Board games have something for everyone.
By
playing board games from an early age children have opportunities to develop
language and communication, math and thinking skills in a fun
way. Children who engage with and learn fundamental academic skills from great
board games have the chance for better academic outcomes than children who do
not have that opportunity.
The best board games are well worth anyone's time.
Classic board games are a low cost, easily available and common teaching tool that help develop vital learning skills in young children. They also, perhaps most importantly, make learning fun.
Games
such as “Pictionary” and “Scattergories” develop important communication skills
whereas games such as “Scrabble” and “Boggle” develop important vocabulary and
early word learning skills. An added feature of any board games is that it
teaches young children turn-taking skills, turn waiting, learning how to win
humbly, and how to lose gracefully.
We
live in a golden age of board gaming. If you grew up with “Scrabble” and “Clue”
(which are okay games) and “Risk” and “Monopoly” (which are a bit more
painful), you may understandably believe such things are limited in scope and
of interest only to kids or eccentric adults. If you still think of “Chutes and Ladders” and “Candyland” then you should know that the world of board games has changed a lot
since we were little.
Modern board games offer:
Simplicity
(Hive) or complexity (Twilight Struggle)
Abstraction
(The Duke) or narrative (Tales of theArabian Nights)
Silliness
(Galaxy Trucker) or
seriousness (Puerto Rico)
Co-operation
(Ghost Stories),
semi-co-operation (Celestia) or backstabbing (Game ofThrones)
10 Reasons to Play Board Games with Kids
Taking Turns
Turn
Taking is one of the first things you learn about playing games; times when you
get to act, and times when you wait. Drawing cards, moving bits around on the
board, grabbing the dice - these are things you shouldn’t be doing unless it’s
your turn. Playing games teaches kids that there are appropriate times for
everything, and this will extend outside of games to real life.
Game
Suggestion: Tsuro, or other games in which each turn is pretty short.
Face-To-Face
One of my favorite things about getting kids into a board game is that, they don't sit in front of a screen. Playing games can provide rich face-to-face interaction that’s hard when your kid is playing a computer game.
Game suggestion: Krosmaster Arena
Math Skills
Not
every board game requires math, but a vast number of them do rely on at least
some basic arithmetic, adding pips on dice, tallying up scores. Some require more complex ideas, evaluating
probabilities, keeping track of modifiers, like in Sentinels of the Multiverse. Playing games will give your
kids practice, improve their math skills and set them up for STEM careers
down the road.
Game
suggestion: Numbers League or any game with numbers.
Mental Swiftness
There
are all sorts of benefits to exercising your brain when you’re older, but that
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start young. Playing games is a great way to keep
your mind flexible and active.
Game
suggestion: Ghost Blitz or Set
Thinking Ahead
More
complex games require you to think about not just what you’re doing this
particular turn, but what your long-term strategy is. It doesn’t help to
capture your opponent’s pawn if it means they’ll take your queen in the next
move. The ability to think ahead while playing games will help your kids think
ahead in real life, too.
Game
suggestion: Pirate Dice, Robot Turtles, Twin Tin Bots or Robot Turtles, for younger kids
Actions and Consequences
Actions have
consequences: your actions can have positive and negative consequences on both
yourself and on others. Games give you a closed environment in which the
cause-and-effect can be more easily tracked, but they help develop a mindset
that will help you think about the consequences of your actions in the real
world.
Game
suggestion: Zooloretto Mini - a series of simple choices affects
you and the other players.
Making Difficult Decisions
After kids understand that actions have consequences, the next step is the
ability to make difficult decisions. Games often require you to choose between
equally rewarding (or punishing) options, and playing them builds your ability
to decide what criteria are relevant and what to ignore, and how to balance
risk and reward.
Game
suggestion: Tahiti - carrying more stuff means you get fewer actions,
resulting in difficult decisions.
Teamwork
Cooperative
games are on the rise, and they’re particularly great for parents. With these,
you can ignore the age-old dilemma: Do I go easy on my kids, or teach them to
get used to losing? Instead, this new(ish) batch of games is all
about working together toward a common objective. Knowing how to make the most
of everyone’s strengths is as important in the real world as it is in
cooperative games.
Game
Suggestion: Flash Point: Fire Rescue and Forbidden Desert
Being a Good Sport
Nobody
likes a sore loser or a big-headed winner. Playing competitive games with
your kids lets you model how to be gracious, whether you win or lose. They’ll
come to see that what you love is the play, not just the win. Teach them
the difference between in-game attacks and personal attacks.
Game
suggestion: Flash Duel - a bit of direct competition can teach a
valuable lesson.
Building Relationship
By
getting kids hooked on games while they’re young, you’ll have a stronger
relationship with them. Then when they become teenagers, you won’t have to
worry about them getting into trouble somewhere because they’ll want to hang
out with you and play games.
Practice:
Game
suggestion: Pretty much anything fun that everyone enjoys! Fortune & Glory
Speechlanguage-Recources.com
To
help you find more information about some games check
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