I don't know about you, but I always look at the start of school as a fresh beginning. Even though I don't work in education, I love planners that follow my children's school year. I love summertime because it's relaxed and unscheduled but there's something about getting things back into a routine.
One of the things we plan to incorporate into our back-to-school routine is planning at least a weekly family game night. As we started this business we had already begun a love for board games, never considering many of the benefits except for the fun factor. As we have started playing games even more and watched our children play more together, we are seeing firsthand the other hidden reasons why board games are a great way to spend time together as a family.
1. Screen-free quality family time.
With a pre-teen who loves video games, being tired from work and other activities, and just lacking direction often our go-to can be screen time. Whether that's in the form of a video game or movie, sometimes those can be fun but there's a point where they can be too much.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of screen time daily. That's easily eaten up during a couple of matches of a video game, a few TV shows, or one movie. Also, television is more of a passive media where board games can be equally as engaging as video games.
There are so many different types of board games now with lots of themes that you can find something that everyone in your family will enjoy that doesn't involve fighting during a game of Monopoly. But if you read and go by the rules of Monopoly rather than the house rules we all seem to play by, I am betting that one can be a keeper in your rotation too.
I cannot tell you how many stories I have from when I was a child, teen, and adult that revolve around family, friends, and board games. On the other hand, I have very few core memories around screen time. The connections you can make through games are just unmatched.
2. Board games are educational. With the many themes that board games have, they can be a fun way to teach children different things without it feeling like they are learning. One example is Trekking Through History. It's a great family game where you time travel and learn history facts on each card. Board games can also teach children social skills, boost language skills and sharpen focus. They learn to take turns, to play nicely, and how to interact with people without screens. They can also help them be gracious winners and losers and become better teammates. And of course, games offer a way to practice problem-solving skills too.
3. Board games can improve your bedtime routine.
Pediatricians and sleep experts recommend that children turn off screens one and a half to two hours before bedtime. During that time, you can use board games to help your children unplug and wind down. Choose your board games wisely, you don't want to play something that will arouse them close to bed like Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza which is super fun when you are in party mode. Games that can be good for this time period are Azul, Qwixx, and The Mind.
Happy gaming and I hope everyone has a great first week of school!
Heather Kretzer
Comments