This is a collaborative post
Do you have any fond memories of playing board games when you were a child? I do! I remember going to my nans after school and playing so many rounds of Cludo. I loved the murder mystery aspect of the game and trying to work out who had done the crime. I also loved a good game of monopoly and love how many versions there are of it now. Board games feel like a traditionally family pastime and there is so much choice. With Christmas just around the corner I wanted to talk about the benefits of board games and how they can become a part of your family Christmas traditions. If you’re looking for new games to play The Works has a great range to choose from.
Communication & Human Interaction
I think this is really important, especially for children because it gets you interacting with each other. There are so many great games for all different ages that can really help with skill building. This is also a really good way of encouraging children to follow instructions and teach them rules and boundaries in a fun way.
Critical Thinking
Certain games are great for making deductions like Cludo as well as problem solving. Lots of games getting you thinking about strategy. Chess is a great example of this and I think monopoloy can be too as well as teaching you about money (even if the sums are wildly different to real life!). This article on the guardian website discusses how board games can help boost early maths skills.
Quality Family Time
We are all so busy these days and have different schedules so planning in some quality family time with a good board game is a great way to unwind at the end of a stressful week. It gives everyone something to look forward to, play a game together and just enjoy each others company. We don’t do this enough as a family but when we do we always have fun.
Screen Free
Parents are constantly worried about the amount of time their child spends on screens and so board games offer a great alternative to give family something to do away from the screens. If you do want to involve some technology into board games there are loads of amazing options that bring digital home things like Alexa in which give you access to so much more information. I really love games that embrace technology and spending family time together. Quiz games are always good fun.
Can Get You Laughing
Alongside board cames there are also some excellent card games. One of our favourites is a game called Randomise which gets us laughing without fail every time we play it. It can be played with different ages and different family members as well as being portable. I love that we can play it in bigger groups and its a good hour of laughing and having fun which, as they say, is the best medicine when you’re feeling a little despondent.
Escapism
There are some amazingly creative board games around right now. Long fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons can provide hours of escapism. These are like the original role playing games and can be turned into a whole evening of fun. Escapism from busy lifestyles is good for all of us to just feel better about things every now and again.
Team Work
Some games are great as team building excercises or pitting families against each other. Family Fortunes is a great board game example of this as you have to work together to win. You can make your own team race games like who can build a tower the fastest out of spaghetti and things like that. They get you talking to each other and trying to work things out together. Outside garden games are also great team building options too.
Inexpensive
Board games are a good gift idea and they’re not too expensive. They can be played over and over again and often last years. They can be passed down to younger generations and played with all kinds of family members. They don’t always require any power to play them except the cost of the lights and are great for taking away on holidays too. This article shows 24 beautiful board games to try.
Can Become a Family Tradition
This is usually how we play with extended family. My mum gets a game out every Christmas which is always good fun. We are going to have to get one for us to play at home this year with the kids as we won’t be able to go over and play with everyone else. I think we could easily make this another tradition on Christmas eve with mugs of hot chocolate. A new board game could make an excellent edition to a Christmas eve box.
Suitable for all Ages
The great thing about board games is the are age inclusive. There are games for all the family. There are even adult only board games around which are always hilarious and can make a fun night in with friends away from the screens.
Do you have a favourite board game?
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