Mid-year school holidays mean two things: less traffic on the road (good), and more bored faces moping around the house and picking fights at the dinner table (bad). Beat the bored games with board games! Nothing brings a family together like some good-natured, organised gameplay. We’ve rounded up a few age-appropriate options for you to beat boredom and boost bonding during family time.
Board games for young children
Start ’em young so that you can beat Aunt Mildred’s kids at the next family gathering! Board games can be a wonderful source of enrichment for young kids. Work on their hand-eye coordination with a fun, kid-friendly version of the classic Operation that lets your little one play at being a vet. We are, of course, talking about the Operation Pet Scan Board Game from Import A Toy for R739.
On the theme of preparing our children for illustrious careers in veterinary science, we’ve got this Hasbro Crocodile Dentist Game for R419. The objective is to remove the crocodile’s sore tooth without getting chomped! Hours of guaranteed thrills for kids with a soft spot for animals.
Alternatively, you could involve everyone in a game which equips young children with savvy economic smarts (and, if things get heated enough, conflict management skills!). For that, we recommend Monopoly Junior with Electronic Banking, available from Import A Toy for R729. Psst! To score even more points with the child who is obsessed with the world’s most popular British piglet, check out this version of Monopoly Junior: Peppa Pig Edition for R649.
Classic board games
Nothing beats the classics! Maybe it’s time to recreate some childhood memories with some popular favourites. First things first – there’s been a murder! In the drawing-room! With a candlestick! Gather the gang and prepare to solve a murder mystery when you play Cluedo the Classic Mystery Board Game, available from Import A Toy for R425.
On the other hand, maybe you’re interested in teaching the tenets of trade and social order to your impressionable tweens. If that’s the case, we can’t recommend Catan 5th Edition enough, available from Fanaticus Board Games for R1,050. Good for groups of four and more, and for forming alliances in the family unit…
Otherwise, get wise with this Trivial Pursuit Board Game Family Edition from Import A Toy for R1,049. This version comes with decks of trivia cards for both kids and adults, ensuring that nobody is left out of the fun!
Board games for the less traditional family
Maybe your family is looking to level up your board game game. If so, it’s time to move on from the classics to more…interesting things.
For intergenerational Harry Potter fans, you can’t go wrong with Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, available from Fanaticus Board Games for R1,100. In this cooperative deck-building game, four players will assume the role of a Hogwarts student (Harry, Ron, Hermione or Neville) and protect Hogwarts from evil.
The raging success of Stranger Things has made Dungeons and Dragons skyrocket in popularity. Make your own Hellfire Club by buying Dungeons and Dragons Wrath of Ashardalon for R1,299 from Level Up Store. Be you a rogue, a thief, a warrior, or a wizard, D&D gives everyone the chance to work together and achieve a common goal. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to defeat Vecna once and for all…
Conclusion
Board games don’t have to be boring! In fact, they can be a great way to foster family bonding and keep your kids (and partner) engaged over weekends and holidays. Expand your mind and open up new worlds to your imagination! Payflex makes it easy to play now and pay later by giving you the option to pay off your purchases in four instalments over six weeks. No catch, no games – only the board games of your family’s dreams!
