Five best board games for kids development.

When I was a kid, I enjoyed playing outside and spending time in the streets with the kids in the neighborhood. Now that circumstances have changed, I no longer consider outdoor engagements as something I want for my children. The main reason is an increasing trend and increase in viral infections, which ultimately restrict outdoor movement and require activities indoors or gaming for their development. Then from this point forward, I began to study the available options and came up with board games as one of the fun factors for my children.

While exploring the internet, discussing with friends, and playing with my daughters, I have experienced various significant benefits. These benefits are associated with mental development and learning life skills. I have found board games to be a wonderful way to spend family time together and form strong bonds. Children learn to listen, follow directions, learn patience while waiting for their turn, and learn a balance between winning and losing, which, in turn, instills life’s discipline. There are several articles available highlighting the benefits of board games however you can read one by Megan Zander as I found this more interesting and concise. 

The board games are not only fun but help in the development of cognitive skills as mentioned by Gwen Dewar in his research studies. According to him, just playing board games itself may not be effective in developing critical thinking or learning life skills but may require intellectual breakthroughs. Parents have to be engaged sometimes to guide children about the moves of the game and translating the outcome into an experience to learn. 

I have carried out a detailed study while considering the above-mentioned benefits and identified the top five board games for your growing children. These games are identified taking all health and safety concerns into account; however, choking hazards must not be ignored. Thus, whether the games have choking parts or not, it is always recommended to use board games under supervision.

List of top five board games:

Below is the top shortlisted board games for early growing children.

• Scrabble Junior Game
• Guess Who Game
• Monkey Balance Math Game
• Matching Puzzle Game
• Memory Chess Game

Scrabble Junior Game:

Scrabble game is played by two or four players. It is a board game containing tiles with the alphabet written on them. Tiles are arranged on successive turns on the board and must form the words in crossword fashion, top to bottom, left to right. Scrabble is a great game to establish a connection and nurture the brain, promote concentration, creativity, and inculcate strategy building. Based on my research the recommended purchase is Scrabble Junior by Hasbro available on amazon. Players have options to match the words as printed on the board. They can promote to an advanced level by making their own words, as options are available on both sides of the board.  

Guess Who Game:

Another interesting board game for kids and adults is “Guess who”. As the name depicts, while playing the game, your little ones have to explore the characters by asking questions. This game assists in developing cognitive skills in children including problem-solving, thinking, strategy building, and planning. Based on my research, the recommended purchase is Hasbro Guess Who Classic Game available on amazon. This game is designed for two players as it consists of two boards and several pieces of characters as illustrated in the package.

Monkey Balance Math Game:

“Numbers” what we call maths, is an integral part of learning and an essential element for children to master as they grow. Math-based games not only stimulate kids’ brains, but also encourage them to learn variety of practical skills such as counting, determining patterns, establishing combinations, measuring, and problem-solving. The recommended math game to start with your kids is the Monkey Balance game available on Amazon. This game consists of several parts as mentioned in the package and has different difficulty levels from preschool kids to early growing kids. It supports children in digital recognition of numbers, learning to count, and practicing basic mathematic formulas of addition, subtraction, and others. 

Matching Puzzle Game:

Puzzle games are a great source of brain exercise and nourish their development. At an early age, puzzle games help in developing motor skills, strengthening finger movements, recognition capabilities, and most importantly hand-eye coordination. While for growing children, these games are a source for boosting cognitive learning, problem-solving, memory improvement, focused approach, and several others. There are different types of puzzles available for kids however, I found the Dayon matching letter puzzle available on amazon more interesting. The game consists of several wooden pieces of different shapes and colors. Children have to solve the puzzle by making the same shapes as mentioned on different cards available in the package.

Memory Chess Game:

The purpose of memory games is to enhance memory abilities in children and adults. For early age kids, these games are most essential as they play a vital role in brain development. It enhances concentration, short-term memory, visual memory, object recognition and improves the ability to pay attention and focus. Although I have studied a lot about different games, the most beneficial I found is the wooden memory stick chess game as available on amazon. This is a fun learning game that consists of a wooden board, pegs of different colors, and dice. There are different ways to play the game as one has to roll the dice and based on the color that appeared, identify the matching color pegs inserted in the board or collect the maximum to win. 

Above are some games I found interesting based on benefits and people reviews. With no doubt, there are hundreds of games available but you can start with the above one as they are shortlisted based on proven results.

Enjoy, after all gaming is fun.