We play everything from Candy Land to Dungeons and Dragons in our house and I’m here for all of it! Children who love strategy, logic, and problem solving activities can often attribute that enjoyment to hours and hours spent with family members around the table playing board games. No offense, flashcards, but you’re just not as fun. So grab that dusty cardboard box off the shelf or go out and pick a new one. Here’s why… Games include the entire family. There are appropriate games for every age and skill level, but I love it when we find a game that the whole family can play. Our youngest child always felt included. She would either move the game piece for us or roll the dice. When playing Scattergories, she can write any word while we write words that start with a certain letter. Simply playing with the trains in Ticket to Ride or the farm animals in Agricola kept her happy, but she was soaking in everything around her and was part of the conversation and the laughter. Games create happy memories. Board games provide us with an easy way to be present, connect with our kids, and enjoy our families. Adding board games to your routine will naturally eliminate hours of screen time which is linked to low test scores, anxiety, and depression. If you’re up for the challenge, make one day on the weekend a game day and no screens allowed. If you stick to it, your kids will come to look forward to this day. I know mine do. And they love yelling at us to put our phones away! Board games can lead to great conversations and much laughter, especially with our tweens and teens. Add to the fun by hosting another family for game night or let each family member take turns picking a game to play. Games that make us belly laugh: Exploding Kittens, Telestrations, and Codenames. Games build confidence. Board games allow us to socialize with others while eliminating the pressure of needing to find things to talk about. When kids come up with a strategy on their own, they start to see themselves as intelligent and capable. Cooperative games, where you win or lose as a team, are perfect for building self-assurance and developing communication skills as everyone works together toward a common goal. Our favorite co-op games: Forbidden Island, Pandemic, and Scotland Yard. Games foster creativity and increase attention spans. Games bring out our creativity and individuality. Waiting your turn, listening to directions, and anticipating future events are just a few of the skills games provide children. And they increase a child’s attention span and ability to focus on a task. Sitting for an entire game with no screens to entertain builds patience. Games that encourage creativity: Concept, Mysterium, Cranium, and Dixit. Strategy and decision-making skills. Game play allows us to practice decision making and problem solving without the stakes being too high. Healthy opportunities to face stressful situations lead to better coping skills that kids can take with them. These games are helping our kids build logic, reason, planning, and memory. Our favorite strategy games: Kingdomino, Dominion, and Settlers of Catan. If you want to try before you buy, you’ll love Just Games in Penfield because they let you rent them. The best part: if you find a game you love and decide to purchase a brand-new box, you get your rental fee back. The staff are all avid players and love to take the time to help you find something perfect for you. We have found so many great games there that we would have never tried otherwise! Learn more at justgamesrochester.com.
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