23 Aug 5 Reasons For Families to Play Board Games Together
In the hyper-connected and always-in-touch world we live in, we think it’s a welcome breath of fresh air to spend time with our families actually looking up, laughing, and talking to each other and not looking down at screens. Not only that, playing games offers some important benefits for kids.
Family Game Night is an oasis in the weekly electronic-no-genuine-connection-desert – one to which we all look forward. We took a survey of Big G’s friends and families to learn 5 great reasons that families play board games together. Here are the results:
5. To compete with and beat my parents. This answer was clearly coming from the younger crowd, but the truth is, board games are a GREAT way to compete on an even playing field with all generations. So many sports and other activities favor the size, athleticism, and experience that adults naturally enjoy over kids. Tabletop games and card are a rare exception. Anyone who has played a hand of UNO or Bananagrams will tell you that their kids are naturally as likely to win as anyone at the table. Games allow 8 year olds to play with 80 year olds. That makes them fun and exciting for everyone to play.
4. Playing games develops necessary social and mental dexterity skills for your kids, including taking turns, being a good sport (aka not crying every time one loses), building teamwork, etc. The team at GeekDad wrote a great blog post about these benefits: https://geekdad.com/2014/01/play-games-kids/. Many sources say playing games can help kids become better students. See these articles:
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/creativity-play/benefits-board-games
3. Playing is good for you. There is a lot of research showing the positive power of “play” in everyday life. We like how succinctly this US News and World Report article captures this notion: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/childrens-health/articles/2009/03/09/10-reasons-p…. And, the good folks at mashable.com shared this TED talk about how gaming can help reverse any regrets one might have on their death bed: http://mashable.com/2012/06/28/superbetter/#cxJTglF2YuqK
In fact, there are some experts who argue that playing games actually increases life-expectancy. This article shows some of the tangible and measurable benefits of playing video games: https://www.positivehealthwellness.com/fitness/12-surprising-health-benefits-playing-video-games/
2. Games make great icebreakers. We’ve all been at the family event where the distant cousins are there that you haven’t seen in 10 years and you can’t remember anyone’s name. Let’s face it, It’s an awkward moment. Whether it’s a large family reunion or a close family night in, playing a game of any type can help gather everyone around a common experience. The trend is certainly toward more gaming, as evidenced by articles like this from the Spruce:
https://www.thespruce.com/ice-breaker-party-games-1196876 and this one from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/parents/expert-tips-advice/2015/07/bringing-back-family-game-night/
1. Games are REALLY fun. In addition to helping build confidence and teaching valuable social and academic skills, let’s face it, playing games is just plain fun. We’ve enjoyed hours and hours of laughter and learning with our friends and families around a game. And, we’re not alone. Games are increasingly cited as the preferred go-to favorite activity. http://livingwellmom.com/2016/03/family-game-night/