10 Ways Board Games Boost Your Child's Intelligence

1. Want your child to excel in math?  Studies have shown that playing numerical board games can increase a child's numeric knowledge in as few as four 15-minute sessions.  This includes games like Sequence for Kids and Hi Ho Cherry-O.  Try playing Monopoly and make your child run the bank.  They will learn how to count by multiples of 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100.  They will learn basic addition skills in order to make change.  If you want to increase your child's math skills even further, there are several fun additional games that you can try.   Once they are ready to start adding, there are several excellent games like Gopher It, Hive, and 7 Ate 9 that kids love to play and that require players to apply math skills while they are playing.
2. Build critical thinking skills by playing a game of Connect Four or Four in a Row.  Watch your child think and strategize as they try to get those four tokens in a row before you do.  They have to use skills like prediction and thinking ahead.  Once your child is playing well with a simple strategy game like Four in a Row, you can move on to more difficult strategy games like Battleship or Guess Who.  As they get even older, there are some fantastic strategy games that the adults will enjoy as well, like Catan Junior.
3. Playing multi-player games teaches patience.  We were playing a game of Candyland the other day and it was killing our four-year-old to have to wait her turn.  We let her have the task of handing the spinner to each player as their turn came up.  I think that was the only thing stopping her from jumping in early for her turn each time around.  By the end of the game I noticed that she was waiting her turn with a lot more patience than at the beginning of the game.
   
4. Board games can help teach your child how to win or lose gracefully.  We try to emphasize that playing games is about having fun with family and friends, rather than about who wins the game.  In this day and age, it seems that kids rarely have to deal with failure.  Board games are a nice way to teach your child how to handle losing graciously.  Especially since you can always play another game and give them an opportunity to improve.
5. Most board games will assist in building your child's memory.  Obviously, playing matching games will help build memory, but almost any board game can help.  Think about the instructions.  There are very few board games that don't include a list of rules for play.  Pick up a game of Uno or Go Fish.  While your child is playing, they are having to constantly recall the rules of the game and ensure that they, and other players, are adhering to them.
6. Teach cooperative skills by playing games that require teamwork.  Games like Max, Race To the Treasure, or Pictionary Junior, teach kids to play with their teammates.  These games can help kids that are shy to make friends and come out of their shell.  We are especially interested in these types of games for our only child.  Any time her cousins or friends visit, we try to incorporate cooperative games.
7. Are you ready to start training that surgeon? How about working on some hand-eye coordination? Games like Operation and Jenga will teach your child to be patient and steady as they try to win the game.  These two might take some time to master, but your child will have a sense of satisfaction once they finally learn to effectively use their hands.  It's also fun to throw in a little biology and explain why their hands are more still when they hold their breath.
8. Games like Clue Junior and Guess Who can introduce the skill of deduction.  As children try to use the clues to solve the mystery, they are cataloging and organizing information in their minds.  These skills will translate to critical thinking skills that will benefit them as they begin school.
9. Even as young as four, your child can start learning basic geography by playing games like Ticket to Ride: First Journey.  In this simplified version of the adult game, kids follow rail lines throughout the United States and learn the location of key cities in several states.  Our four-year-old loves to look at maps of any kind.  If there is a map on the wall, we have to stop and look at it.  With this game, she gets to actually interact with the map, and hopefully learn the basic locations of several cities and states.
10. Last, but not least, playing board games teaches your child to enjoy family time.  Let's face it, it's not always easy to power down and spend time as a family.  We are all busy, working, going to school, attending gymnastics lessons and dance and golf lessons and swim lessons…the list goes on and on.  And then, there's all the day to day stuff to fit in…packing lunches, making dinner, baths, homework.  I understand.  But, when you have 30 minutes on a weekend, try turning off the TV or tablet, and sitting at the table together as a family, for a quick game or two.  Trust me.  This will teach your child more than you know about relationships, cooperation, and love.