board games "improve family life"

i got this article from my favorite website, www.4ed.com, which tackles fun in the classroom by using games, either board games or card games, which either gives you lessons on math, social studies, or language. i believe in this too. in attending classes, it would be better if students are given options to learn thru ways which are fun and interesting.

another way that games does is improve family life, why do we say this, because compared to playing in the computer, where you sit down, open the computer, play the game, you are almost always ALONE, no way of communicating with others, no laughter, you just hear your own voice commenting on the game.

This article i would like to share with you will give you something to think about, its an eye opener:

REGULAR family board game nights can help families feel more connected and improve children's learning and social skills, a study suggest.

In a study commissioned by Harbro, which produces Monopoly, more than 100 Australian families with children aged five to twelve played board games together at least once a week for a

month and were asked to observe the outcomes.

The results showed two third of parents (67%) strongly agreed board games helped initiate family time, compared to 52 per cent before the study.

As the end of the month, nearly half (48%) strongly agreed board games helped the family feel more connected, compared to 39 percent before the study.

Parents were also asked to consider the benefits of board games on their children's life and learning skills.

Over half (54%)strongly agreed board games helped improve children's concentration after a month of family game nights, compared to 42% before the study.

A similar number (57%) said the games helped their children to learn, compared to 49% before.

Only a third strongly agreed board games helped improve children's social skills before the month of board game nights, comapred to 40% at the end of the study.

The study, by research company OMD Insights, also collated comments from parents about their thoughts on playing board games together regularly.

"It presented an excellent opportunity to bring up what's going on in my children's life and to get a better understanding of where they are at presently," one parent said.

Another said board games "fostered better understanding and communication not just about the game but life in general".

Before the study, the participants ranked their most popular family activities in order as wathing television, wathing movies and playing board games.

After the study, watching television and playing board games were ranked equally as the most popular family activity, with 57% saying games were very appealing.

(excerpt from www.4ed.com)