The Benefits of Board Games

Board games teach important social skills, such as communicating verbally, sharing, waiting, taking turns, and enjoying interaction with others. Board games can foster the ability to focus, and lengthen your child’s attention span by encouraging the completion of an exciting, enjoyable game. Even simple board games like Snakes and Ladders offer meta-messages and life skills: Your luck can change in an instant — for the better or for the worse. The message inherent in board games is: Never give up. Just when you feel despondent, you might hit the jackpot and ascend up high, if you stay in the game for just a few more moves.

Board Games Make Unplugging a New Habit

The lack of technology required to play a board game makes them special, explains Beatrice Tauber Prior, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist, author, and owner of the private practice Harborside Wellbeing. For that reason, board games are a simple way to get some quality, screen-free time with the kids — and you might be surprised by how much they love it.

"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!

They Offer Opportunities for Early Learning

Simple games help young players identify colors, count spaces, and even 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.

Board Games Get Older Kids' Brains Buzzing, Too

Forget flashcards and workbooks: Board games are an easy way to encourage healthy brain development in older kids and teens. “Strategy games, including Clue, Sequence, and card games are useful in helping the frontal lobes of the brain develop,” explains Prior. “Those frontal lobes are responsible for executive function skills, which include planning, organising, and making good decisions."

They Boost Their Language Skills

Board games can be a sneaky way of helping school-aged kids work on skills they’re struggling with. Have a reluctant reader? A round of classic Boggle or Scrabble will help them expand their vocabulary and flex their spelling skills.

Meanwhile, a game like Clue, in which players have to remember several pieces of information at once (who did what, and where) might help a child who’s having trouble with reading comprehension — all while she's having fun.

Board Games Are an Alternative to Time Out

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 him to his room. “I often use board games as a mechanism to work on the parent-child relationship,” explains Regine Galanti, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University in New York City. “They can also be used to increase frustration tolerance in a child.”

In other words, taking turns and practicing patience during a game — even when things don't go their way — can help little ones practice more respectful responses than stomping off and slamming their bedroom door shut.

They Increase a Shrinking Attention Span

“Board games, when played without interruptions, can also help lengthen a child's attention span,” says Prior. But to reap the benefits, everyone needs to commit to seeing the game through to the end.

“If 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,” adds Prior. “Finishing a board game without interruptions will help lengthen the declining attention span of kids in world filled with digital distractions.”

Board Games Soothe Anxiety

They may help anxious kids learn how to navigate friendships more easily. “Because 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,” says Galanti. For kids who struggle with striking up conversations with others, Galanti suggests games that promote structured opportunities for speech such as Guess Who or Battleship.

They Teach the Value of Teamwork

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 — something they'll need to do throughout life.

They Show Kids How to Be a Good Loser

They also teach important lessons about playing fair. “If 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,” says Galanti. “But 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." 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!"