Did you enjoy playing board games?
I came across this article from the Daily Telegraph 6th October 2012 – Families Suffer as Games Lose Luster – http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/tvs-monopoly-sees-board-games-fold-up/story-fncvk70o-1226489489387. The article says that AUSTRALIAN families are getting bored with board games and figures show an almost 50% slump in the number of games sold since 2008… Leading child psychologist Dr John Irvine said the bonding families create through board games is disappearing. He said as well that games such as Monopoly or Cluedo could play an important role in family life, teaching children how to cope with failure, promoting communication and developing important bonds.
What do you think?
I am very sure you grew up with board games, jigsaw puzzles and card games. So what happened to them? Do you still have them at your home? Have you introduced board games to your children or a game of cards lately (and not on the computer)? School holidays would be a great time to introduce board games or card games to them.
I remembered when I was growing up we played various board games such as monopoly, and played card games during the weekend or school holidays. Our cousins and friends would normally drop by and we would have a full day of board game sessions, talking and eating nonstop…bonding, talking, playing, eating…
Sometimes, someone would leave the table, upset at losing the game, but joined the session again after he or she realised that no amount of temper tantrums would do anything when we were busy enjoying ourselves! Also, I remembered losing every single dollar in Monopoly games; it was not a good feeling, but each time I bounced back with new and improved strategies for playing better.
I still have board games at home as well as cards. We taught my children how to play poker, gin-rummy, fishing, bluff and many more card games.
Benefits of card games and board games
Card games teach kids (and adults) all about strategies, fair game, and good sportsmanship as well. It is fantastic tool to train your thinking, learn strategies and improve your mental arithmetic.
All board games and card games when played with family members or friends are a fantastic way to create connections and create bonding – that’s provided no money is involved. On top of that, they are strategy games, as it requires the child to really focus and think.
Therefore I agree with Dr John Irvine as he said that board games such as “Monopoly or Cluedo could play an important role in family life, teaching children how to cope with failure, promoting communication and developing important bonds”.
If you have not done so for a while, give it a go. In fact, I will be taking out the cards tonight…it has been gloomy and wet today, so a great day to order some pizza and battle with my children a few rounds of “Gin rummy” and “Bluff”.
I am interested to know whether you still have board games lying around in the house. Have you ever had a game with your children? If you have not, it is probably a good idea to re-introduce games to your family. The best thing about board games or card games is there is no limit to age groups; it is all about creativity and strategy!
Love to hear from you; share your thoughts in the comments below or via the Facebook Page.
Next eNews, let’s look at electronic games…how does that compare to the board games?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.