‘Board Game Club - the best thing to do after school on a Tuesday. It’s true!’
A blog about Board Game Club by Sarah Atherton
So said one of the participants of the board game club I run after school on a Tuesday in term time and no I didn’t bribe him with free Pokemon cards!
The thing is Board Game Club has actually been a big hit with the kids who attend and their parents seem to love it too! I’ve had such positive feedback about all sorts of things - that kids have come away more confident, having had an opportunity to shine, having come out of themselves or just had a really jolly good time! It’s been smiles all around.
Of course I would like to connect the success of the club with it’s planning and delivery because I have approached the venture with much loving care but the focus of this blog is not about blowing my own trumpet. The thing is, it really isn’t only the time and thought I have put into the club that makes it work (with a grateful nod here to Danil Potemkin who helped me run club to start with) but something inherent in playing tabletop games that just makes something magical happen.
As a board game enthusiast, I cannot remove my own bias from this article, but if you are prepared to read on, I would like to share a few thoughts about the benefits for young people of learning and playing board games at a club and learning to design board games there too.
So in brief as well as being a really fun and thoughtful way to spend some time, board game club can do all of the following:
teach social skills including learning to work with others
encourage competition in a safe environment
learn through play (which let’s face it, is the best way to learn)
make learning fun (which let’s face it, is the best kind of learning!)
develop strategical and logical thinking
develop spatial awareness
develop creativity
introduce participants to new ideas and ways of thinking
mix quiet focused time with active doing time
be both fast-paced and reflective and thoughtful
put the teacher and the learner on the same level
build confidence
be a gentle pursuit and also very silly and lively!
encourage working towards a goal and making an end product
help overcome fear of failure
teach that there are lots of different ways of doing things
encourage working through trial and error
mix solo play with pairs play and group play
broaden horizons by helping to build new relationships with all sorts of people (including those who you might initially think are very different from you)
allow young people to step out of their comfort zone in a safe way
begin a potential life-long hobby that brings much joy and happiness
In addition to all the above (and I could go on and on), I think one of the points I would like to expand upon here and the difference between board game club and many other after school activities on offer, is that board game club really has something to engage and fulfill any personality type…
Now, I’m not one for labels but for the sake of making a particular point and as a ex-drama teacher with many years experience, I have worked with young people who have strong tendencies particularly in group activity to behave in a more extroverted or introverted way. It is fair to say that at times, despite my best efforts to gently integrate groups and support all the kids, some of the introverts were clearly not enjoying being in a drama lesson.
But here’s the thing - in my board game club, the quiet kids were engaged and smiling and the noisy kids were engaged and laughing and at some point during the club they would all come together and just get on with one another. It wasn’t magic, or Pokemon cards or even the snacks I bought in for the last session of club - in my opinion it’s because board game club really has something for absolutely everyone…and I’m very proud and pleased to have bought it to some young people near me!
For more information about this article and about setting up and running a board game club at your school please contact Sarah Atherton at sarahtuffs@hotmail.com. I would be more than happy to talk about board games and board game club with you!