As the recession deepens, and the winter nights draw in, parents are re-discovering the traditional board game which offers a cheap and fun form of family entertainment, writes AILIN QUINLAN
WITH FOUR young children and a demanding job as a financial consultant, 33-year-old Emma Farrelly has her hands full.
But no matter how busy things get – and they do – Emma and businessman husband Keith Dunne make it a priority to spend time with their children: Ana (8), Isabella (5) and the couple’s 16-month-old twins Jamie and Ryan.
Both parents work a five-day week, so to keep the show on the road, the Farrelly-Dunne household in Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, tends to be run “a bit like a military operation”, according to Emma.
“We’re very routine-based. We tend to get the twins into bed by 7pm every night and then we’ll have time to spend with the girls.”
Once the little boys are in bed, Emma, Keith, Ana and Isabella often gather around the kitchen table to enjoy one of their favourite pastimes – playing a board game.
Board games are fun and interactive, says the dynamic mother-of-four, who feels they provide a hugely enjoyable break from the humdrum daily round for parents and kids alike.
“Isabella is younger, so she likes games that are one on one, that don’t involve many words – she’s a great fan of Connect 4 – while Ana loves Monopoly.”
Playing games rather than watching TV also means the couple get to spend some quality time with their children.
“We have time to get together as a family. It’s a fun time, and they love it. We tend to spend more quality than quantity time with our kids, and we all love board games. It means we sit down with the children and give them – and the game – our undivided attention.”
There are other, often less obvious benefits for the children. “We’ve noticed the games are very good for their observation skills. Playing games teaches them things like patience, being a good loser, and strategy.”
And there’s another advantage – playing board games with the girls allows Emma and Keith to learn more about them as individuals.
“One of the big things I noticed about Ana was her ability to grasp the rules of a game very quickly. She’s very fast on the draw and can be quite competitive – though she doesn’t pick that up off the ground! Isabella does it more for fun and because she enjoys being close to us.
“When you sit down and take an hour or two out it’s amazing what you learn about your kids. It’s invaluable. It opens up conversations that might never happen if you weren’t sitting down with them.”
Even after a hard day’s work, says Emma, she still looks forward to playing a game with the girls once or twice a week.
“It’s something different, it’s a bit of escapism. Playing board games is something we’ll continue doing as a family. It’s great fun and you can have a good laugh with them. Kids are so funny – it’s interesting to watch how they react.”
As the recession deepens, and the winter nights draw in, parents are re-discovering the fact that traditional board games offer a cheap and fun form of family entertainment. And as Emma and Keith have learned, not only can they be played repeatedly – they also teach children invaluable life skills.
“Board games are a very solid form of family entertainment. They’re very good for team-building and teaching kids to pull together, and they’re excellent for strategy and memory as well as verbal ability,” says child and adolescent psychologist Dr Kate Byrne.
And in these frenetic days, when the pace of life is so fast, and so many electronic entertainments beckon, playing board games on a regular basis helps parents and kids get to know each other better, she believes.
“You get to know how the other members of your family think, because a lot of the games require strategy.
“Parents often don’t get to know their kids so well these days because of the pace of life. And it’s great for families, because everybody’s equal at a board game.
“No one is in a position of power or authority or superiority. It’s good to get down and play with the children on an equal footing.”
Byrne – a mother of seven – says her children play a lot of games including Monopoly, Cluedo and chess. “The younger children can be teamed up with an older sibling so you can include them. It’s quite a good bonding exercise.
“Board games are often a very good mind sport. I think it’s important that children see that they can entertain themselves without having to go outside or turn on an electronic screen.”
Younger children get great entertainment from activity-style games like Jenga or Kerplunk which don’t require reading or spelling skills, but which are good for honing motor skills, she says.
“If you have a child who is incredibly competitive and doesn’t lose well, board games can teach them about team spirit and the enjoyment of participating in games where the emphasis is very much on fun.
“Strategy games are very good too, particularly for older children, as they make them think about the best way to do something.”
Child psychologist Dr Celine Mullins agrees. Spending time together as a family – and especially playing together – is important for a child’s development, she says, warning that this critical time is often lost in the pressure of daily life.
“Playing with your children builds a bond that will last forever and opens the door for sharing concerns when the need arises, as well as being a great stress reducer for overworked parents,” she says.
There’s actually no downside to playing board games, says Rita O’Reilly of the family support group, Parentline.
“I think board games are fabulous, they are very sociable and they are generally something that all age groups can do together. They’re quite inexpensive and you can play them over and over again.
“They’re easy to store and they have an educational element – for example, Monopoly is all about counting and borrowing money and paying it back. Board games develop skills and strategies, as well as spelling, team building, respect for others, and they’re great fun.
“Kids get great enjoyment from playing them and I’ve never seen kids becoming addicted to board games the way some children can become addicted to computer games,” she observes, adding that as parents increasingly count their pennies, they’re becoming more appreciative of the benefits of these old-fashioned pastimes.
This Friday marks the start of the seventh annual National Game Playing Week, which encourages families to get back to basics by holding weekly family games nights. Schools are also being invited to register for “Game Playing Day” on Friday. Participating pupils will bring €2 and their favourite board game to school to play during class. Funds raised can be used by the school itself or donated to a charity of their choice. Waterford-based toys and games company, Hasbro, has pledged to donate a hamper of six MB and Parker board games for every school that takes part
