The Power of Play

Games and puzzles offer kids an array of cool benefits.

If you thought playing games was only about winning, think again. Whether your child is skipping through Candy Land or solving a word puzzle, she's developing, in various stages and degrees, eye-hand coordination, vocabulary, patience and discipline -- and that's just for starters. "Playing games helps children learn to follow rules, take turns, accept wins and losses, and fit in with other kids," says Ruth B. Roufberg, a New Jersey-based game and toy consultant. "Social skills like these help kids become happier in school, more eager to learn."

Think about the board games you loved as a child. In the midst of the fun, you were actually picking up all kinds of skills. "Children learn subtraction by making Monopoly change, improve their spelling with Scrabble, and sharpen their deductive reasoning with Clue," says Roufberg.

You don't have to worry whether every game your child plays teaches a specific skill set. There are larger benefits to most games: the ability to think strategically, to see patterns, to focus. Best of all, your child is learning how much fun exercising her brain can be.

As far as what games are best for which ages, Briarpatch's Martine Redman says that one-on-one play is best for a young child, and game time at any age with Mom, Dad or Grandma is precious and will be remembered forever. "Many children can enjoy a simple matching game at around 18 months," says Redman. "At around age three, the child may enjoy a simple path game like Chutes and Ladders. At about four years, kids love all sorts of memory and matching games. And at age five or so, they will initiate board-game play with their parents."

Games for Toddlers
Cranium Cariboo (Cranium, ages 3-6)
Picture Link (ThinkFun, ages 4 and up)
I Spy Memory Game (Briarpatch, ages 4-9)

As the child's abilities grow, so should the game's challenges. "Children learn to enjoy working a little harder, and they actually start seeking out puzzles that will at first stump them," says Bill Ritchie, president of ThinkFun, a game company based in Alexandria, Virginia. "Kids learn that the greater the challenge in a game or puzzle, the greater the reward."

Noodling the Noggin
Cranium Cadoo (Cranium, ages 7-11)
River Crossing (ThinkFun, ages 8 and up)
3 Stones (Enginuity, ages 8 and up)

Different puzzles develop different skill sets. "With a maze, kids learn that there's a start and a finish to the path," says puzzle guru Helene Hovanec. "When picking out the differences in two seemingly similar pictures, they learn visual discrimination. Solving a crossword, kids learn vocabulary." Hovanec's website, puzzles4kids.com, offers loads of ideas and games.

For school-age kids, remember that playing games and puzzles shouldn't be treated as homework or a chore. It should be fun. And it's okay if kids want to put the puzzle down for a while and return to it later.

Their next experience, says ThinkFun's Bill Ritchie, "could result in that breakthrough 'aha!' moment."

• • Craft Projects
• • Backyards
• • America's Schools

“ Cheer up a drab room with fresh flowers. Place bud vases in high traffic home areas�with even just a few flowers. Any decorative glass from the kitchen will do. ”

• See All Tips