Playing games is an interesting way to spend time with your children. There are so many games that you could play as a family, depending on your interests. Moreover, games don’t have to be only about fun; they also carry other benefits.
Here are some games you should play with your children and some of their known benefits.
1. Card games
Playing cards is a good way of spending time with your children. There are many card games that you can play, so it keeps things exciting, and you have options for children of different ages. Additionally, not is playing cards fun, but it also offers several benefits, including:
- Increased socialization because you need 2+ players to play any card game.
- Boosts memory skills since you need to remember which cards have played to create a winning strategy.
- Improves concentration and patience as every player needs to wait their turn and follow the moves of other players.
- Enhances motor skills. Playing cards requires a player to hold cards and arrange cards in a particular order. It’s a fun way of improving motor skills, especially in younger children.
2. UNO
Uno is easy to play that involves matching cards by colours and numbers. Although a few more rules are involved, you can play the game with kids as young as three years old. You would need to help them out, but they can match cards by colours and numbers independently. Including Uno in your family time bonding time offers various benefits such as:
- Increased socialization since the game requires 2-10 players.
- Improves motor skills since it involves grasping, holding, and organizing cards.
3. Scrabble
Scrabble is a classic game and is a popular family pass time. It’s easy to play, and the rules are not complicated. The game requires two to four players. It’s a fun game that is competitive and allows players to learn words from each other. You can play Scrabble with children of various ages as long as they can spell words. Scrabble is an excellent game to play with family because it offers several benefits, including:
- Improves vocabulary and spelling skills.
- Increased socialization.
- It also helps with simple arithmetic problems because players need to add up points.
4. Taboo
Taboo is another game that you can play with your children. Taboo requires you to play in two teams. One player tries to give the other team members clues to guess the name on the card without using the words listed on the card as those are taboo. If the team members guess correctly, then the team scores one point. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins.
Taboo requires creativity and has a timer, keeping it exciting. Playing Taboo is not only fun, but it offers other benefits such as:
- It helps improve creative vocabulary skills because players avoid using the listed words while giving clues.
- It enhances teamwork because you have to work together to figure out clues and win.
- It helps you exercise working memory and cognitive control.
5. I Spy
If you have younger children, I Spy is a fun game to play anywhere. You can modify it to make it more interesting. For example, you can play I Spy to help children remember objects associated with an alphabet. You can spot an apple and tell your child, “I Spy something that starts with the letter A,” and have them look for the apple. You could also play it while stuck in traffic and try to spot different colours. I Spy helps improve correlation and memory and is a fun pass time for families.
6. Monopoly
Monopoly is a classic that never goes out of fashion. It’s competitive, exciting, and fosters socialization skills. The classic Monopoly game is recommended for kids aged nine years and above, but you can get other game variations that cater to younger children.
Monopoly should be a top pick of games that you should play with your children because
- It fosters bonding and interactions among people.
- It can be an avenue to teach children about money and investing.
- It helps sharpen various cognitive skills.
- It’s an avenue to develop skills in handling emotions due to the strong emotions elicited while playing.
- Your children can also start learning negotiation skills.
7. Puzzles
Solving age-appropriate puzzles with your kids is a great way to bond with them. It’s a lot of fun and puzzles offer many benefits to your children. However, to get the most out of puzzles you need to pick appropriate ones. Picking easy ones leads to boredom while very difficult ones can cause frustration.
Here are some benefits of puzzles.
- Research shows that puzzles improve spatial skills.
- Puzzles aid in improving concentration and focus.
- They sharpen problem-solving skills.
- Puzzles aid memory.
- You gain topic-specific knowledge because puzzles have themes.
- Children can improve their social skills if they solve puzzles with others.
8. Jenga
Jenga is another classic game to play with your children. It’s appropriate for children aged six years and above. Jenga helps children and adults to:
- Improve manual dexterity.
- Improve strategic thinking skills.
- Improve fine motor skills.
- Enhance patience.
- Improve hand-eye coordination.
9. Draughts (Checkers)
In many families, children learn how to play draughts from the older generations such as grandfathers and uncles. Draughts, also known as checkers is a fun game and kids can start learning how to play it as early as about five years of age. You should consider playing the game with your children because it offers the following benefits:
- Helps improve concentration.
- Helps improve strategic thinking and decision-making.
- Helps enhance memory.
- Helps with socialization.
- Enhances patience.
10. Chess
Chess is a popular game globally. Many people like the intellectual challenge that it poses but it can offer your children more benefits such as:
- It improves planning skills.
- It fosters creative thinking.
- It boosts memory.
- It helps people see things from the other person’s perspective in an attempt to outsmart them in the game.
- It creates an avenue to socialize and build relationships.
Entertainment: 8 Benefits For Playing Chess
Playing games with your children.
While playing games with your children can be fun, parents need to understand that this is still a learning avenue for children. Some parents may throw games so that their children can feel good or stay interested in the game. However, it’s not advisable to openly throw games for kids over four years. On the other hand, don’t play too efficiently like an adult and forget that you’re playing with children.
It would be best if you found a balance between letting them win easily and making it impossible for them to win. Playing games is an avenue to teach your children different lessons. For example, games can teach younger children the purpose of having rules even in life. You could also use games to teach them the value systems you want them to embrace. You should consider adding any of these games and others to your family time because they are fun and have an array of benefits for your children.
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