Let's Smart Up Our Kids

In a world increasingly dominated by AI, our intelligence and social skills are being put to the test more and more. Adults, but especially children, are becoming victims of the simplicity and convenience of modern technology. Rather than sharpening their minds, young children are shying away from activities that challenge them and broaden their skills. Digital activities and AI may be hypnotising for our intelligence, but they are certainly modern and cool. This is why we need to evolve old-fashioned activities such as puzzles, board games and reading into more modern and challenging ones to try and smart up our kids.

Recent studies show that playing modern board games fosters logical thinking and improves fluid intelligence and verbal working memory. Furthermore, modern board games appear to enhance social skills, such as verbal, relationship and emotional abilities. Board games offer a multifunctional activity that introduces children to a social circle of fast-paced interaction and thinking. As players, they will need to adapt quickly and overcome difficulties using their own skills to make critical decisions, and that's priceless. This gives our children the confidence and courage to face any challenge.

Here at Teetotum, one of our goals when designing a board game is to make it fun and modern so that it appeals to experts and beginners alike. We hope that this will encourage children to get closer to board games. However, that alone is not enough; we also try to maintain interest in the game by incorporating mechanics and themes that capture children's imagination and motivate them to explore the game further. Sometimes, spending a couple of hours playing a board game at a table can be more rewarding than spending hours in front of a digital screen. Here are some examples:

Strategic board games such as Carcassonne and Dominion can boost the critical thinking skills of our young ones. Social deduction games such as Avalon and Saboteur can encourage children to express themselves and develop their social and communication skills. Dexterity games such as Jenga and Jungle Speed can improve children's reflexes and teach them patience. And the list goes on. Our own games, Age of Rome and Restart, are part of the strategic and tactical genre, cultivating adaptability to changes and quick thinking and reactions. Then there are Christmas Rolls and Paw by Paw, which are print-and-play games that allow kids to have fun while developing critical thinking skills by making choices that maximise their benefit. Not to mention that all four games are super fun!

If you would like to find out more or discuss the matter with us, please don't hesitate to contact us. Until next time, keep playing - or start playing - board games; it's never too late!

Embark on a thrilling journey through time with Restart, a tactical engine-building game that challenges you to alter the course of events to save the world.