5 Life Virtues Board Games Teach Children Easily

Games always remain the most accessible means to learn anything that remains deep-rooted throughout our lives. Games are for all; every child has the right to play, and it also benefits them indoors, outdoors, or online. "Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning," Mr. Rogers brilliantly put across the point to prove the importance of playing in a child's life. 

Why Games are important

• Games are the best way to refresh one's mind 

• It is the most exciting way to spend a quality fun time. 

• It opens the door to imagination

• It helps nurture the creative side

• It builds a strong foundation

• It teaches us important life lessons.

How Games evolved with the modern era:

Games are an integral part of learning, widening the horizons of our thought processes. Indoor board games were the best way to build a strong bond among family members and friends. Over the years, games have seen a change in their form and the way it is played. Before, one could only enjoy the magic of board games when all gathered in one place. But this limitation is also not a barrier in this internet era. Nowadays, distances are not the cause of concern; moreover, our mighty boards, where different color tokens and coins make swift movements, have transformed into tabs, laptops, and mobile screens. 

How Online Games build the same aura:

The transformation from paper board games to online board games has not disturbed the real essence behind playing board games. The craze and enthusiasm are the same as the physical games. Here too, each player's heart pounds on the progress of the tokens in online games. And the games involved mugging up the mathematical tables and solving puzzles; every game opened a new chapter of life lessons and made us walk one step ahead in life. During Covid 19 lockdown, we as a family explored online games, making us feel closer to each other though miles apart. 

Each phase of life teaches us one or the other life lesson, and with games, too, we imbibe many life virtues. Let's deep dive into five life virtues that board games impart:

Life Virtue 1: Healthy Communication

Communication plays a vital role in games; the words we use to play games smartly are the core foundation of the winning strategy. Board games are often four or more player involvement collectively focussing on a single goal. In particular, playful collaborative activities support young children's abilities to express their ideas, explain their reasoning and talk about their learning. Knowledge sharing through demonstrating the game to fellow participants also helps the child to build sentences and express the thought process in a defined linear way.

Life Virtue 2. Patience and Self-Control:

One important virtue that we learn through games is patience. Board games are usually taking turn games where players have to wait for their turn to roll a dice and move a coin. Every game has its own set of instructions to follow and a proper play method that mediates one's behavior, thus instilling self-regulation. Self-regulation controls our ability to improve positive outcomes and avoid negative consequences.  

Life Virtue 3. Organization skills: 

Every game is to be played in a set time following rules; certain games need to keep the coins and tokens in a particular order or require the coin to be moved in a specified direction. These instructions or rules teach the importance of an orderly and systematic approach to life. Setting goals in a timed manner in a multiplayer game always requires skills that are learned by playing games repeatedly.

Life Virtue 4. Inquisitive:

Multiplayer games stimulate curiosity and increase focus as each player starts accessing the game from different angles. Observing the gameplay of co-players invokes observation, questioning, and inquiring about various game tactics, thus enhancing curiosity. The inquisitive nature of a child takes shape through such board games.

Life Virtue 5. Sporting Spirit: 

Winning is not always possible in games and to be on the losing side needs courage and a sporting spirit. A child understands that a skilled player wins the game; destiny also plays its role in games. Grasping these life virtues via games instills acceptance and gratification. 

Final Thought:

The beautiful aspect of board games is that players of any age can be a part of the game. Board games are a way to show respect towards each other irrespective of who all are playing. The famous quote by Vince Gowmon says, "Supporting children to play requires us to remember what life is all about. It's not about getting from A-Z, but rather dreaming beyond both." Everyone needs to play games often to rekindle the child inside you. All work and no play is not advisable by the medical fraternity too. One of the most significant plus of playing games is you shed off stress and indulge in playing. Roald Dahl, the most incredible author, quoted, "A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men." Let us spark a child-like attitude while playing games.