The Amazing Health Benefits for Adults to Play Like Kids!

There are proven health benefits for adults (and of course children) to play board games. I know many of us enjoy our WII, Playstation, or Nintendo DSI but back in the “old” days people played games on boards with playing pieces, dice, and various strategies to win the game. Imagine that…you may think how archaic but playing board games are good for your mental and physical health.

Here is an amazing fact, there are over 42,000 board games and accessories on the market with sales worldwide reaching over $5 billion. When we were trying to develop fun events for our customers we became aware that incorporating games and puzzles as activities would allow adults to play like kids. It’s okay to relax and have some fun.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that challenging your brain with mentally stimulating leisure activities such as board games and puzzles is great for your mind. Seniors who participated in these fun activities once a week over a 20-year period  reduced the risk of dementia by 7 percent. Those who played more often reduced their risk by an unbelievable 63 percent.

Learning to play board games is an excellent way to get closer to your family, strengthens your family bond, allows kids to practice essential problem-solving and other cognitive skills. So the first step starts with you, learn how to play like a kid and impress your family and friends that you know how to have fun and be fun.

Playing “casual” (that means not electronic games) is an excellent way to kick back and relax.  A casual game developer conducted a survey and here are the results of their survey:

• 64% of respondents said they play games as a way to unwind and relax.
• 53% play for stress relief
• 42% believe that playing casual games is a great way to keep their minds sharp
• 75% of respondents with children said they see educational benefits for their children who play casual games

With all these amazing health, educational, and social benefits take advantage of game nights and afternoons to learn new games from around the world. You will never be bored if you are always exploring and learning how to play new games…and most importantly learning how to play like a kid!