There are about a million ways to bring your family closer together, and one of those means is through playing board games. Playing games is a timeless tradition that encourages kin to come together, connect, and have some fun. You know what they say, the family that plays together stays together!
The Benefits of Bringing Board Games Into the Home
If you are looking for ways to up the fun factor in your home, look no further than wholesome board games. While video games and activities online often pull family members into their individual virtual gaming worlds, board games bring the gang together. Unlike video games, computer games, or virtual games, board games never up the parental guilt factor and always leave the gang feeling like they spent serious quality time with one another. There are tons of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits to working board games into family time.
Creates Opportunities for Communication
According to SimplyFun co-founder and board game aficionado Gail DeGiulio, board games provide the perfect setting for family members to communicate with each other in a face-to-face, fun, and interactive setting. In playing board games, parents and children have a safe space to practice effective listening skills, kind and clear communication techniques, and other elements of communication that will benefit everyone in the real world.
Board Game Time Brings Out Traits and Characteristics of Kin
Board games set the stage to learn about your family members. Board game time is an excellent time to lean into what your family is sharing and learn about their likes, interests, and budding personalities. As stated by Plato, one can learn more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation. Lean into the entire experience of board game play and get to know loved ones on a deeper, more intimate level.
If There's a Problem, Yo! Board Games Will Solve It
Playing board games allows for problem-solving and critical thinking skills to unfold organically. Not only do players have to think through moves on a gameboard, but they may also have to resolve real-life problems with family members during gameplay. If parents are looking for authentic, teachable moments to help foster problem-solving skills in their children, board game play provides a perfect opportunity for this essential life skill to unfold and bloom.
They Teach Serious Social Skills
Parents have the heavy responsibility of setting kids out into the world packed full of the many social skills needed for ultimate success. Utilizing board games is a means for parents to hit those social skills and encourage rule-following, turn-taking, and respecting family members during play all while having a blast. Teach kids to congratulate the winner of the game, compliment strategic moves by other players, take turns and kindly remind other players of whose turn it is, and utilize uplifting and respectful tones and words during play.
Board Games Help Families Focus on What Is Truly Important
Winning is fun, but it is not everything. Sometimes the real takeaway is in the journey, not the end result. DeGuilio knows this all too well and has worked the motto of, "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game," into SimplyFun's pattern of play. SimplyFun games have been developed to mirror a European play pattern, where less emphasis is placed on winning and healthy competition, and game positivity is highlighted.
Games Are Great for People of All Ages
Create a family bonding experience that is fun and developmentally appropriate for family members of all ages with board games. Sure, some games are geared for little kids and others more in line with developed brains, but many of the games created at SimplyFun are for people of all ages. Whether you are 3 or 103, you can likely partake in the board game fun.
Board Games Create Family Traditions
There are countless ways to create family traditions in your home, so why not make family board game night one of those traditions? Kids will grow up with the memories of giggles, quality time exciting game time that they can take with them in their life, perhaps utilizing in their own family someday.
How to Start Family Game Night
Starting a family game night is a piece of cake with a few simple steps. So long as you have the family, the game, and the time, it is an event you can easily work into family life, regardless of your familial makeup.
Choose the Game
Depending on your family's ages and interests, the board games you select might vary. The great news is there is no shortage of board games for families to try out. If your first few board game nights seem like a major flop, don't despair. New things often take a few tries to catch on, especially when kids are concerned. Try a few different games out, and before you know it, you'll have a few favorites to whip out on family game night. DeGuilio suggests allowing a different family member to choose the game each week, so everyone feels equally involved.
Set Aside Time Each Week
Families these days are so busy, running in different directions all the time. Make sure to set aside a block of time where everyone in the family can sit down and have some board game fun together. Many games don't take hours to determine a winner. In fact, DeGiulio points out that many of the games created by SimplyFun take mere minutes to learn and less than 30 minutes to play one or two rounds.
Set the Stage With Snacks
Be sure to pair your game night with fun food fixings that everyone will look forward to. Go traditional with popcorn, pretzels, and finger foods, or choose a different food theme for every week's game night. The board game should take center stage in this fun-filled family activity, but snacks will take the night to a whole different level.
Capture the Moment
Kids grow quickly, and any seasoned parent will tell you that as children turn towards the teen and young adult years, their time spent at home begins to dwindle. Cherish these board game nights and capture your memories so that you have them to look back on. Games created by SimplyFun come with a FUN memory booklet where parents can take a picture of the family playing the game, stick it in the memory book, and record details about the game. You can also create a scrapbook housing all of your game night adventures.
You Can't Go Wrong With Games
Board games are fun, they bring the gang together, and they might even make the kiddos a little bit smarter! There are very few drawbacks to creating a family night that includes a board game or two. Try out some fun board games with your gang, like Eye™, Sneaks™, Linkity™, Walk the Dogs™, Cahootz™ and Take Your Pick™ from the creators at SimplyFun, and see which ones are a hit in your house. No matter what board game you go with for family night, know that the real win here has nothing to do with the game itself, but rather how you choose to spend quality time with loved ones.
