The Benefits of Board Games

The Benefits of Board Games

With the wide range of electronic handheld games, video games, and computer software available today, many classic board games have been traded in and pushed aside for these more modern pastimes.  Board games, however, are still extremely beneficial to childhood development.  They are also a great way to spend valuable family time with your children. 

Playing board games enhances a variety of educational skills.  Young children can practice counting as they move their game piece around the board.  Some board games target specific skills, like counting, color recognition, and sorting.  Playing board games also promotes reading skills as well as hand and eye coordination. 

The benefits of board games go far beyond educational skills and academics.  Playing board games offers plenty of opportunities for healthy social development.  Children learn to interact with others, to share, and to take turns.  Board games also promote patience and perseverance, and can increase a child’s ability to focus as well as their attention span. 

Preschool age children place a big importance on winning.  Young children don’t understand that many simple board games are based on chance and not winning can be very devastating to them.  When they do win, they feel a great sense of accomplishment and it boosts their self-esteem.  Play board games often with your preschooler and try to help her win the game.  At this age, the primary benefits of board games are self-confidence and enjoyment.  

Once your little one is five or six years old, begin to stress the importance of playing by the rules.  You can still bend or alter some more advanced rules to accommodate your child’s level of play, but encouraging her to play within the set boundaries of the game can promote healthy social success in the future.  Allow your five or six year old to read and count on her own while you play together and use board games to stress the importance of playing for fun and enjoyment over being the winner. 

Older children will usually enjoy more complex games that offer more of a challenge.  Games like checkers or the Clue board game help children develop planning skills and an understanding of strategy.  These types of games also enhance a number of areas of cognitive thinking as well as the importance of persistency. 

Board games teach a number of valuable life lessons, like sportsmanship and the typical ups and downs of life’s joys and troubles.  Word games, such as Scrabble or Hangman, develop vocabulary and spelling skills while quiz or trivia games enhance a child’s general knowledge on a variety of topics.  Some board games promote fine motor skills while a few board games offer opportunities for large muscle development. 

Playing board games often requires attention to details and can enhance visual discrimination.  A number of board games require children to remember specific information, pictures, or clues.  These types of games not only enhance memory, but allow children to develop memory strategies that carry over to their academic career.  Deductive and logical reasoning and problem solving strategies are also among the skills gained through board games.

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