When was the last time he entertained with Board games? If a long time has spent since then, this is the perfect time to start, since, in addition to being fun, they can provide multiple benefits at mental, emotional and social level.
According to psychologist Daniella Feterman, board games can strengthen interpersonal connections and offer spaces to reinforce assertive communication. In addition, some games allow the development of cognitive functions such as attention and memory.
“Table games, without a doubt, They are excellent tools for mental health and brain stimulation of people”Adds the psychologist María Renée Ordóñez. The specialist adds that this type of games reduces the levels of stress and anxiety because they require concentration.
Therefore, the mind and body disconnect from problems and routines. In addition, these activities allow us to connect with the present moment, without thinking of past eventualities or future concerns.
According to Feterman, some of the useful games for this goal are one, Jenga, Rummi, Boggy, Enough and Mimic, since they are easy to learn and suitable for all ages. In addition, it points out that they are ideal for creating links spontaneously.
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What benefits do board games provide to our mental and emotional health?
- Allow human contact to resume at any ageexplains Paula Sierra, volunteer of the New Acropolis Board Game Club. And emphasize that, with the rise of social networks, these relationships have been affected, so activities such as board games strengthen interpersonal relationships.
- Improve Planning, memory, logical reasoning and concentration skillsboth in the short and long term, and are excellent preventive measures against cognitive impairment, according to Ordonez.
- Decreases Stress levels, while promoting healthy funthey say both Sierra and Ordonez.
- Encourage social connectionsbecause the majority of board games require at least two participants, which strengthens links, communication and friendship.
- They allow us to work in the management of emotions. “Something that I love about board games is that they help us in an incredible way in emotional regulation, because We must tolerate frustration, accept defeats, regulate impulses and even handle victories”, Mentions Ordonez.
- They drive the Creativity development and imagination in people of all ages.
- They encourage flexibility at the time of looking for effective solutions to achieve certain objectives.
- Skills are practiced that involve communication and empathy: Listen, leadership, negotiation and understandingwhich favors the strengthening of emotional ties, empathy and belonging, says Ordóñez.
- Allow to reflect on our ethical decisions, since some need to overcome other participants and respect the shiftsSierra mentions.
- They allow integration between people of different ages. According to Feterman, to enjoy these benefits, the ideal is to choose the games according to the group’s energy and their goal (connect, laugh or think).
“Avoid imposing. The idea is to achieve integration, and that is achieved by offering a space for all. Keep in mind that the goal is not so much to win, but to share from the presence and authenticity,” says the specialist.
Board games for children as a therapeutic tool
In addition to providing benefits to the mental health of adults, Table games are effective tools in therapy for the regulation of children’s emotionsaccording to psychologist Diana Lang.
The specialist states that board games can be used in therapy to regulate emotions such as anger, frustration or anxiety. “For example, by working anger with a patient we use the domino to exemplify the domino effect and its consequences”, He mentions.
In addition, Lang comments that emotions of various types can be worked, not only with children, but also with adults. It emphasizes that adults are the emotional regulators of children, so it is advised that, when boarding games are used, a adult is present, not only to regulate the game, but also to create a confidence link with the child.
In general, the specialist recommends a game space a week to generate safe attachments, allow free game spaces with defined time and that parents also watch over their own emotional health, so that this positively impacts the lives of their children.
In addition, it is important to emphasize that the game reduces exposure to mobile device screens, a positive effect that should not be underestimated.
What board games are the ideal to enjoy these benefits?
According to the interviewees, Choosing the ideal game will depend on the purposes of the participants, their age and the strategies that wish to develop. In the case of adult games, these are some ideas that Sierra suggests to stimulate coexistence and some thought skills:
- Scrabble. This game develops language skills. It has no age limit or requires previous experience.
- Rummy-o. This alternative stimulates strategies and the ability to solve problems.
- Enough and its variants. Some variants of enough are played with timer. They stimulate patience, language and social skills.
- Chess. Among the most recommended games, it strengthens the mind, strategy and creativity from a pedagogical point of view.
Board games suitable for all audiences
If you want options to play with family with members of all ages, these alternatives can be useful:
- ONE. It is a card game whose goal is to run out of cards in hand. Each player starts with seven cards and can accumulate more during the game if he can’t play. If you do not have a compatible letter in number or color, or a wild card, you must take a deck.
- Mime. Funny and dynamic activity in which a person represents words or phrases without speaking, only with gestures, facial expressions and movements. Ideal for family or friends gatherings.
- Jenga. This game requires skill and balance. It consists of removing blocks from a wooden tower and placing them at the top without it collapse.
- Rummi. Game based on forming numerical combinations, such as stairs of the same color or groups of the same number in different colors. Whoever manages to place all his chips on the table meets the rules.
- Enough. Not only can adults play enough. This game is also recommended in groups where children who already know how to read and write. In general, it consists of writing words of different categories with a specific initial, but there are other variants of the game available in the market.
In general, board games are a healthy fun form that allows human contact to be resumed. Although there are many alternatives online, face -to -face activities linked us better with others.
According to Sierra, the most important thing is to encourage different activities that strengthen communication skills and other useful qualities for life. For this reason, if you are looking for an activity to improve your interpersonal relationships, board games can be an excellent alternative.