Playing board games with younger children presents a fun learning opportunity. These precious years are when kids learn so much. Playing kids board games can reinforce learning letters, numbers, and colors. Playing board games can also help develop memory and cognitive skills. A lot of board game makers have not only taken into account a fun factor with their games but the learning potential.

When choosing games for preschoolers, look for age appropriate board games. This most likely will be listed on the front of the board game box. Choose games that either have a theme or relate to something that is of interest to your child. If your child really likes animals, then an animal-themed game might hold their attention for longer. There are also many classic board games like Memory and Candyland that feature popular characters, too.

Playing pieces should be fairly large and shouldn’t present a choking hazard. Avoid games where tokens are used or games that contain small game pieces. All wooden games are sturdy and will be harder for children to break.

Before buying a board game for young children, check to see how long the playing time is for the game. Games that are relatively short are more likely to be finished before interest is lost. Board games that can be finished in under 15 minutes should be considered.

Look for board games that are not only age appropriate but that have simple rules. Games that have only one winning condition are best, too. Some games might have more than one way to win the game. It can be confusing to be able to win a game more than one way. This information may not be clearly noted on the board game box, so use house rules to set only one winning condition.

House rules can always be implemented into any game. Changing the rules for family play can speed up games, which hopefully will keep younger players engaged.

Award-winning games have been put through some test for fun and game play. There are plenty of awards given out to board games during the year, but just because a game receives an award doesn’t mean it’s necessary a game your kids would enjoy. Some awards are given to those board games submitted for review, so it might not be a complete inclusion to every game put out that year. Still, award-winning games can give some ideas of games to consider for your children.

Playing board games with younger children might have its challenges. Kids might become bored and not want to finish the game. If this happens, consider house rules to tailor the game to your child’s interest. Finding games that feature their favorite things can help to expand their attention span while playing. There are many board games for younger children. Read reviews and box labels to gain insight into what the game is all about before purchasing it. While board games can be a fun way to learn, it can also be a great family activity that can create memories to last a lifetime.

Designer board games are one type of entertainment which is gaining a lot of notoriety in the gaming world. By taking the much beloved format of board games and approaching the project from a new angle, designers of these board games have almost entirely reinvented the enterprise in a new and exciting way. Specialty designer board games generally offer their players simple rules, themed play, and a good deal of thought and planning, which is required to do well in the game. Because of these components, which are not usually all to be found in traditional board games, these designer board games have become quite the trend in the gaming world.

Additionally, many of the people responsible for designing these board games have become quite popular for their creations. Many of them have had multiple games produced, each one a success. Any game which prominently features a designer’s name on the box can usually be considered to be of the calibur of a specialty designer board game. Many different designers exist, however, and their games are usually vastly different.

One of these board game designers, Reiner Knizia, has experienced so much success in the world of designer board games, that over 200 of his games have been published by various manufacturers. Knizia, who hold a PhD in Mathematics, has been designing board games since the age of 6. Since 1997, Dr. Knizia has worked as a full-time board game designer, and his resume clearly shows the success that he has experienced. 7 of his games can be found on the Games 100 list, while 14 of his games are to be discovered on Board Game Geek’s Top 100 games list. On top of this, several different of the top gaming conventions all host “Kniziathons,” which are tournaments in which solely Reiner Knizia games are played. Many of his games have won different prestige awards, such as Taj Mahal, which won both the 2000 Essen Feather Award and the Deutscher Spiele Preis Award in the same year. His game based on the popular Lord of the Rings books was granted a Spiel des Jahres 2001 special prize and can be considered the most popular of his board games, with publication in 17 different languages and over 1 million copies sold.

Andreas Seyfarth is another immensely popular designer of board games, with Puerto Rico being considered to be his crowning achievement. The game places players in the role of governors on the island of Puerto Rico during the era of the Caribbean ascendancy. Their goal is to earn the most victory points through various means, such as constructing new buildings or the shipment of goods from the ports. Seyfarth’s games all have been ranked very highly by various board game enthusiast companies, with Puerto Rico often placed at the number one spot on many top board game lists. A number of his other games have all been granted very prestigious awards over the years that they were produced and any game with his name on it can be considered a high-quality game worth any player’s time.

I admit it, I absolutely love Facebook! I check it every morning just after I check my business and personal email. I update it most every morning, sometimes several times a day. I check it before I go to sleep at night–I confess I love Facebook! To my friends and family, this comes as no surprise, to those of you who don’t know me–well don’t judge until you try.

Why do I love FB? Several reasons divided into two different categories. First personal reasons. Did you know I hardly ever miss a friend or family member’s birthday now? And, I have reconnected with a friend I started elementary school with. In fact, more than one. Several people I went to high school with, people I knew from 25 years ago; it’s amazing how many people I am finding. I found a lost cousin, people I love that I used to work with, and about a hundred kids I taught while they were in high school who are now raising kids of their own. I see what my own kids are doing even when they don’t take the time to call their mom, and can take pride in my nieces and nephews as they enter their high school years. It’s wonderful–I LOVE Facebook.

The second reason I love it is for business. I use it to introduce cruise specials, connect with clients and post my blogs, tweets, and pictures. I met my business coach and have received help, advice, and a chance to mentor from several like minded industry leaders and new friends. I have found suppliers and resources as well as inspiration from other small business owners working their way through the joys and problems of business ownership. I LOVE Facebook.

Some people maintain you really need to have two separate accounts, and they may be right. I tried it and didn’t like doing it that way. I wound up mixing the two parts of my life by accident or lack of time anyway; plus I feel a person is the sum of their parts, so there you go.

However, I have a little advice that I would like to pass along.

If you are like me and use FB as a personal and professional tool, be careful that you keep a decent balance. Too much info either way may be aggravating.
Don’t use your FB as a political, moral, or economic platform. Think before you expect other adults to change their minds about any of the before mentioned, no matter how eloquent your debate.
Be careful the information you list in your updates. I freely give my business phone, but almost never give out my home phone or home address.
Remember your Facebook page may be indexed by Yahoo and Google. Often my FB page will come up higher than my actual web page. And while most of the info is protected, any entry level hacker can figure out a way around the safeguards, so again discretion is advised.

Just some friendly advice, some unfortunately I learned the hard way. I am certainly no expert, but then that’s another one of the beauties of Facebook–anyone can learn to use it and enjoy the product for personal and professional benefit. Just another reason
I LOVE Facebook!