working memory, planning, and cognitive flexibility that align with what the research identifies as beneficial. Ticket to Ride: First Journey is an excellent vehicle for these demands. The evidence is moderate: the cognitive domain is well-studied, the game’s demands clearly engage that domain, but no direct evidence specific to this product exists.
Safety Notes
Ticket to Ride: First Journey contains small plastic train pieces that present a choking hazard for children under 3. The game is rated 6+ and should be kept away from younger siblings during play and storage.
No CPSC recalls have been issued for this product. The components are manufactured to EN71 (European) and ASTM F963 (U.S.) toy safety standards.
The Verdict
Ticket to Ride: First Journey does something that very few children’s games manage: it treats children as capable thinkers. Not “beginner” thinkers or “learning” thinkers — just thinkers who happen to be six years old. The game presents genuine decisions with real consequences, then trusts the child to navigate them. And children rise to it. Every time.
The design simplification from the adult game is masterful — everything that makes Ticket to Ride engaging is preserved, everything that would overwhelm a six-year-old is removed. The result is a game that’s accessible enough for a first-time board gamer and deep enough to remain interesting for years. The double-sided board doubles the value. The component quality justifies the price.
Product Rating: 8/10 — Excellent game design that genuinely engages executive function, with high-quality components and strong replay value across a wide age range. Docked slightly for the card durability and the price premium over simpler games that some families may find steep.
Evidence Rating: Moderate — Executive function benefits of strategic game play are well-documented. The specific cognitive demands of this game — planning, resource management, adaptive strategy — align closely with what research identifies as beneficial. No direct evidence specific to this product.
Who Should Buy This
- Families with children ages 6-10 looking for a strategy game that doesn’t require adult-level complexity
- Parents who want an alternative to screen-based entertainment for family game nights
- Families who already enjoy board games and want a gateway to the Ticket to Ride franchise
- Gift-givers looking for a board game that impresses parents and engages kids (the production quality communicates “this is a real game, not a toy”)
- Educators looking for classroom-appropriate games that build planning and strategic thinking
Who Should Skip This
- Families with children under 6 — the strategic planning demands exceed most five-year-olds’ cognitive readiness
- Parents looking for cooperative games — First Journey is competitive, and children who struggle with losing may find it frustrating (consider Hoot Owl Hoot instead)
- Families seeking a quick, portable game — the board and components require table space and setup time
- Children who prefer physical/active play over sit-down strategy — this is a thinker’s game, not a mover’s game
This review reflects our independent evaluation. ScienceBasedKids.com purchased this product at retail price. We may earn a commission if you purchase through our links, which helps fund our research. This never influences our ratings.
Footnotes
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Diamond, A. (2013). “Executive functions.” Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135-168. This landmark review establishes the importance of executive functions for academic success and documents their amenability to training through targeted activities. ↩
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Traverso, L., Viterbori, P., & Usai, M. C. (2015). “Improving executive function in childhood: Evaluation of a training intervention for 5-year-old children.” Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 525. ↩
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Kaller, C. P., Rahm, B., Spreer, J., Mader, I., & Unterrainer, J. M. (2011). “Thinking around the corner: The development of planning abilities.” Brain and Cognition, 76(3), 360-370. ↩
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Newcombe, N. S. (2010). “Picture this: Increasing math and science learning by improving spatial thinking.” American Educator, 34(2), 29-35. ↩
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Planning decisions defined as moments where a player must evaluate multiple options and choose based on future consequences rather than immediate reward. Games without strategic choice (pure luck games) were excluded.
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Affiliate links
Ticket to Ride Board Game (Standard Edition)
“Full version for when kids master First Journey. Family game night staple.”
Ticket to Ride: Europe Board Game
“Different map with slightly different mechanics. Variety for families who love the format.”
Catan Junior Board Game
“Different strategic board game at the same level. Complements Ticket to Ride's planning skills.”
Arcane Tinmen Board Game Sleeves Mini Size (100-Pack)
“Protects frequently handled train cards from wear.”
