Family Game Night: How to Have Fun with Board Games

With family members of different ages and interests, creating a family game night can be a real challenge. Every family's choice of games will be unique, so rather than recommend games our family enjoys, I will help you learn how to play the game. To avoid pitfalls, setting a few guidelines at the start can be helpful:

Set Aside A Special Time and Place For Gaming

1.) Choose a specific date and time for family gaming. Write it on a calendar, and stick to it. This creates a "sacred space" for family and makes it an intentional action.

2.) Our family has a game closet, where all the games are kept. When we get a new game it gets a special place in the closet. Having a space where the games are kept apart from other household items creates a specialness for the games and can make them more important to the family.

How To Handle Different Age and Skill Levels and Keep It Fun

1.) Take into consideration the age and attention level of the family members who will be playing, and choose a game that is slightly above the level of the least capable gamer. This allows everyone to play and will not lead to temper tantrums and bad experiences.

2.) If there is a large gap between gaming skills, or age you might want to consider partnering gamers instead. Perhaps, the youngest with the oldest - this will encourage team play and also help even any handicaps on the playing field. For example, if you have a toddler who wants to play but you are dealing with a game that requires counting money like Monopoly. The team can split duties - the younger player rolling and moving the piece, the older player doing the harder tasks such as reading and money exchange.

Why Can't We Play Playstation Instead?

1.) One challenge you may have in our technological age is to keep family members interested in a board game, when they are use to all the bangs, whistles and graphic interface of PlayStation or Game Boys and other electronic games. Sometimes finding a board game that has some electronic component to it can avert this. I have even seen phonics games for younger children that have speaking modules. An alternative is to find a board game that features characters from their favorite games or movies. For example, we have a Star Wars chess set.

2.) Sometimes it helps to turn off all electronics (except lights, but we have even used candles). Declare the hour or two you play board games as a no electronics night. No television in the background, no music, just the thrill of the challenge of the game at hand. It helps to even turn off the phone so you can have quality time with the family without interruptions.

The Importance of Playing the Game, Instead of Winning the Game

1.) Just about everybody wants to win, it's human nature. But, for every winner there is a sore loser. Our family has found it best to focus on the actions of playing the game, enhancing our skills, and learning to take turns rather than on who actually wins.

Game night, when about the family, instead of the game can help encourage social skills such as turn-taking and graceful winning and losing. It can help family members learn to work as a team, and respect one another's strengths while helping to overcome their weakness.

I remember playing board games as a kid, and then in college our friends had Thursday board game nights. There is a nostalgia and a need of family togetherness that cannot be claimed by anything other than rolling the dice to go around a board, or spinning a dial to advance. I wish every family were intentional enough to take the time and space to breathe deeply in the joy of family game night instead of everyone going their separate ways.

Long ago, the hearth was the center of the home where families would gather for the meal. These days, it seems the car and going places, doing things is the modern day hearth. Why not take a step back and create a mid-point for your family, a place of togetherness in family game night, where you allow everything else but the moment of being together and enjoying one another to slip away. It's great stress relief!