Winter’s cold and dark days are upon us. All of a sudden, we are temporarily stuck indoors, and kids are complaining of boredom. Before you turn on the television and download yet another streaming subscription service, have you considered breaking out a board game?
Board games offer opportunities to teach turn-taking, communication skills, strategy and more, and they make a great family-friendly gift for the holidays. Ryan Leake, owner of Little Lincoln’s Toy Shop, 3001 W. White Oaks Drive, talks about which board games he recommends for families across all ages and stages.
For the youngest children in your family (preschoolers and older toddlers), Leake recommends games created by a company called Peaceable Kingdom. These are games for children ages two and up that work on skills such as taking turns, cooperation and communication, as well as starting counting and letter recognition. Many of these games offer younger kids physical challenges like balancing, hopping and marching – which is a great way to burn off some excess energy when you may be stuck indoors. Examples of games for this age group are Acorn Soup, Monkey Around and Get Up for Pup.
As children get slightly older (preschool and early elementary ages), they may get hung up on the “winners versus losers” aspects of game play. This is perfectly normal, but Leake said that one way to make losing feel less personal is playing cooperative games with your child, such as games in which all the players work together to win. Rather than competing against an opponent, players cooperate to compete against the game. Leake points out that cooperative games are great for siblings because they mitigate the age advantage that an older sibling may have against a younger sibling. Fun cooperative games that Leake recommends include Dinosaur Escape, Hoot Owl Hoot, Outfoxed and Race To the Treasure.
If your goal is a family game night that involves kids (and adults) of various ages, Leake recommends some quick games. Tenzi is a simple, versatile and fast dice game that can provide some family bonding during busier seasons. Buildzi is a similar game that asks opponents to quickly stack structures (similar to Tetris). Buildzi, Tenzi and games like it require no reading (and sometimes even no sitting), and are enjoyed by players across a wide age span.
If you want to plan your evening around a longer game, Leake said that Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride are games that can fill a couple of hours (there is an entry-level Ticket to Ride option for younger players). A medium-length game that is a solid option for family game night is Tightrope, although be warned, this one may be frustrating for early elementary-aged children.
Lastly, don’t forget about card games. Whether it’s traditional options like Go Fish, Crazy Eights, War, a specialty deck like Uno, or a silly card game like Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, card games are portable fun that involve the whole family.
Leake said there are a lot of small game designers that make cool card games. Two that he carries at his store are GO Oh No!, which was designed by a woman in Peoria, and Pickle Everything, which was created in the Chicago area. What better way to support family gatherings and creativity this season than to find a local game at a local store?
Happy gaming!
Pamela Savage is a freelance writer living in Springfield. Her elementary-aged sons’ favorite games are Uno, Outfoxed, Tightrope and Tenzi!
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This article appears in Winter Guide 2024.
