Absolutely Yes!!!
Here are twenty-five lessons that can be learned in discussion over a game of chess, checkers, Monopoly, Scrabble, Boggle or almost any board game.
- Learn how to be competitive, and never give up.
- Learn patience.
- Learn concentration and focus.
- Respecting rules, and ethics.
- How to plan ahead.
- Learn how to be one step ahead (or more) of your opponents.
- Analyze your options.
- Every move counts, and every move has consequences.
- Use what you have wisely, to make good choices.
- Don’t be too greedy.
- Learn how to stay out of danger.
- How to deal with intense pressure.
- You can win some and lose some, and still end the game with dignity.
- How to defend yourself against your opponent.
- LUCK does increase your chances of winning if it is not gambling luck but is L.U.C.K.(Labor Under Correct Knowledge).
- Taking the game too serious, like life, can lead to stress and some other illnesses.
- Taking chances can get you into more trouble… if you fail to think before taking the chance.
- Learn how to think outside of the box.
- Good sportsmanship.
- In some games you can learn how to manage money.
- Learn to think twice before you move and speak.
- Just like in a game, people can get cheated in life if they are not observant of their surroundings, don’t give cheaters a chance- stay alert.
- Even when the odds are not in your favor, you can still turn the game around, so NEVER GIVE UP.
- A bad decision and move can be fatal in the game, and in life.
- In order to win the game sometimes you have to sacrifice something of value. The higher level you want to achieve the more sacrifice you may have to make.
At the end of the day, playing a board game gives you an opportunity to learn more about your child, and the child can also learn more about you. It is an incredible chance for you to break the ice to open discussion on topics that are not comfortable but are connected to the lessons presented in this article.
Great article! We love what can learned be learned from playing games. Of course, we mostly just play for the pure fun of it. But as our kids have grown, we’ve definitely seen these lessons being learned.
Now our kids review board games themselves.
http://www.TheBoardGameFamily.com
And I’d love to reference this article in a future entry we’ll make on our blog.
Thank you. You may reference the article. I like your website too, and hope to reference it in future commentaries.
We finally posted an article on our website where we reference this article. We’ve added one important life lesson as well – that children learn they’re loved.
You can see our post here: http://theboardgamefamily.com/2010/08/board-games-teach-lifes-important-lessons/