Promote Critical Thinking Skills with Board Games

Evenings are more fun when you bond with the family. Of course, you can watch TV together or even play video games together. Yet, there's a fun bonding activity that encourages more interaction and participation from every member of the family (depends on the number of players required, though). We're talking about playing board games, and tabletop games for that matter.

While there are tabletop games that need only 2 players, there are several board games that can be played by 3, 4, or more individuals. More participants mean more opportunities to connect with each other in a fun-filled manner. The objective is to win the game, but in the end you do so while building your relationship with the family.

Developing Thinking Skills and Life Skills – What's Your Favourite Board Game?

When kids in the family are regularly engaged in board games, they become accustomed to less screen time – encouraging them to socialise more not just within the family but with their playmates as well. As they grow up, their "people skills" will bring great benefit to how they get along with others and in achieving their dreams.

Many board games require players to think and use strategy to win over their opponents. When playing such games, participants not only improve their social interaction skills but also their ability to think critically. Kids learn a lot of important life skills when they play these kind of board games. This is why schools, libraries, and bookstores have board games in their shelves – to promote literacy, vocabulary, spelling, and maths including critical thinking.

So what's your kids' favourite board game? Today at Mr Toys' blog, we highlight some of the most popular board games (including cooperative games) that stimulate the learning of essential skills kids need as they grow up.

Scrabble

Scrabble is the perfect board game to let your child develop their interest in literacy, vocabulary, and spelling. It's a game that lets you showcase your knowledge of WORDS! It makes you think and spell words through tiles of letters with score values, interlocking them in a crossword fashion on a board of squares. Your score depends on the values of the letters you use to spell the words. That doubles down the skill to maths as well!

So who says words can’t get you anywhere?

Guess Who

This game provides lots of fun for players while developing thinking skills, visual dissemination, and receptive and expressive skills in language. It’s the original guessing game in which each player chooses a mystery character, and then, using yes or no questions, they try to figure out the other players’ mystery character.

When you think you know who your opponent's mystery character is, you make a guess. If your guess is wrong, you lose the game! Challenge opponents to a series of games, wherein the first player to win 5 games is the Guess Who champion.

Cluedo

Deductive reasoning is another critical thinking skill everyone needs to achieve in life. In Cluedo, players travel around the board with the roll of the dice to solve a murder mystery. As you move from one place to the next, you try to pick up clues and cross them off your list until you are left with only one person, weapon, and room. The first player who figures out WHO did it, with WHAT weapon, and WHERE was it done wins the game!

Who knows? Cluedo might encourage your child to become a prolific mystery novel writer or a cunning detective someday.

Risk

To win in life, you need strategy, tactic, and strong alliances. These are practically what you need to play and win in Risk – The Game of Global Domination. Your goal is simple: Conquer your enemies by building an army, moving your troops in, and engaging your opponents in battle. This exciting game is filled with betrayal, alliances, and surprise attacks. The player who completes his or her secret mission first – and reveals the Secret Mission card to prove it – wins.

Remember, when it comes to taking over the world, it’s all about who is willing to take the biggest Risk. Taking risks may be scary, but it's all part and parcel of life.

Battleship

Strategic thinking, planning, thinking ahead, and anticipating your opponent's moves are what will make you win the game (unless your opponent is better in these skills). What's more is that in Battleship you also learn a bit of history.

Historians vary in their opinions on when the game started. Some say it was already being played before the 1900s, but other experts believe that the game is based on the First World War. Battleship is a classic naval combat game that lets players think competitively just like an admiral doing battle with the enemy at sea.

Sequence

You get two birds with one stone when you play a game of Sequence! Both a card game and a board game, players use a board that features a grid of spaces, each corresponding to a card in a standard deck. Play a card from your hand, and place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board. When you have 5 in a row, it’s a SEQUENCE!

Make sure you block your opponents or remove their chips… and don’t forget to watch out for the wild Jacks. Luck may play a part in this game, but you can't win without thinking strategically.

Tapple

Here's another game to boost your child's knowledge in vocabulary and spelling! Tapple is the award-winning, fast paced word game that gives players a rush of excitement as they race to beat the clock. Challenge your kids to tap letters of the portable wheel as you come up with words for various categories before the ten-second timer runs out!

Just say a word, beat the timer and win! Come to think of it, Tapple also teaches children about time management and how to handle pressure.

Monopoly

Aside from critical thinking skills, kids can learn money management and business acumen when they play Monopoly – plus a taste of how the world really works in real life. Choose your token, place it on GO, and roll the dice to own it all! There can be only one winner. Will it be you? Read these Fun Facts about the Monopoly Game.

You can play a Monopoly game differently from what you already know. Check out these Monopoly Games with a Fun Twist!

Chess and Checkers

Since time immemorial, war games have been used by people not just for amusement but to teach a variety of skills. Not all war games can be played outdoors, and chess and checkers are war games that you can play in the comfort of your home. You just need a table, the game board, and the tokens or pieces.

Capture all your opponent's pieces to win! Checkers and chess are different, but it's the same game of strategy and tactic that makes you think like a war general out in a battle of wits and deception.

Chess and checkers are traditional board games that can be traced back to ancient times. Learn more about Classic Board Games you can play with the family.

Playing Board Games Helps Improve Logical Thinking

There are multiple ways for younger children to improve their cognitive abilities and problem solving skills. Yet, certain games are actually designed to do as such. The list above are just our top picks, and there are many board games in our assortments, both online and in-store, which can assist you in training your kids to develop their decision making and other skills that will help them manage their everyday lives, especially when they grow up.

Have a look at our fantastic selection of great board games so you can choose what's best for your kids to play with you tonight. You may also want to glance over some of the Fun and Family-Friendly Card Games for Kids of All Ages.