I'm curious. We are a game playing family. I'm not sure how that happened -- maybe the influence of my DH's family, who are into games -- usually party games, or table (dice style) games. But, we are. We play some traditional board games, and others I consider more niche games, as well as table games that don't use boards at all (or where you build the board as the game goes along...). I'm posting this because I've been surprised at how much we (ahem, I mean, the boys ) learn from these games. It's been far more than just simple facts. One example: We play a game called Carcassone, where each player has a group of pawns and a stack of tiles. On your turn, you take a tile (you can't look at it before selecting) and must add it to a current tile. In this way, the "board" is built. Then, so long as you have pawn, you may place one on the tile you just placed. Different images on the tile indicate a different role for the pawn. He may be a knight, or a farmer, or a robber, or a monk... As the game progresses and the board grows, you try to gain the most points. Some points are tallied as the game goes along (such as when a city wall is completed), others not until all players have placed all tiles (such as the size of a farm). Strategy aside, the boys have really had to consider the number of knights in a city (and the balance of power when all the knights in a city may not serve the same lord) and the advantages (and disadvantages) of farming. One son likes to claim roads, but hates the idea of being a highway robber, so he "introduced" the idea of toll roads to the budding civilization :lol: We've really started branching out, but I don't want to go on and on. As I said, I am mostly curious if other families here play "non-educational" board games that you have found are a real enhancement for learning.
My husband's side is also a game-playing family, and my boys have gotten into it. They like chess, monopoly, ticket to ride, etc. Strategy games are great for brain development, but the kids don't have to know that.
