Playing board games can teach important skills

Playing board games growing up probably seemed like some good ol’ healthy competition between your siblings or merely a fun way to pass the time. But without realising it, you were actually developing some pretty important and necessary life skills. 

Board games not only help you bond, but they also help develop your little one mentally and socially in a fun way. Who would’ve thought that all those competitions and rivalries during family game night would become vital skills for your children!

Identification skills

In each game, there are different colours, objects, or numbers to remember and identify. When you roll the dice and it lands on red, they have to be able to pick out the colour to get ahead.

Hand-eye coordination and dexterity

Juggling pieces and moving them around will get easier and better as you keep playing. At first, they might be simply throwing them in random directions, but soon they will become more intentional.

Teaches them how to follow rules

Getting your little one to understand your instructions is not a piece of cake. However, when rewards from winning a game are included, they will unknowingly start getting better at it. Learning to wait their turn and following instructions are valuable skills.

Speaking practice

Asking for what they want and talking to other players are perfect ways to work on speaking. Not only will they have to read instructions out loud, they also might have to recite rules out loud.

Increases focus

A strong attention span is a fleeting goal this generation. So, taking the time to encourage focusing on one goal at a time can benefit them. Seeing the game through to the end might be a challenge for your energetic and hyperactive kids, but try your best!

Social interaction

Besides speaking to each other, they might have to rely on some teamwork. Working together for one target encourages respect, attention, and selflessness (at points!)

Bonding

Some of the best memories for families start around a fun board game. It’s some guaranteed time to not be sucked into any screens and leaves you feeling connected.

Teaches them how to handle negative emotions

Losing to an annoying sibling is never fun. It can bring up a lot of frustration and tantrums. Playing games will show them how to manage these emotions and react without storming off in a major fit. Coping skills can be focused on and supported by telling them how proud you were when they stayed calm after losing.

Demonstrate how to work for goals

Playing games plants the seed that getting what you want isn’t always easy. They will have to think, reassess, and communicate to achieve their goal.