Board Games for Kids – 10 Ways They Help Learning

Board games are great fun, but did you know they are also a fantastic learning tool?

They help our kids develop lots of valuable skills and are a good way to get in some extra family time.  Both the youngest and oldest members of the family can get value from board games. 

Here are 10 of the ways that board games for kids help them learn:

1 – Math Skills

Lots of games will involve counting squares or reading a dice.  Kids will be practising valuable math skills without realising as they count their way around the board or add up scores at the end.
 

2 – Language Skills

Every game will have a set of new instructions to read and follow.  Games like Squabbles and What’s Gnu will challenge children of all ages to push their language skills.  While younger family members may not be able to play these yet, there will still be plenty of other ways to practice their language skills in other games with skills like letter recognition.
 

3 – Comprehension

Even the most simple game requires a certain level of comprehension.  Before a game can be played, the players must understand the rules and the objective.  The skill of understanding rules and behaving accordingly is very far reaching.
 

4 – The importance of Family Time

A board game is a fantastic excuse for family time.  You can all sit down together and enjoy the time playing together.  The time you spend playing a board game together is focused and fun.  Ban outside distractions like mobile devices and the television.  Show the kids some good old fashioned family fun.
 

5 - Healthy Competition

We all like to win. Board games help us to play competitively in a non-threatening environment.  But because we can’t win all the time, it is very important to teach your children about being a gracious loser.  It is equally important to teach them to be a gracious winner also.
 

6 – Social Skills

When kids play board games, they are constantly working on their social skills.  They have to learn to communicate, wait their turn, share the game pieces and interact with the other players.  These can all be tricky skills to master for younger children.  Seeing older family members model these behaviours will help them learn.
 

7 - Fine Motor Skills

Often board games will have small pieces that require good dexterity.  Who hasn’t struggled to line up all 4 Monopoly houses in the right square! Kids will be working on their fine motor skills as they roll the dice, move their pieces around the board, pick up cards and place game props in the right places.
 

8 – The Ability to Focus

A board game will take a decent amount of time to play from start to finish.  This will help your kids learn focus and stretch their attention span.
 

9 – Strategy

More complex board games for kids will encourage them to think about strategy.  They will have to think ahead to what might happen in the next turn, or the turn after that.  They will also have to think about the consequences to their actions.  There are risks and benefits in board games, taking either action will result in consequences.
 

10 - Memory Skills

Kids will learn that they can succeed in some games if they remember what has happened in previous rounds.  Games like Chess, or simpler ones like Go Fish or Memory are great ways to extend your child’s memory skills.

 

We love Board Games for kids at Jumpin’ Jack Toys and we would love to share some with you.

What’s The Time Mr Wolf - Race to Grandma’s house while avoiding the wolf.  With dice and spinners to use there is plenty of action going on.

Suitable for ages 5-9


 

Explore The World - Travel the world from the comfort of our lounge.  Learn fun facts by answering questions on the natural and man-made world.

Suitable for ages 7+

Squabbles - A crossword-like game where players work independently to create as many inter-locking words as quickly as possible.  Players can win with lots of short, simple words if they are cunning enough!

Suitable for ages 8+