by Geetha Rao

Created on: May 07, 2008   Last Updated: May 12, 2008

A rainy day brings on a familiar refrain at our house "I'm bored!" That's when I pull out all of our board games, pop up some popcorn and we have a board-game marathon. Board games have many social and educational benefits, including strengthening family ties, promoting social interaction and providing quiet time away from the television and the computer.

Choosing the right game is also important. A game for family night should be interesting to both children and adults, with directions that the youngest member of the family can follow. A good kid's board game should be fast-paced with a short wait between turns. As kids get older, the games may involve longer waits and more strategy. Games that are fun, well made and simple are the ones that kids will play more often.

Board games may be classified into some of the following categories-

Classic board games - Checkers, Mancala and Chess have been around for a long time. These are popular with all ages and are good choices for a parent to play with a child.

Fun board games - Trouble, Uno and Sorry are fast and good for all ages. Some others we enjoy in this category are Cranium Cadoo and Cranium Carnival.

Family board games - Monopoly, Life and Clue come in this category. They are a bit longer but since the whole family is playing, younger ones can be helped along. Pre-schoolers may enjoy games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders which are short enough for smaller attention spans.

Strategy board games - Older children will enjoy games with some strategy like Risk, Chess or Chinese checkers. These are especially good for developing thinking and analytical skills. Since these games take longer, choosing the appropriate game is important depending upon the age and maturity level of the child.

Educational board games - Games like Scrabble and Boggle help kids with vocabulary and word-building skills. Monopoly improves a child's math and fianancial skills, since it involves dealing with money. Younger children can play Chutes and Ladders or Boggle Jr. Board games also improve a child's social skills since they learn to take turns, wait for their turn and play fair.

Computer and internet board games - Nowadays a number of board games can also be played on the computer. They are convienient, since you do not have to clean up a lot of pieces. You may play against an opponent or against the computer. However, this may not be a very good option, especially for children since you lose out on some of the social benefits of playing board games. Games on the computer can also be extremely addictive.

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