Parents Education Corner: Puzzles, Board Games & The Holidays

The holidays are almost here. The kids will be on break, and our young adults will be home for a bit, too. How do we bring everyone together without getting the side-eye or having someone bow out of family time?

Games! Puzzles! Really? To be honest, I’m not a big fan of puzzles, though I do enjoy some board and card games. I remember playing games with my sister and parents from elementary school through college. Some of our college friends would even come over to our house during breaks to play. It was fun and gave us something to do that didn’t cost money.

There are other benefits that puzzles and board games teach. I remember putting puzzles together with one of my very impatient sons when he was four years old. We started with three-piece puzzles and moved to six, nine, twelve, and more. It taught him patience, problem-solving, and how to have fun on his own. It was also fun to hang out together.

If I’m being honest, puzzles aren’t really my thing, but I loved hanging out with my son and watching him grow more patient as he worked through them. His Grammy didn’t let him win at chess when he was five, either. Those matches helped him learn patience and strategy.

It really doesn’t matter what age you are. What matters is family time, fun, the benefits of playing board games and puzzles, and the memories shared.

P.S. High School seniors and soon-to-be college graduates, get those applications (you know the ones) sent so you can get back to the family fun.

Happy Holidays!