In these modern times, we have cast board games and family game night into darkness. Why?

Maybe because there are a lot of competing high-tech gadgets out there, not to mention satellite TV, streaming services, video games, VR reality and more.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea to dust off our board games.

Doing so, will allow you to create a family bonding experience that’s super fun and that will allow children to improve their cognitive function and emotional development, while adults exercise their brain and enjoy their time with their loved ones.In my house, we are religious about our weekly game night. Putting our devices away and spending time with one another engaging in some really cool games has brought us together in a way that’s truly intimate and wonderful. I know we’re creating lovely memories that will last forever, and I want to pass that along to you and your family.My goal today is to show you just how important family game night can be not just as a bonding experience, but also as a learning experience for children. In fact, you can learn so much about your children and how their social skills are developing simply by paying attention during game night and teaching them the right values, such as being a fair player and a good loser if it comes to that.These are skills that will translate into their social behavior. What’s more, families gain a lot from a family game night because you can get better as working as a team, trusting each other, and simply having fun together in spite of whatever differences we may share.Let’s see what are the many benefits of family games and stick around for an article about family game night ideas so you can give this wonderful activity a try. Who knows, maybe it will become a tradition that will be passed on from generation to generation!

Benefits of Family Game Night

1. You’ll become a good sport

Sore losers are quite common and, even though it may sound harsh, they can ruin the mood quite quickly. It doesn’t matter if it’s game night or life, sore losers will have an unpleasant effect on everyone’s vibe. Not to mention temper tantrums are the fastest way of retiring game night. This is why board games will allow you to foster good sportsmanship in your family. For this reason, you should start a family game night as early as possible in your children’s lives. Winning and losing is part of board games and it’s a part of life. A fundamental part at that. So learning to be a good sport is key to not only having a good time, but of being successful.

2. You’ll learn the importance of following rules (if you haven’t already)

I’m not saying you should transform into the rules police during family game night, but you must indeed control cheating by making sure everyone abides by the rules. There’s a lot of room to play with within the boundaries of the game. It will teach your children how important rules are for structure. So, make sure you go through the rules of every game before you begin and stress how important honesty is. Especially among family and friends! If you allow your children to cheat with the excuse that it’s all a family affair, you’re setting a slippery precedent. The sooner you teach them about integrity, the better!

3. You’ll learn how to be a graceful winner or loser

Losing at game night can bring many children to tears and winning can go right to their head. Learning how to both lose or win gracefully is an important skill all children need to learn and all adults must practice. This will allow us all to be more successful in life and game night will run a lot smoother. Children learn through example, so it’s important that you show them how to control their emotions by controlling your own, win or lose. Teach them how to handle themselves when things aren’t going their way and how to be humble when everything is working out as they wanted.

4. Board games will encourage behavioral changes

Whether you believe it or not, everything that happens during family game night can be applied to life. Board games teach us many incredible things and they foster behavioral changes in children. You’ll notice after a while that everyone starts getting a lot better on the daily and that they start negotiating with each other instead of bickering or throwing tantrums to get what they want. If your children have a bit of a rough sibling relationship, you’ll notice this will improve. Not to mention they will also get along with other children a lot better.

5. You’ll bond like never before

Family game night is an incredible bonding experience for everyone involved, and in an increasingly individual world, this is more important than ever. Just a few years ago, we would come together to watch the same shows in only one TV. But now, devices are constantly streaming everything we want to watch, meaning we no longer come together like before. Family game night will allow this to happen and it will allow families to communicate a lot better. Not to mention your children will have a faster development when exposed to the challenge of board games from early on.

6. Your children’s motor skills will improve

Whenever you play a game that involves dice or cards, your children will have an opportunity to practice their fine motor skills as well as their hand-eye coordination. For little ones, this is super important because it will allow them to be more successful at writing, playing instruments, and more. In fact, if your children have trouble holding pencils, game night can help them quite a bit. Just make sure you choose the right games!

7. Board games can make your children get better grades

That’s right! Family game night also has academic benefits for your children. Many board games out there are designed to help players build specific skills, such as spelling, general knowledge, math, chemistry, vocabulary, and more. So, identify the issues your children have at school, and you’ll see that it’s super easy to find games that will allow them to improve their knowledge without even knowing.

8. Problem-solving skills will improve tremendously

Children who practice problem-solving and strategizing through super fun board games will become better at this, not to mention their memory will improve. I recommend you play strategy games because these kinds of games will allow them to practice solving problems, which is a skill that will translate into other aspects of their life. The same goes for adults! Not only that, though, strategy games will provide your children with problem-solving techniques, which is a lot more important and useful for life.

9. You’ll have so much fun, seriously!

Family game night is a different kind of fun from what you’re all used to and it’s amazing because when you bring everyone together, you have the opportunity to create treasured memories. Discovering new games is always a lot of fun, but hanging out together is what makes family game night so much fun. You can even take the entire day; make snacks together or bake something delicious and prepare a great dinner so you can spend more time bonding. After the games are over, you can even watch a movie together so you can wind down and keep enjoying each other’s company.

10. Your children will learn important life skills

Board games will teach your children important life skills. Such as following directions, respecting the rules, being patient, thinking ahead, taking turns, preparing strategies, and being a good sport. More than that, they can even learn how to read other people and learn from the mistakes of others and their own. These are all life skills that will translate into every aspect of their lives and help them be more assertive and confident.

How to Choose a Board Game

There are so many board games out there that it’s a challenge to choose the right one for everyone. Now that we’ve looked into why family game night is so important, I want to give you a few tips to help you choose board games wisely.

1. Determine the skills you want to focus on

Because children will benefit the most from family game night, determine what skills they need to reinforce. When you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, choosing a board game will be a lot easier. There are educational board games and affective board games that will reinforce skills such cooperation, sharing, and being a good sport. If you want good recommendations, read our article on family game night ideas! We go through many different board games and why you should try them.

2. Know your audience

When you’re choosing a board game, you need to know your audience. Take into account the different ages in the group and the different likes and dislikes. This will help you find a board game that everyone will enjoy. Even if the games are simple, what’s important is that everyone can enjoy them and your children have a chance of learning something new or practicing important skills. Allow your family to make suggestions as well; that way you can always be trying new things.

3. Don’t be afraid to try new games

Many parents stick to the classics, and that’s beautiful because it gives them an opportunity to share their own memories of discovering the game and playing it when they were younger. However, don’t be afraid to also add new games into the mix. These games will become just as special for everyone involved, and it’s always great to try new things. There are so many new board games out there, it’s worth it to give them a chance without sacrificing the classics.

How to Get Started with Family Game Night

Now that we know how important family game night is and how to choose the right board game, it’s time to get started! I recommend you start family game night as early as possible so your children can truly get the benefits from an early age.If it’s too late for that already and your children are a bit grown up, start family game night anyway. Just choose board games that will help them practice the skills they need at the stage they’re on.To get started with family game night, the first thing you need to do is set a day and a time. That day and time will be sacred, so choose a day of the week you know you’ll have less responsibilities and don’t allow anything to interfere with that. In other words, make it a day of the week that’s good for everyone.Once you get everyone together, it’s a good idea to eliminate distractions. So, make a rule that during game night, you should all leave your smartphones in the other room. This will allow you to bond and truly live in the present without having to think about anything else. You can play music, but avoid the TV and your phones as well.Another important thing is to make sure you choose games everyone can play and have fun with. Multi-age board games are the way to go, because they will engage children and adults alike. Also, I recommend you alternate from easy games to more challenging ones so you can keep everyone on their toes.And last but not least, remember it’s all about having fun. Keep your competitiveness at bay and remember that the main goal here is to bond, spend time together and have fun. If you forget about this, family game night won’t live for long. Everyone should have a good time and it should be a pleasant experience, so don’t sacrifice this for anything!