Gaming

Stardew Valley!! The local co-op on the switch is my favorite way to play with my son. The game is so relaxing and once you get into it a bit it’s fun to see all of the ways we can divide up the chores and work together to make the farm better.

There's a game on NES that I highly recommend called Trog.

I believe it's actually an arcade game but you can still play 2 player on NES.

You play as dinosaurs collecting eggs ala packman while avoiding cavemen. There's a power up bonus that turns you into a T-Rex so you can smash them.

It's a ton of fun.

Ultimate Chicken Horse is easy and bloody fun. You have to get from point a to point b with your character multiple times and each time you either die or make it. Each turn you also place an obstacle each. Really fun. It's a favourite in our household. Edit: sorry I didn't read your whole post. While it is competitive it's still fun... And different.

Oh god you have to try Untitled Goose Game!!!

Good Job was a lot of fun. I played it with my daughter when she was about that age.

Yoshi's crafted world has a fun duo option that my daughter likes to help with.

Any of the Kirby games have co-op and most if not all of them have demos on the e-shop so you can try them out.

Cat quest 2 is a simple game that also has a demo you can try cauae i'm not sure if i'll be too simple.

Moving out also has a demo to try and it has accessibility options to turn off stuff you don't like about the game.

Unrailed is a cute, arcade-like, cooperative railroad track-builder.

Death Road to Canada is a hilarious parody of Oregon Trail set in the thick of a modern-day zombie apocalypse, and would help with his vocabulary-building. It's clean and has no profanity (and the zombies have black blood).

Overcooked 2 is a blast, but it can be really difficult too.

I'm gonna vote for the Kirby's Return to Dreamland remake. It's playable in single player, but it was built with one-screen co-op in mind.

Untitled Goose Game actually has co-op in it. It's not a super long game, but it is a fun game. I played through the whole game with my daughter and she loved it. You can cause a lot of funny interactions throughout the game.

some good coop games: N++ Monaco HeaveHo Human Fall Flat Overcooked 1 and 2 Moving Out Broforce Untitled Goose Game Castle Crashers

some good multiplayer games that aren’t too competitive (though that really depends on how competitive you are lol) Gang Beasts Stick fight Nidhogg 2

I haven’t played any of the games you listed, but Pico Park and Unravel 2 are both puzzle-platformer co-op games that I’ve had a lot of fun with and would probably fit the bill for you and your son. Pico Park is simple in its mechanics and style, but offers lots of fun gimmicks. I played it with one other person but I can support up to 8, and I think playing with more would provide fun and unique challenges due to the way the puzzles are set up. Great to have as a party game in your catalog. Unravel 2 is two player only and has a beautiful, enchanting art style and small bits of story woven throughout. Good music, too. I think both are perfectly suitable in themes and difficulty for a young kid, though Unravel 2 has moments where is dark/spooky or used fire/flooding as a mechanic so be advised if your kid is sensitive to anything like that.

Here’s a few that me and my kid (7) seem to enjoy:

• The Stretchers. She often keeps wanting to go back to this one. It is goofy and captures some of the Simpsons hit and run craziness.

• Overcooked All you can eat edition. Some of the levels can get tough, though we managed to complete all of them when they were individual games. Still making it though the combined one.

• Phogs. This one we have actually played on another platform, but I would hope it performs well on the switch.

• Lovers in a dangerous spacetime. This one can get pretty tough, thankfully there are difficulty options.

I haven't played my switch in years but here's a few I remember

No reload heroes - childlike but unsure of content approval for 7yo due to guns, walk around and shoot robots, find better guns as you play. If your lil buddy dies they can be revived by standing on them.

Nine parchments - be a mage and pew pew monsters on your way to collect 9 spells. Might be a little harder for a 7yo. Absolutely turn off friendly fire. Same revive by standing on downed body mechanic.

Blaster master - old metroidvania type game remade for switch that adds a 2p mode where 2p just moves target on the screen and shoots things. You control the main guy and progress while your little buddy helps you shoot all the baddies.

Mario + Rabbids kingdom battle. Super fun turn based tactical combat. Silly story. A+ game

Also you mentioned Mario Kart being a pvp type but MK 8 has a 4v4 team mode that is pretty fun to play, it's basically just who's team gets the most points in solo race format. When I played I would let my partner be in 1st and then guard them from 2nd place. Sometimes we would switch. With both of us being on the same team, it didn't matter which order we were in.