Editor's note: This post was originally published Jully 06, 2015.
Family game nights are a great way to spend time together, but what about adding a little bit extra to the mix?
What if we, as parents, made a teensy-tiny more of an effort to sneak in some learning along the way? We can add in little number recognition practice by playing bingo, or work on quick addition skills with dice games. We can help kids practice some critical thinking by doing family brain teasers or even strategy with simple card games like Rummy, Uno, or Spades.
The cool thing is that many of the board games we played as children can do more for our kids than just be fun ways of passing time together.
Many games require more reading than you may think—and early or intermediate readers can always use a little extra help, right?
Try sneaking in some reading with these 5 board games:
Majority Rules: Created by author James Dashner, this game gives players a chance to see Democracy in action! Reading, voting, and writing, imaginations run wild with this game.
Life: There's a whole lot of chance in this classic board game, but there's also a whole lot of reading.
Monopoly: Yes, you may need to set aside a good chunk of time to play this favorite board game, but who cares because your kids will be reading more than you think!
Apples to Apples: A super-fun family game that will get players thinking and laughing and stretching their minds, since every single card requires reading. It's all about comparing with this game, friends. Apples to apples.
Scrambled States of America: One of our all-time favorite games to play, this game is based on Laurie Keller's hilarious book of the same name (The Scrambled States of America). You'll never look at our nation's states, capitals, or nicknames quite the same.