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Life Lessons That Can Be Learned from Board Games

17 September 2023

Parents want to teach their children lessons they have learned throughout their lives. However, children often have difficulty absorbing these lessons from their parents because they have yet to experience such events. Think about teaching your kids patience by telling them to be patient. It just doesn’t work - they need to experience it to understand its value.  

With board games, they are able to experience situations where they can apply certain values and lessons to come out on top. Board games help bring the lessons you teach your children to life. This way, they can appreciate the values you teach them even more and have a personal connection with them.

Here are some of the best life lessons that can be learned through board games:    

The Importance of Friendship

Kids need to learn as early as possible that they cannot be lone wolves if they want to be successful and happy. They must be exposed to certain experiences where they realise they need to work with others to overcome an obstacle or beat an opponent. 

Maybe your child isn’t the most social. After all, socialising with other children can be challenging for many. That’s precisely why board games are so helpful. Since your kids need to interact effectively with others to win, they are trained to appreciate the art of building relationships and will subconsciously understand that making friends is a super important part of succeeding in life.

Patience

In board games, patience is critical. One must learn how to play the long game and not get too carried away by events that could happen early on in the game. This is very important for kids to learn since there will be times when they may have to wait and work for something they want. Learning to wait is as important as winning. Board games will teach your children the value of waiting while still enjoying the process.

The Importance of Saving

Board games can be a great way to instil the value of saving in your children. It might not always be in the form of money like you might see in Monopoly - but it could be in the form of weapons, power, energy, and other assets. The ability to learn how to save can determine whether they can be successful in board games. Children must learn that they cannot spend all their energy, assets, and money if they want to succeed. They must learn how to budget, apportion, and control their emotions and desires to win in the long run.

Learning How to Lose

Your children must realise as early as possible that they cannot win every single time in life. While there will be times of victory, there will undoubtedly be times of defeat too. No one wins 100% of the time! Without teaching them the art of losing, your child will have difficulty dealing with losses throughout life. Through board games, they can experience losses in a way they can deal with. They are able to accept defeat, knowing there will always be another chance to give it a go the next time they play!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood

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