In Above the Table we will cover discussions of all things gaming related. This column also gives the Meeple bloggers a thinly veiled excuse to occasionally wax philosophical and indulge in some hopefully entertaining navel gazing.
Here at the Malted Meeple we tend to think a lot about time, and how we spend it. I suppose that makes sense, as our mission is to provide a great place – and a great way – to spend quality time with friends and family. We firmly believe the old adage that “families that play together stay together.”
One of the many benefits of spending time at the Malted Meeple is the chance to actually spend time with those you love. Sitting with your family playing a board game is a great way for parents to be involved in their children’s lives, while children can feel loved and appreciated through quality interaction.
“Spending time in everyday family leisure activities [such as playing board games] is associated with greater emotional bonding within the family,” says FamilyFacts.org. “A family’s ‘core’ leisure activities were related to the family’s cohesion (“the emotional bonding that family members have toward one another”). Both a family’s “core” activities and their “balance” activities (those that are novel experiences and require a greater investment of time, effort, planning and money–such as vacations, special events, and sports activities) were related to the family’s ability to adapt.”
By playing board games, families are actively communicating as they work together—or against one another in a “friendly” way—to complete a goal or objective. While some leisure activities are passive, like watching TV or a movie, board games are engaging and create unity and bonds.
Scholastic Parents magazine lists out more scientific reasoning that playing board games is beneficial to your children.
“Playing games is an easy and excellent way to spend unhurried, enjoyable time together. As an added bonus, board games are also rich in learning opportunities. They satisfy your child’s competitive urges and the desire to master new skills and concepts, such as:
- number and shape recognition, grouping, and counting
- letter recognition and reading
- visual perception and color recognition
- eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity.”
The impacts of that time can lead to building a stronger, more mature character in your child. Family Focus Blog says spending time like this with your child can:
- Strengthen family bonds
- Increase the child’s academic performance
- Help kids develop parenting skills
- Lead to less behavioral problems
- Lead to less violence
- Lead to less chance of drug abuse
The time parents spend with their children now can greatly impact their children in the person they become. By spending time with them playing board games, they gain trust, value and important skills to help them develop.
At the Malted Meeple, we have more than 125 games to choose from for your family. Come play, and enjoy the perfect quality-time activity!
Don Polyak is a lifelong gamer, from cards (poker), Avalon Hill (military games) to Ticket to Ride (time with the kids.) He believes that games teach lessons that apply to life and business. Don, his wife Mandy and five children maintain family “game-time” as one of their favorite ways to have fun and connect. Don is the co-founder of The Impact Group, and one of the proud owners of The Malted Meeple.