Just realized our board game nights are teaching my kids patience

We started having family board game evenings a while back, and I saw a change last Sunday. We were playing a tile-laying game where you have to wait your turn to place pieces. My youngest, who always gets antsy, actually sat still and watched what others did. When it was his go, he thought about it for a minute instead of rushing. Later, at dinner, he didn't interrupt when his sister was talking. It hit me that the game's slow pace is helping him learn to hold back. That little moment of calm felt like a huge victory. I never thought moving cardboard bits could do that.

3 comments

3 Comments

felix1471mo ago

Oh man, that's so true about the quiet focus. It reminds me of playing endless Scrabble with my grandma (she took forever to place a word). As a kid I hated the wait, but now I get it was the whole point. Those slow games force your brain to idle in a good way, you know? It's like the opposite of everything being fast now. Really cool you're seeing that pay off.

the_jesse1mo ago

That "took forever to place a word" bit is spot on. I used to hate waiting in those situations too, but now I miss them. Forcing your brain to slow down like that actually makes you solve problems better. We've traded that for constant speed and it sucks.

emmas1925d ago

My cousin's kid had a total meltdown during Uno last year because he had to draw four cards. Fast forward to now, he'll just sigh and deal with it. That game taught him to handle bad luck way better than any talk we could give him.