With the advent of technology and a billion different avenues for children to entertain themselves, board games are increasingly losing significance. It is, however, important to understand that many of the past-times that our children are exposed to are working to mar their intellectual development, not enhance it.
Video games are designed to be addictive, numbing any critical thought your children have and forcing them to repeat mundane behaviors for conditioned rewards. As parents, we must acknowledge this, and move towards providing our children with avenues to develop their intellect and mental capabilities.
Board games land have, throughout history, been an important way to help children developmentally. They existed in 3500 BC in Ancient Egypt and are still popular and relevant in today’s day and age. So why do they remain so popular, and why are they important for kids?
Board Games Help Develop Focus
Remember how dead-focused you were when playing Monopoly with your cousins? Board games are a great way to force children to focus, which is particularly important given the great degree of distractions that are available to them nowadays.
Several board games are extensively long, and sometimes even gruesome mental exercises for adults. If children are in the habit of playing such board games on a regular basis and continuing to focus for long periods of time, this will only help them in the future.
More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that board games help them focus without numbing their minds. This keeps them busy and occupied, but also makes sure that their minds continue to sharpen.
Board Games Increase Logical Reasoning
Instead of forcing children to repeat the same functions every second, board games actually help them think rationally, analyzing moves and decisions and critically concluding.
This is particularly important, especially given that we are increasingly de-valuing the importance of critical thinking. Minute to win it games for kids to carefully analyze the other opponent, their options, and assessing possible conclusions for their actions, board games can play an essential function in incubating rational thought.
Board games also allow for more complex thinking: they help children analyze scenarios with several variables, which is something that is essential for practical, real-world thinking. There exist minimal alternatives that allow children to develop the same level of thinking, making them an irreplaceable tool.
Reduction in Stress Is Possible Through Board Games
It is scientifically proven that board games greatly reduce stress. This is also increasingly important in today’s day and age. With children, in particular, stress reduction through such methods is essential because they are limited avenues for children to relieve stress.
Given that it is also difficult for us, as parents, to detect whether or not children are feeling stressful, and given that there may be certain stresses that the child does not share with you, perhaps giving them a way to relieve this stress is important for emotional stability.
Strengthened Bonds and Games on Board
Contrary to many of the video games and phone apps that children are exposed to, board games cannot be played individually. Children will either play them with friends or with family. This, coupled with the fact that board games are a great way to increase bonds between individuals, means that they can also play an important role in the social development of children.
We might not realize it, but sometimes our children begin distancing themselves from us because of various psychological and emotional functions. These broken bonds, bonds that are essential for the development of our children, can be restored by more involvement with board games, which make them an essential asset for helping kids out.
Board Games Teach Children How to Face Victory and Loss!
Sometimes, understanding the importance of losing, and understanding how to deal with losing, is much more important than learning how to win. It is inevitable that children will lose when they play board games, and that this loss is unavoidable.
With phone apps, they can pay their way out of losing, but there is no shortcut to winning board games. Understanding the importance of losing and realizing that it is important to cope with losing, is also essential learning for any child.
In the competitive world that we live in, incubating such core principles are essential for the success of our children, and it is thus that we emphasize how truly important it is for children to engage with board games.
Last Verdict – Conclusion:
As parents and caregivers, the onus is on us to give our children the conditions they need to develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. Often, our laziness and carelessness mar their development, and thus it is important now more than ever for us to re-think our child’s progress.
Board games are an undervalued tool, and given the various benefits that we have identified in this article, there is no reason for you not to seriously consider investing in more board games.