It's time to bust out your favorite board games! Not only are they ideal for parties and family game nights, but many also increase brain function and help to develop cognitive and social skills. Now wanting to play board games every night doesn't have to be a guilty pleasure.
Here are 10 board games that will make you smarter!
1. Apples to Apples
While playing Apples to Apples with a large group of people can lead to many burst-out-laughing moments, playing the game is also both socially and linguistically beneficial. Because it involves pairing an adjective and a noun, players are constantly expanding their vocabulary, knowledge of general information, and knowledge of pop culture. They must also be aware of what other players will find funny or clever. This game challenges players to find creative connections between words and to experiment with puns and irony.
2. Blokus
It's more difficult to fit all of these Tetris-like pieces on the board than one might think. The fun in Blokus is turning and flipping the pieces to make them fit, blocking other players' moves, and finding the perfect spot to place oddly-shaped pieces. This game helps players to develop visual-spatial awareness and strategic planning skills.
3. Catan
Catan involves collecting resources and building settlements to earn points. There's something satisfying about placing your cities just right so you have access to enough wood, clay, wheat, rock, and sheep to make your industries boom. Players develop strategic planning and resource management skills. They also must have social skills to trade with others.
4. Clue
In Clue players must uncover which person committed the murder, which weapon he or she used, and in which room the murder took place. Deduction is often required to solve the case before anyone else does. Players have to keep their notes organized and ask strategic questions to get the answers they are looking for. They must also be careful not to give any extra information away.
5. Monopoly
Though Monopoly games infamously take countless hours and end in someone flipping the board in the aftermath of a temper tantrum, the game actually teaches valuable life skills. For example, players attempt to budget their money, stay out of debt, and make deals with others. This game could also be used to help small children learn how to count money and make change.
6. Pandemic
Pandemic is a cooperative strategy game where players work against the clock to cure diseases. It requires teamwork, planning, and multitasking. Additionally, it will increase a person's knowledge of world geography.
7. Scrabble
To be successful in Scrabble, one needs a strong vocabulary. By playing the game frequently, players will expand his or her vocabulary and spelling skills. Beyond language skills, this game also gives players the opportunity to practice addition and multiplication.
8. Trivial Pursuit
Many people who are drawn to Trivial Pursuit already know a bunch of random facts. However, just by hearing questions and answers, players learn new information about a wide variety of subjects.
9. Tsuro
Tsuro, or the game of the path, involves placing tiles so that a player's pawn moves along its line without falling off the edge of the board. This requires strategic planning and spatial awareness. Players will increase their ability to visualize where paths lead.
10. Yahtzee
Though Yahtzee is heavily dependent on luck, players must still make decisions based on their knowledge of probability. Furthermore, continuously working with numbers allows players to practice and remember addition and multiplication facts.
Whether you are a kid, teenager, or adult, playing these board games will increase your critical thinking, social, spatial awareness, language, and mathematical skills. So shuffle the cards, role the dice, and play on!
