The closest thing to a traditional board game I played growing up was La Loteria, the Mexican version of bingo. Instead of numbers on your player card, your card has different characters and items. Instead of having someone announcing G43 like in bingo, someone might shout El Borracho, which means the drunk.
I didn’t appreciate board games until I was in college and started learning from others about the joy of playing games. I played traditional games such as Monopoly, Yahtzee, and Battleship. Once I started dating my now-wife, I started learning about other games through her family.
Once my kids were older and understood basic board game concepts, the real fun began. We started playing simple ‘Jr.’ versions of Monopoly, Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Scrabble. We own a nice collection of board games.
I want to share the benefits of playing board games with younger kids. I didn’t realize how much learning happens while playing a game.
Logic
Board games help kids exercise their logic muscles. For example, in Catan Jr., players have to collect resources to build ships and pirates’ lairs or buy development cards. As kids learn to play the game, they make decisions to give them the advantage to win the game. Each game is different. As a parent, I’ve seen first-hand how my kids operate logically and strategically through games. I’ve seen how they adapt their tactics.
Sportsmanship
Board games help teach kids how to win and how to lose. It is easy to boast after you win and cry after you lose. Board games allow kids to explore their emotions. One moment they are excited because they won and the next devasted because they lost. However, the more kids play, the more they realize that winning and losing is part of the experience.
Relationship Building
In a world where screens dominate our time board games provide an engaging alternative. Our kids enjoy playing together and with friends. The games help them learn social skills while building friendships and relationships. We can see the excitement in their faces when they have friends over and begin explaining how to play a game. We see them help their friends by providing guidance when questions come up. The best part is knowing they are making memories.
We continue to add to our collection of games. I’m including a list of games we’ve recently played and enjoyed. I will write future posts on these games and what we like about them.
If you have favorite games, please share them in the comments section.
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