Candyland Anyone? (The Benefits of Board Games) | Raise A Boy

A few years ago a major game company launched a family night ad campaign.? The goal was to encourage families to take one night a week and play board games.? Granted their main goal was to sell more games, but there are many educational benefits to board games.

For Christmas gifts this year I included Candyland and a Cars Matching Game?for my grandson. He was turning 4 so I thought it was a good time for his first board games.? What I watched happen later that afternoon enhanced my understanding not only of the importance of board games but also the powerful importance of dads.

It is said that children learn how to become adults from the same sex parent and receive their self-esteem from the opposite sex parent. Thus dads are vital for girls? self esteem and they are the ones who teach their boys how to become men.

Well my son-in-law sat down with my grandson at the kitchen table and then dad explained the rules to the game. During the first game he modeled and helped his son learn how to play. The first game my grandson won and he was happy.? The second game dad won.? I could see in his face that he wasn?t happy about losing but before he could get upset or too disappointed, dad said okay let?s play again.? (I tend to let kids win all the time and that is not a good thing.)? Soon my grandson was cheering for his dad and for himself.? Winning or losing didn?t seem that important, it was playing the game that was important.? It was the same with the matching game.? A few weeks later Emily sent me a text.? While my grandson and son-in-law were playing one night he said ?this is my favorite Christmas present.?? I don?t think it was necessarily the game but the time he had alone with his dad as he learned some important life skills.

So what do we learn from board games?

1.? There are rules to every game and you need to know the rules and follow them. The rules don?t change for you.

2.? You don?t always win the game.? Sometimes you win, sometimes you don?t.? Just keep going.

3.? You have to take turns. Other people are important too and they need their turn.

4.? It is interactive with other people.? It builds relationships.

5.? Children learn problem solving and strategy. Many games involve counting.

6.? It is beneficial for mom too. Playing games gets the whole family involved and builds bonds.

It?s not just the games. It?s what goes on in the brain while playing a game. Years ago I heard that if we included games and camp songs into children?s lives, reading skills will go up. You see, there is not just one single part of the brain that is involved in reading.?? It is a high level skill that incorporates many parts of the brain that have to work together. At school we use games which children think they are playing for a reward or when work is done but really they are learning while they are playing. Games just make learning fun.? Chutes and Ladders is next on the list.

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Source: http://raiseaboy.com/2012/07/candyland-anyone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=candyland-anyone

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