Board Games
Board Games are always a popular choice as a gift and come in a wide range of styles to suit everyone from toddlers to teenagers.
What will be the rising star in the board game section for 2012? Many manufacturers leave the release date for new board games until later in the year but it is expected that even more will be electronic which all adds to the fun and excitement when playing.
Family favourites like Monopoly usually release a new version and with the London 2012 Olympics looming there are sure to be many board games based on this exciting UK event. Favourite movies such as Transformers, Harry Potter etc often have a board game designed around them and fans will love receiving one as a gift.
Always fun a board game makes an affordable gift and encourages family and friends to play together. In 2011 the best selling UK board game was the Logo game from Drummond Park, closely followed by Doggie Doo game and favourites such as Pig Goes Pop.
Monopoly – always popular – brought out new additions to their range including the new Here and Now game. Films and TV programmes were made into board games such as million pound drop game, cars 2 monopoly and cars 2 scrabble.
2010 saw Harry Potter and Hannah Montana featured in their own board game and these were extremely popular Christmas gifts. Original versions of monopoly and scrabble were high on 2010’s list as was a new electronic game Loopz.
Board games are always a popular Christmas and Birthday gift and always gratefully received as they are the ideal way to spend a fun evening indoors. The board game is certainly not a new invention. In fact board games found near Jordan in archaeological digs are dated as at least 7000 years old.
Playing board games with your child is an easy and fun way to spend time together and as an added bonus board games also offer learning skills such as communications, sharing, and taking turns.
Modern board game now often includes an electronic element. Most popular are the DVD board games that focus on movie trivia. Some companies have worked hard to establish the concept of “family game night,” and advocate setting aside one night a week to play a board game involving the whole family which can all lead to a sense of fun and excitement for all players.
With the ever increasing range of hand held and electronic games available many traditional board games have been pushed aside. However there is a resurgence in interest as parents find them a great way of spending quality time with their children and teaching valuable life lessons as they have fun.
Play teaches youngsters to interact with others, to take their turn and to share their toys and games. Winning a game gives a child the ‘feel good factor’ while losing can be devastating. By winning they feel a great boost in their level of self-esteem and board games are a fun way to boost self confidence. As board games continue to evolve, old standbys like Monopoly and popular games such as Snakes and Ladders continue to be excellent choices for children
Learning games are opportunities for academic enrichment embedded in a fun activity. Besides teaching or reinforcing social activities such as sharing, turn taking, and choosing teams, board games can actually increase skills and knowledge.
Board games are a great source of mathematical learning. Games such as Connect Four teach reasoning skills. But board games also can be more explicitly learning games with content area facts. General knowledge is covered in Trivial Pursuit and other trivia board games.










































