Family board games: a fun way to grow

It’s Friday night. Snacks, candies, beverages. Today is a special day; it’s time for you to get together with the people you love and have a great time with family board games. It is a leisure time that you must take care of carefully; you are forming unforgettable memories for your children and a playful way of learning. It doesn’t matter if they win or lose; the important thing is coexistence. Let´s play!

Board games, family activity par excellence

Playing is a natural part of children’s development and a fun way to explore the world and learn. When adults get involved in the activity, in addition to being exciting for the little ones, family ties are strengthened.

According to the Toy Technological Institute (AIJU) research, games help keep motor and mental skills active. Let’s talk in particular about board games, integrated from early childhood. These optimize their communication skills, increase their levels of self-esteem, enhance social contact and communication, and contribute positively to maintaining sensory and motor skills.

For these and many other fun reasons, why don’t you dust off the ones you have at home? Imma Marín, a pedagogue member of the Children’s Play Observatory of the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers (AEFJ), reminds us that 10 or 15 minutes a day are enough for children to begin to get all the benefits of playing.

What can we play?

From the traditional board games to current proposals:

Domino

It helps improve mathematical ability, visual perception, attention, and memory. This traditional game has versions with children’s characters to attract the attention of the little ones.

Puzzles

One of the most popular games that helps strengthen memory, increase motor coordination and develop patience. The 500-piece sets are ideal for finding a moment of concentration and relaxation; there are options with their favorite characters for the little ones.

Chess

Mental and strategy game favors the activation of analysis, reasoning, and strategic problem-solving processes.

Hedbanz

This is one of the funniest and most popular board games in recent years; the contestant must guess which character it is through questions. Creativity, memory, and patience are strengthened between card and card.

Children vs. Parents

Here the skills and intelligence of parents and children are put to the test. Adults must answer questions about children’s things, and children will answer adult questions.

Pictionary and Taboo

Great fun to play in teams. Players will have to guess words and phrases through drawings and words. It is ideal for encouraging creativity, imagination, and originality.

Twister

Depending on the roulette, the classic mat is placed on the ground for players to put their feet and hands. The pedagogical values offered by this board game are found in spatial orientation, which represents an ability to position oneself and move inside and outside the mat.

Jenga

Participants must remove wooden blocks from the tower, trying not to knock them down.

One

The objective of each player is to get rid of all the cards that each one has or are drawn during the game. When the last card is left, the participant must say out loud ONE! or they will be penalized by drawing more cards.

Mikado

Each player must try to remove a stick without moving the others. Every time we get one, we add points. When trying to take one out, we automatically lose the turn when moving the sticks.

Hey, don’t be angry!

You have to take your marbles to the finish line; as you go around the board, you can collide with a rival who gets your marbles and makes you start over.

More benefits of playing as a family

• By creating a scenario of understanding and communication, spontaneous learning is fostered.
• They promote self-esteem and interfamily relationships.
• They provide security by allowing you to experience positive situations of attachment and security.
• They facilitate the exchange of experiences and enhance social and emotional skills.
• They increase emotional control as children learn to influence others and regulate their emotions.
• The created environment allows the child to interact creatively with the world, encouraging his imagination. It is known that “Imaginative children are less aggressive, more tolerant, and are more successful in school tasks,” says pedagogue Imma Marín.
• Parents involved in their sons’ and daughters’ games are much more likely to raise happy boys and girls.
• Through board games, you teach children to respect rules, know how to win and lose, tolerate frustration, and communicate and express emotions.
• They are cheap; you do not need to install a console or a tablet.

There are educational board games where kids can exercise their mathematical thinking or logic. Others teach values, give them a taste of the world and competition, require strategy, or invite them to stimulate their mental agility. There are for all tastes, ages, and different difficulties. Ready for a game?

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version

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