People sometimes assume the outdoors is the only way to get kids off their devices and the couch. When kids are not outdoors, they can still have fun without electronic devices. Here are some board games and puzzles most people can enjoy at home.
1. Scrabble
Scrabble is probably the most common word game in existence. It is a fun word game that two to four players can enjoy at a time. Players amass points by placing alphabet tiles on a grid. The tiles have points on them. The more common alphabets are low scoring and vice versa.
The 15 by 15 square grid also has some special squares that can increase the scores of plays. It is suitable for players five years and above. Although the knowledge of words is essential, there’s still a fair bit of strategy that goes into the play, as while you’re trying to score high, you want your opponents to score low.
2. Chess
Many variations of this game have existed throughout history, but the chess we know today started around the 15th century. It is a strategy-based game played on an 8 by 8 checkered board. The two-player game begins with each player having sixteen pieces, eight of which are pawns.
The king, queen, rooks, bishops, and knights are also there. They all move in unique ways, which adds a layer of complexity to the game. It might be tricky to understand the rules at first, but once you get going, it’s a never-ending, fun learning process.
3. Rubik’s cube
The Rubik’s cube was a craze of the 1980s that is quickly coming back into fashion. Erno Rubik, a professor, invented the original 3 by 3 by 3 Rubik’s cube. It took him a month to solve it initially. The spatial puzzle is made up of 26 pieces that can interchange positions.
The goal is to get the puzzle back to its original state, with each of the six faces having one color each. There are over 4 quintillion ways to scramble a Rubik’s cube, but they all can be solved in 20 moves or less. The trick is to solve it layer by layer. It is complicated but fun and worth it. There are few feelings more exciting than completely solving a Rubik’s cube for the first time.
4. Snakes and Ladders
Snakes and ladders is a classic board game. The luck-based board game is usually played on a 10 by 10 square grid with players’ pieces and dice. Everyone starts at the beginning, and the game’s objective is to get to the final square. You’re elevated closer to the last square if you land on a ladder. Conversely, if you get a snake, it takes you closer to the beginning. You encounter snakes and ladders on the way, and this is where the game gets its name.
Other games kids can enjoy are battleground, jigsaw puzzles, monopoly, connect four, and Jenga. These games teach kids strategy, risk aversion, spatial reasoning, and more. They are also relatively inexpensive. Games like chess and scrabbles have professional players and can be profitable at the top.