Life Skills Board Games Can Teach Your Kids
Posted by Jade Collins, guest blogger on Dec 17th 2021
Growing
up into adulthood offers children a multitude of challenges. Whether it’s
controlling their emotions during a difficult time or setting a budget, school
alone cannot ensure the development of these skills.
There are some lessons that can only be learned
through practical experience. Surprisingly enough, board games are a great
avenue for simulating real life experiences in a safe and controlled space.
Let’s review some important life skills and the games that can help build them.
Emotion Regulation
Self-control is probably one of the most
difficult skills for kids to learn. A good approach is to teach them techniques
like clenching their fists tightly and then relaxing, and then providing them
with moderate emotional challenges.
The card game Speed requires players to place
their hands on a card as
soon as their count matches its value. Anticipation tends to get in the way in
this game, teaching kids that their emotions can become an obstacle. But by
managing their level of excitement, they perform better and with clearer minds.
Cooperation
Children will have to learn early that
cooperation and collaboration are necessary life skills. This requires having
an awareness of the impact your actions will have on others. Luckily, these
skills are promoted by cooperative
games.
Animal Upon Animal is a dexterity game where
players take turns placing animals on top of a mountain range. In order to
succeed, children have to think carefully where to place the next object, but
also make sure that they leave enough space for the next player. As a result,
children learn that their choices can affect others, and that working together
has the best chance of winning.
Presentation Skills
Most courses and jobs require people to present
their ideas in front of an audience. Learning how to get a message across to a
crowd is easier said than done, however, and many children and teenagers find
being the center of attention quite stressful.
Cranium allows children to practice these skills
in a safe environment. The game offers different
challenges,
like having to make teammates guess a song just by whistling a melody, or an
object by shaping a piece of clay. The mechanic encourages children to express
themselves, and forget their fears.
Money Management
In order to prevent people from making costly
financial mistakes, it’s better to teach them money management early.
First-time parents can turn to other parents for tips
on managing their children’s allowances, such as giving them a fixed amount every
month, and using that to develop a habit of saving.
Children can also learn how to manage limited
funds through games. In Monopoly, players are given the chance to decide
whether to buy something as soon as they can, or save their money waiting
for a more valuable property. This way, they practice their ability to think ahead when
it comes to resources, and learn to think analytically about costs and
benefits.
Learning Through Play
Playing board games is a great way to spend some
quality time, but these games can also be powerful educational tools. Not only
do kids build skills, but they also have the freedom to make mistakes. And
through virtue of being inherently fun activities, kids will play these games
repeatedly, further developing their skills into adulthood.