Over Thanksgiving break, my friends and I thought it would be fun to play the World War
2 strategy board game Axis and Allies. We enjoyed the game and were heavily engaged.
Playing the games made me think more about how these games might help an individual to
develop certain skills. There are many skills that one can learn from board games that could
greatly benefit him or her in the future. From board games, people can learn critical thinking
skills. Additionally, there have been studies to show that board games can be used in schools to
support learning.
Board games give the opportunity for people to enhance their critical thinking skills in a
fun, safe environment. Board games can help people to look thoroughly at the situation around
them and think about how to respond. Additionally, people can learn to anticipate what othersaround the m may be thinking, which is important in determining their own choices. They will be able to learn strategy and take risks within the game, but there aren’t any consequences for thedecisions made, ensuring that it is a safe environment to learn in. When playing board games, there is no harm if something doesn’t work out with the best results, which is why they are such a useful resource. For example, if someone spends all their money in Monopoly on houses, which turns out to be a bad investment, the worst thing that can happen is that the person loses the game. In real life, if you invest wrongly, there are dire consequences.
Besides developing critical thinking skills, board games also help improve cognitive and
creative thinking, an outcome which has been studied in the education system. According to a
study by the ‘Board Game Based Cognitive Training Programme’ (BGBCTP), board games help in the development of 2nd and 3rd graders’ cognitive skills. They also found “a positive effect on children’s linguistic, shape-space, reasoning, discrimination and numerical abilities.” Moreover, an evaluation done by researchers on 48 high school students. The board game’s design and purpose was to help students learn chemistry, and the results showed that scientific concepts of chemical techniques were thoroughly recognized. Overall, studies have found that board games help students of all ages understand certain concepts and thinking skills to a greater extent than without them.
People can play board games to learn critical thinking skills to the extent that they can be
taught in schools and education. Studies have shown that kids as young as 2nd and 3rd grade
and high school students are both able to learn and understand concepts when playing board
games. Board games are a useful resource that provide a safe environment and help
strengthen our thinking. Schools should supplement their curriculum with board games to help
students build a bright future.