What Board Games Teach Children

A child loses a game of draughts. She scowls, pushes the board an inch away, then reaches to set the pieces up again. That small moment — the disappointment, the recovery, the decision to try once more — is where most of the learning happens.

The winning matters far less than what surrounds it. Long before a final piece is captured, children are counting, waiting their turn, reading a rival's face, and deciding whether to take a risk. These are the quiet lessons that outlast any single result.

The games themselves ought to be built to last as long as those lessons. The wooden pieces across our board games are made from responsibly sourced FSC-certified timber and tested to UKCA and CE safety standards, so a set bought for a five-year-old can still be in use when a younger sibling is old enough to play.

What Do Board Games Actually Teach Children?

Ask a child what a board game teaches and they will say how to win. Watch them play and you see something broader.

Number sense comes first for the youngest players. A study by Siegler and Ramani, published in 2008, found that games built around a simple number track improved counting and number recognition in preschool-age children. The act of moving a counter along numbered squares turns an abstract idea into something a child can see and touch.

Strategic thinking follows. Chess has been used to teach patience and forward planning since at least the 6th century AD, when it spread from India into Persia as chaturanga. A child learning chess is learning to hold a plan in mind, adjust it, and accept that the other player has plans too.

Then there is character. The game of Snakes and Ladders began in ancient India as Moksha Patam, an explicitly moral teaching tool that showed children the consequences of virtues and vices. The rise up a ladder and the slide down a snake carried meaning long before it became a nursery favourite.

Social and emotional skills sit underneath all of it. Research published in Pediatrics in 2007 noted that structured play is fundamental to negotiation, turn-taking, and coping with disappointment. These are not add-ons; they are the substance of the experience.

You can read more about the specific skills different games build in our guide to what board games teach children, and browse the full range across our board games.

Why Board Games Matter More Than Screen Time for Child Development

Screens are not the enemy, but they offer a narrow kind of engagement. A tablet responds instantly and asks little of the child beyond attention. A board game asks for far more.

Sitting across a table changes the dynamic. Children have to read faces, wait for a slow player, and manage the sting of a bad roll without an algorithm smoothing it over. The 2007 Pediatrics research on play points directly to these moments — negotiation, turn-taking, coping with disappointment — as the building blocks of social and emotional development.

A game also involves the whole body and the wider room. Pieces are picked up and set down, rules are argued over, laughter breaks out. Compare that with the stillness of a screen and the difference in engagement is plain.

Physical games extend this further. When children play outdoors, they add movement and spatial judgement to the mix. Croquet, which Jaques of London introduced to England in 1851, is a good example of a structured, rule-based game that keeps children thinking while they run around. Our range of our traditional games carries that same balance of rules and physical play.

None of this means screens must be banished. It means the hours spent over a board earn their place. If you are weighing options for wet afternoons, our guide to the best indoor games children uk and the outdoor picks in our guide to the best garden games children under 8 uk 2026 may help you strike a balance across the week.

How to Use Board Games at Home to Build Real Skills

Owning a good game is only the start. How you play it shapes what a child takes from it.

Resist the urge to let them win every time. A child who only ever wins learns nothing about disappointment, and the recovery from a loss is one of the most useful lessons the table offers. Lose gracefully yourself, and they will copy you.

Talk through your thinking aloud. In a game of draughts, saying "if I move here, you could jump me, so I'll wait" shows a child what planning sounds like. This is how the strategic patience chess has taught since the 6th century becomes something they can hear and imitate.

For younger children, lean on the counting. Ask them to say each number as they move their counter along the track. The 2008 Siegler and Ramani study found that this kind of deliberate counting is what drives the gains in number knowledge, so the narration is not filler — it is the mechanism.

Keep sessions short enough to end on a high note. A ten-minute game finished happily teaches more than a forty-minute slog that ends in tears.

Rotate the games so different skills get exercised. A number-track game one evening, a strategy game the next, a physical game at the weekend. Our our children toys and our wooden toys ranges sit alongside the board games and give you variety without screens ever entering the picture.

What Age Should Children Start Playing Board Games?

The right starting age depends less on a number and more on what a child can already do. Can they wait for a turn? Can they cope with not getting their way?

Very young children manage simple track games first. A game like Snakes and Ladders, descended from the ancient Moksha Patam, needs only counting and patience, which makes it a natural first game. From there, children move towards games with more choice and strategy.

Around five is often a comfortable point for slightly more involved games, though every child differs. We set out the developmental signs to look for in our guide to what age can children play board games, which is worth reading before you buy for a particular birthday.

If you have a five-year-old specifically in mind, our roundup of the best board games 5 year olds uk 2026 narrows the field to games matched to that stage.

Watch the child rather than the box. A patient four-year-old may be ready for something a restless six-year-old is not. The best signal is engagement: a child who wants to finish the game and play again is a child who is learning from it.

Introduce complexity gradually. Master turn-taking and counting first, then add the choices that strategy games demand. Rushing a child into a game beyond them tends to sour the whole experience, while meeting them where they are keeps them coming back to the table.

Which Board Games for Children Are Worth Buying?

A game worth buying is one that will still be played in five years. That points towards two things: durable construction and lasting appeal.

Durability starts with the material. Wooden pieces survive drops, spills, and enthusiastic packing away in a manner that cardboard and thin plastic rarely match. The sets across our board games are made from FSC-certified timber and tested to UKCA and CE standards, so they hold up to years of family use.

Lasting appeal tends to favour the classics. Draughts and chess have survived centuries because they reward repeated play — chess has been teaching strategy since the 6th century for good reason. A game a child can grow into, rather than out of, earns its shelf space.

Match the game to the skill you want to encourage. For number confidence in a young child, choose a game with a clear counting track, the kind shown to help in the 2008 research. For patience and planning, a strategy game suits an older child better.

Consider the physical games too. Croquet, brought to England by Jaques of London in 1851, and the other sets in our traditional games add movement and fresh air to the learning. For open-ended play alongside structured games, our wooden toys round out a home that keeps children busy without a screen.

Buy fewer, better games and play them often. A small shelf of well-made sets used regularly teaches more than a cupboard of games gathering dust.

Frequently Asked Questions About Board Games For Children

What skills do board games teach children?

Board games teach children a remarkably broad range of skills beyond simply winning or losing. Strategic thinking and patience are well-documented benefits — chess has been used as an educational tool in this way since at least the 6th century AD. Research published in Pediatrics (2007) confirms that structured play develops negotiation, turn-taking, and coping with disappointment. Number-based board games have been shown to improve counting and numerical recognition in preschool children (Siegler & Ramani, Developmental Science, 2008). Board games also build concentration, communication, and resilience through repeated, enjoyable practice.

Are board games good for child development?

Yes, board games are genuinely beneficial for child development across multiple domains. Research published in Pediatrics by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Ginsburg, 2007) identified structured game play as fundamental to developing social and emotional skills including negotiation, turn-taking, and managing disappointment. Separately, Siegler and Ramani's 2008 study in Developmental Science demonstrated that linear number-track board games significantly improve numerical knowledge in preschool-age children. The educational value of board games has deep historical roots — Snakes and Ladders originated in ancient India as 'Moksha Patam', designed explicitly as a moral teaching tool for children.

How do board games help children with social skills?

Board games create a structured social environment in which children practise essential interpersonal skills repeatedly and naturally. Research published in Pediatrics (Ginsburg, 2007) specifically identifies structured play as fundamental to developing negotiation, turn-taking, and coping with disappointment — skills that are difficult to teach through instruction alone. Sitting across a table from another player requires children to read situations, wait their turn, communicate clearly, and respond graciously to outcomes they cannot control. These repeated interactions build genuine social competence over time, in a low-stakes and enjoyable setting.

What board games are good for children's concentration?

Games that require children to hold information, plan ahead, or track changing situations are particularly effective for building concentration. Chess is a well-documented example — its use as a tool for developing strategic thinking and patience dates to at least the 6th century AD, when it spread from India into Persia as recorded by Murray in A History of Chess (Oxford University Press, 1913). Memory-based matching games, strategy games, and games with number tracks all demand sustained attention. Jaques of London has manufactured quality board and strategy games for British families for generations, offering age-appropriate options for building focus.

How do I get my child to be a good loser?

Learning to lose gracefully is an emotional skill developed through practice, not instruction. Research published in Pediatrics (Ginsburg, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2007) identifies coping with disappointment as a core benefit of structured game play. The key is regular, low-stakes experience of both winning and losing in a supportive environment. Adults can model good sportsmanship by acknowledging their own losses calmly. Avoid letting children win artificially — genuine outcomes, handled warmly, build real resilience. Over time, children learn that losing is a normal, manageable part of play rather than something to fear or avoid.

What age can children start playing board games?

Children can begin engaging with simple board games from around age three, particularly games involving basic counting, colour-matching, or straightforward turn-taking. Research by Siegler and Ramani (Developmental Science, 2008) demonstrated meaningful numerical benefits from linear number-track board games in preschool-age children, suggesting structured play is valuable from very early childhood. Games should be matched carefully to a child's developmental stage — short play times, simple rules, and clear visual cues suit younger children best. As concentration and understanding develop, complexity can increase gradually. Jaques of London produces games suited to a wide range of childhood ages.

How often should children play board games?

There is no single prescribed frequency, but regular play — several times per week where possible — allows children to practise and consolidate the skills board games develop, including turn-taking, numerical thinking, and emotional regulation. Research published in Pediatrics (Ginsburg, 2007) frames structured play as fundamental rather than supplementary to healthy child development, suggesting it warrants consistent inclusion in a child's routine rather than being treated as an occasional activity. Even short sessions of fifteen to twenty minutes with a focused game can be genuinely beneficial, particularly for younger children with developing attention spans.

Do board games help children with maths and reading?

For mathematics, the evidence is particularly strong. A study by Siegler and Ramani published in Developmental Science (2008) found that playing linear number-track board games significantly improved numerical knowledge — including counting and number recognition — in preschool-age children. Number-based games make abstract mathematical concepts tangible and engaging. For reading, games involving word cards, letter recognition, or storytelling elements can support literacy development, though the research base here is less specific. Board games generally support the cognitive skills — concentration, working memory, sequencing — that underpin both mathematical and literacy learning.

What are the best board games for young children in the UK?

The best board games for young children in the UK combine simple rules with genuine developmental value. Games built around number tracks, colour or shape matching, and straightforward turn-taking are well-suited to preschool and early primary ages, with research supporting their educational benefits (Siegler & Ramani, Developmental Science, 2008). Classic strategy and skill-based games grow with children as their abilities develop. Jaques of London, with a heritage stretching back well over a century and a record that includes introducing croquet to England in 1851, produces traditional board games made to high quality standards, offering a trusted choice for British families.

Can board games help children with anxiety or emotional regulation?

Board games can support emotional regulation by repeatedly placing children in manageable situations that provoke mild frustration, anticipation, or disappointment — and then requiring them to continue playing. This practised exposure, within a safe and enjoyable context, gradually builds tolerance for uncertainty and difficult emotions. Research published in Pediatrics (Ginsburg, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2007) identifies structured play as fundamental to developing social and emotional skills including coping with disappointment. For children prone to anxiety, predictable rules and familiar game structures can also provide a sense of control and comfort, making board games a constructive part of a broader supportive approach.