Playing Games to Promote Family Unity and Child Development

Being able to play is an important part of any child’s development. Many researchers have focused on the importance of executive function in a child’s early development. Executive function is the group of skills that allows the child to focus, set goals, pursue those goals, and control their behavior by doing things like prioritizing their work, creating strategies, and keeping ideas in their working memory. Researchers have seen a strong connection between children playing games and their ability to shore up their executive skills.

When children play games, not necessarily electronic games that use a controller, they are able to improve on skills that allow them to get on better in life. This is especially true of games that require children to have human interaction and that engage their cognitive and coordination skills.

Many researchers are encouraging families to have a family game night. There are a lot of games that parents can purchase, or that parents can make, that will stimulate their children while at the same time being enjoyable. It is noteworthy to mention that a lot of games that children love to play with their family are actually educational tools in disguise.

Games do not need to be complicated in order for children to enjoy playing them. It is often the simplest games, with the simplest concepts, that bring the most fun. Some parents have simply purchased custom cornhole bags from companies like Custom Corn Toss for example and have used them to create games that are fun and educational.

What often surprises parents is that their children begin to enjoy the time they have playing simple games as a family so much that it eventually becomes the highlight of the week. And when other opportunities arise that will require children to miss their family fun night, they will often put these opportunities to the side in lieu of being able to spend time playing games as a family.

Children who develop their executive skills early on have a better chance of becoming well-rounded, successful adults. Playing games as a family is a great way to encourage the growth of these skills while at the same time promoting family unity.