Put down those screens, turn off the TV and get into teams for game night! When you think of a family game night, do you have the mental image of reading board games or playing cards? The truth is there’s much more to family time than that. In fact, modern technology can make it harder for families to come together. A family games night can have a positive impact on your child’s education, sportsmanship, brain development, and importantly family connection.
While sitting at a restaurant have you ever noticed the family that’s slouched over, heads down, phones in hand all online connected to everyone but totally disconnected from each other? As parents, we all know the importance of quality family time, but with our busy lifestyles, some families lose that vital connection and drift apart, finding themselves embedded in their screens scrolling online, making virtual connections but not connecting physically.
Games build connection and strengthen relationships
Quality time together builds connections within the family between parents and children, siblings, and close friends when having fun and engaging in something rewarding collectively. Older siblings can help their younger siblings while younger siblings can learn from everyone around them. Plus, I’ve heard parents say that they also learn from their little ones every day.
According to psychcentral.com, games create bonding time to connect family members that would otherwise not have connected by placing them in a situation where they interact with each other by communicating, laughing, being silly, or learning depending on the game of the night.
Games teach sportsmanship and life skills
Games also teach good sportsmanship by showing that cheating and winning isn’t the best way and playing honestly creates good relationships. Playing games with our children can enforce positive team relations by not gloating when they win or whining when they lose but instead be gracious winners and good losers (psychcentral.com).
Life skills such as taking turns, being patient, following directions, and strategizing (psychcentral.com). All of these skills can be practiced every time children play a game. This will ultimately form part of their nature and will be applied in their everyday life.
According to highlandspringsclinic.org in 10 benefits of spending time with family, helps children perform well academically: on average, children who spend more time with their parents tend to do better in school. They learn and practice communication that is a vital tool for any child in order to make friends, talk to others, communicate feelings, and mentally grow. This leads us to our next point.
Games boost brain development
Kara Carrero, an advocate of parental freedoms, intentional parenting, and natural motherhood writes how games aid brain development. All games have rules. Understanding, reading and remembering those rules all add to thinking critically, and in return boosts brain development in children. Debriefing after games for example telling children how they did, strategies they should have, and general positive feedback of improvements all help with development and learning. (karacarrero.com)
How Playwhizz can help
So what games should you play? Tired of monopoly and go fish? New games will bring interest to the table and we have just that: visit https://www.playwhizz.co.za/product-category/family-games/ to check out our catalogue and rent these unique games that are more than just games
References:
https://psychcentral.com/lib/family-fun-in-a-box#1
https://karacarrero.com/why-start-family-game-night/
https://highlandspringsclinic.org/blog/the-top-ten-benefits-of-spending-time-with-family/
