9 Real-Life Skills Kids Can Learn From Board Games

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9 Real-Life Skills Kids Can Learn From Board Games

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Michele Bloomquist on Aug 26, 2011 at 11:00AM

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a Michele Bloomquist on Aug 21, 2009 at 11:00AM

Board games might seem like a great way for your family to blow off steam, but there are also a lot of real-life lessons squeezed into most popular games, and playing them can help your kids learn sportsmanship, cooperation and patience. Here’s a list of the lessons that some specific games can teach, and which ones to buy if your kid needs a refresher, or just some fun reinforcement.

Simple Colors and Numbers

Even grownups can get caught up in Candyland’s fantasy world filled with colorful lollipop lanes, towering peppermint forests, and gooey molasses swamps. Beneath that candy shell, however, this game and others like it are really about teaching colors and simple counting. After drawing a card that features a specific color or image, kids move their game pieces around the board accordingly. The super-simple premise (and lack of strategy), makes this game fun for even the littlest members of your family.

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