{"id":137,"date":"2022-03-02T06:40:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T06:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4littleboyz.com\/?page_id=137"},"modified":"2025-07-20T08:00:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T08:00:18","slug":"fun-games","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/4littleboyz.com\/?page_id=137","title":{"rendered":"Fun Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FUN GAMES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All ages<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board games are not just fun for players 8 to 88, but good for them, too<\/a>. Alex Yeager<\/a> of Mayfair Games shared with How Life Unfolds that \u201ca good board game gives players of any age ways to interact with each other and have an experience outside of their everyday world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elizabeth Brunscheen-Cartagena<\/a>, family life and resource management agent with Kansas State Research and Extension, suggests that \u201cboard games can help family members connect and have fun together, all while helping kids build essential learning skills as they navigate the social component of game playing.\u201d That means mastering face-to-face interaction, reading body language, verbal communication and social skills, like taking turns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(https:\/\/www.howlifeunfolds.com\/personal-productivity\/expand-fun-board-games-do-body-and-brain-good)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Surprising Benefits Your Kids Get From Playing Board Games<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Board games offer opportunities for early learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even simple games help young players identify colors, count spaces, and develop hand-eye coordination and dexterity in moving cards and pieces around the board. Plus, learning to wait your turn and follow the rules are important lessons that serve kids far beyond the living room floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. They get older kids’ brains buzzing, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board games are an easy way to encourage healthy brain development in older kids and teens. \u201cStrategy games are useful in helping the frontal lobes of the brain develop,\u201d says Beatrice Tauber Prior, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist, author, and owner of the private practice Harborside Wellbeing<\/a>. \u201cThose frontal lobes are responsible for executive function skills, which include planning, organizing, and making good decisions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. They boost their language skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board games can be a sneaky way of helping school-aged kids work on skills they\u2019re struggling with. Have a reluctant reader? A round of the BOB Books Happy Hats Beginning Reading Game<\/a> will help them expand their vocabulary and flex their spelling skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, games in which players have to remember several pieces of information at once (who did what, and where) might help a child who\u2019s having trouble with reading comprehension \u2014 all while still having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. They sharpen your child’s focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoard games, when played without interruptions, can help lengthen a child’s attention span,\u201d says Prior. But to reap the benefits, everyone needs to commit to seeing the game through to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf your family sits down for a game of Chinese checkers, be sure to complete a full game without everyone checking their phone, asking Alexa to play a song, or turning on the TV for the latest football scores,\u201d adds Prior. \u201cFinishing a board game without interruptions will help lengthen the declining attention span of kids in a world filled with digital distractions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. They teach the value of teamwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board games often offer kids meta-messages about life: Your luck can change in an instant, for better or for worse. But in addition to teaching them that nothing is guaranteed, board games are a good way to encourage kids of different ages to team up and work together \u2014 something they’ll need to do throughout life. Form teams of older kids working with their younger siblings, or choose a game like The Brainiac Game<\/a> or Race Across the USA<\/a>, which have questions tailored to grades 1-6, so everyone\u2019s challenged fairly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Board games are an alternative to time out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next time you find yourself going through a rough patch with one of your kids, consider playing a board game together instead of sending them to their room. \u201cI often use board games as a mechanism to work on the parent-child relationship,\u201d explains Regine Galanti, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist<\/a> and professor at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University in New York City. \u201cThey can also be used to increase frustration tolerance in a child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, taking turns and practicing patience during a game \u2014 even when things don’t go their way \u2014 can help little ones practice more respectful responses than stomping off and slamming their bedroom door shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Board games soothe anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They may help anxious kids learn how to navigate friendships more easily. \u201cBecause they’re structured, board games can provide an easier way to build interpersonal relationships with peers, since the child knows what’s expected of them,\u201d says Galanti. For kids who struggle with striking up conversations with others, Galanti recommends games that promote structured opportunities for chatter, such as guessing games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. They show kids how to be a good loser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you’re playing with a child who has low frustration tolerance, and losing is really difficult for them, allowing them to break the rules at first can make the game more tolerable and fun for them,\u201d says Galanti. \u201cBut my goal is often to purposely play by the rules and encourage them to use coping skills and promote resilience when things don’t go their way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, you might say: “I’m so proud of you for staying calm even though you picked a card you didn’t like. I hope next time you pick a good one!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Board games are a great way to unplug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of technology required to play board games makes them special. They are a simple way to get quality, screen-free time with the kids \u2014 and you might be surprised by how much they love playing. (Here are more screen-free activities<\/a> to keep your kids entertained during the holidays this year.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Families are struggling to find the balance between digital and real-life connections, but board games provide a tool for that emotional connection to each other,” says Prior. Order pizza and make it a way to celebrate the start of the weekend together!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(https:\/\/www.scholastic.com\/parents\/kids-activities-and-printables\/activities-for-kids\/arts-and-craft-ideas\/benefits-board-games.html)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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