On a rainy Sunday, board games are the perfect activity for families with kids of all ages. They're engaging, entertaining, and can even promote brain growth. Here are three card games experts love.
Why Card Games Are Worth Playing for Family Card Games for Rainy Days
Yes, card games are fun. "Board games require using frontal brain functions such as planning - problem solving, decision making, and inhibiting responses," she says. These skills are further refined when kids learn to manage frustration and handle conflict with competitors .
Research in preschool children has found that both competitive and cooperative board and card games increased prosocial behaviors such as sharing and complimenting or helping others.
Some games can help children brush up on basics such as addition and multiplication or learn new things such as animal facts and country capitals. And nearly all provide plenty of opportunity for teachable moments, whether teaching a preschooler to recognize numbers and colors or reminding a third grader to be a good sport.
Splendor: A Gem Merchant Game With a Renaissance Theme
The first player with 15 prestige points wins. Sounds complicated - but Learning Splendor's rules takes only about 15 minutes, and it's easily portable for game nights or trips.
The game consists of 240 cards and 144 colored stones and takes about 30 minutes to play. It's designed for two to four players, ages 8 and older. "This one is great for families because it's quick to learn but has real strategic depth," Paumgarten says.
Click Clack Lumberjack: A Fast-Paced Timber-Themed Challenge
In this fast-paced timber-themed challenge, players tap a stack of tree trunk discs to knock off bark for points - but watch out: Knock off the wrong disc and lose points or win the game for another player. Click Clack Lumberjack helps children develop fine motor skills and practice basic arithmetic. "The setup is super-easy," says Paumgarten.
"It's also nice because it's short." The game, which takes five to 10 minutes to play, is for two to six players, ages 6 and older. One potential drawback: "There's a little bit of luck involved - which some people like and some don't," he says.
Sushi Go: A Family-Friendly Card Game That Teaches Multiplication and Strategy
This card game, which takes about 30 minutes to play, involves collecting sets of sushi. Because the goal changes from round to round, "it keeps your brain working -" says Paumgarten. You have to think ahead to get the best score, he says. The game consists of 108 cards and is for two to five players, ages 8 and older.
"Our family really likes this one," he says. Paumgarten also likes that the game promotes learning. "My daughter likes that it involves multiplication. She's just learning that in school," he says. "She understands the concept - but being able to play with it in a game setting is a whole different thing."
Should You Switch From Video Games to Card Games?
More than two-thirds of American parents play video games with their children at least once a week, according to a 2018 study by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). The number one reason parents play video games with their children is because it's fun for everyone, with more than half of American parents enjoying playing as much as their children. But card and board games are better suited for promoting social interaction among families and groups of friends, says Paumgarten. "A video game isn't a very good way to spend time with people face-to-face," he says.
Board games are more social - allowing the participants to interact and communicate with each other. So on a rainy Sunday, board games are the perfect activity for families with kids of all ages.
References
- require using frontal brain functions - childdevelopmentclinic.com.au
- one reason parents play video - theesa.com
