Can we bring back board games? I love technology and I’m so grateful that children have constant access to it, but I love board games. There’s nothing quite like sitting around the kitchen table with an old fashioned game. My own kids love “family game night” and so do I.
In this society of everyone gets a trophy I honestly feel there is a lot to be learned from playing a board game. Here are my top 5 reasons for playing a board game with the family.
#1 Not everyone wins. Imagine, you have to survive getting sent to “jail” you do not pass go, you do not collect $200. Sure we get disappointed, but guess what? We survive. We learn not to fall apart when it happens. We learn the next roll of the dice can change everything.
#2 You talk to each other!! Imagine? Good old fashioned face to face look em in the eye talking to each other. Maybe we wont have earth shattering conversations, but we can feel connected to each other in a way that can only come from actually sitting and being with that person and sharing an experience. A text just can’t come close.
#3 You actually learn. What better predictor of future real estate mogul than Monopoly? What about strategy and looking forward with a plan. Checkers ( and especially chess) can help you learn just that. You need a strategy if you want to sink your brother’s battleship. Rolling dice is probably the best way to subitize numbers.
#4 You have to take turns. Honestly, enough said.
#5 Good for ages 5-99. Such a great way to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. Connecting with family members that are multi-generational is one of the best reasons to play a game together. Often the experiences of our kids are so different from our parents, but everyone can feel the joy of the “get out of jail free” card.
So put down your phone, turn off the TV and dust off a board game, I bet you’ll have some laughs and simply enjoy the fun of playing a game together.
Check out my newest writing prompt about games
