Do not think about playing games as childish because it may be your best option to connect with your kids. Console games are indeed captivating and immersive, but they lack the organic touch and interpersonal interaction that the old-school games have. Therefore, it is essential that you have several non-console games to play with your kids at home. Here are five examples:
Jigsaw Puzzle
They can be an excellent tool for you and your kids to bond. But if easy jigsaw puzzles make you bored, try the difficult ones that have 1500 pieces or more. With this, you can train your teamwork with your kids and improve their cognitive abilities. According to a study, Early Puzzle Play: A predictor of preschoolers’ spatial transformation skill, children who play with jigsaw puzzles at their early age are more likely to be better at performing spatial transformation tasks than those who don’t.
Jenga
Jenga is a physical and mental game. Although it looks simple, and so does the rule, you will have to be strategic and agile with your hands if you want to win the game. If you have this game at home, spending time in the afternoon with your kids won’t be boring anymore. Unlike jigsaw puzzles, Jenga is more competitive.
Monopoly
Monopoly games are available on laptops and phones. But still, nothing beats the old paper and tokens in terms of providing the players with real playing experience and person-to-person interaction.
Monopoly is a game for the mind. Every step you make will have consequences that can affect the final outcome, which is whether you will be running out money and estates, or you will end up as the sole owner of all the available assets.
Dungeon & Dragons
You may have played this game when you were a child. And if you did, you surely knew how exciting and imaginative this game is. Unlike computer role-playing games, where everything from the setting, characters, monsters, and stories are already created for the player, the old board game forces you to be the creator for all of those elements. Besides, Dungeon & Dragons allows up to five players. Not only can you play it with your kids, but they can play the game with their friends as well.
Lego Blocks
Lego blocks may hurt you badly if you step on them, but playing with them will benefit your kids greatly. The levels of difficulty and complexity of lego are diverse. You can build a simple house, a small town, a car, and even robots. Lego allows the player to make something with great details.