Family game nights and hangouts are becoming more prominent in families all around the world. While technological advancements are welcome, many people fear things like social media and playing online are robbing them of real family interaction. Game nights give you that special family time back.
Board games are sometimes considered silly, and even a bit nerdy. However, they do offer some perks. The benefits of playing them as a family include, but aren’t limited to:
Family Bonding
Physically sitting and interacting with family members helps you bond in a way that no amount of chatting online can. You can share what’s going through your minds, and engage with each other in real time. Rather than telling each other about something that happened recently, you can enjoy each other’s company, and make memories face to face.
Simply being in the same room with a family member can create or mend a relationship. No matter how much technology connects us, there is no comparison with being able to see someone in the flesh.
Games Can Be Educational And Improve Cognitive Skills
Board games require thinking, strategy, and skill. It usually takes clever thought to defeat your opponent(s). Many of the board games on the market today feature trivia about a wide variety of topics from ancient cultures to pop culture. There’s no telling what you could learn or be inspired to learn based on the games you are playing.
They Teach Life Skills
There is almost always a winner, and a loser in board games. Winning can teach you confidence, while also teaching how to win graciously. For example, you want to show “good sportsmanship,” and not be overly boastful about the win.
Losing can teach you the importance of how to properly accept defeat. Losing can also teach a child about not giving up, and coming up with new strategies to try again. It may hurt to lose a game, but the lessons that can come from it can help a child handle other obstacles that come their way more constructively.
Some board games are cooperative as well. For example, there are games on the market that involve playing as a team against the board. These teach you how to work together toward a common goal.
Make Memories
Game nights are perfect platforms for making great family memories, especially for children. That little accident where one of the family members trips over a sock, and you all laugh because he fell into a plate of cake. Or that funny joke that was said, and everybody laughed till they cried. All those moments help create family memories that are treasured forever.
They Are Simply Fun to Play
Yes. Board games are actually quite fun to play. It is a game, after all! The rush of adrenaline as you close in on defeating your opponent. The excitement of learning something new. The enjoyment of figuring out a skill you can use. Playing board games is a great way to spend time together as a family. And hey – unlike your tablet that needs to be recharged, your board game likely won’t need batteries or even an internet connection to play!