5 Life Lessons that Monopoly Teaches Children
22 September 2023
Monopoly was released in the early 1900s, but it's a timeless classic, with hundreds of different versions themed for cities, football clubs, movies, and more. It’s a great board game for kids, teenagers and adults. They might tell you they’re too old to play it, but trust us when we say - everyone loves a good old game of Monopoly!
Aside from the obvious fun factor, parents love to let their kids play Monopoly because, through this board game, their children learn a lot while also having fun with their friends or family. Let’s go through 5 lessons your child can learn from playing Monopoly...
Social Interaction
Many parents find it hard to encourage their kids to socialise with other children of different ages and adults. In this regard, Monopoly is beneficial since when a child plays this game, they will have no choice but to engage with other players (and they’ll enjoy doing it!). Your child will need to think of strategies to beat the other players, and they’ll have to communicate as that’s what the game entails constantly. If you’ve ever played a game of Monopoly before, you know the shouting that takes place when someone lands on your property and has to pay up! There’s just always something going on. The result? Your children will improve their social skills without them even noticing.
Patience
To prepare for the realities of life, your child must learn the value of patience. They’ve got to be able to look at the big picture and be willing to play the long game. There will be many times in your child’s life when they cannot instantly get rewarded. In these cases, they must be ready to remain calm, stay patient, and wait for the perfect opportunity. In Monopoly, a player without patience will lose since they’ll buy anything they land on and run out of money quickly.
Saving
This one links to being patient - your child must learn to save. To win in Monopoly, you’ve got to manage your budget carefully and make the best out of your resources. A player who spends money on every single opportunity will eventually lose. Your child will learn that as long as they learn how to save money, they’ll be able to take advantage whenever great opportunities present themselves.
Diversifying
Diversifying is a big word for kids, but they’ve got to learn that they can’t put all their eggs in one basket. Being smart and diversifying where their money goes is a great skill that can be learned through Monopoly. In Monopoly, your kids will quickly learn to put their money in different places to benefit from all the advantages enjoyed by various sectors.
Negotiating
In Monopoly, a player may sometimes need to negotiate a trade with other players. To build your assets, you must let go of some of your properties to gain new ones. To do this, one must have good negotiating skills. This is one of the greatest life lessons that can be learned by your child while playing Monopoly. There might be a lot of shouting and screaming, but it’s a lot of fun trying to make a deal!