A teacher and educationalist, and previously the co-owner and director of Pivotal Education, Ellie Dix has been obsessed with board games from an early age. Ellie firmly believes that board games have positively influenced her ability to solve problems, manage failure and experiment with multiple paths to success - and she now puts her teaching skills, understanding of behaviour and experience with gamification to use by helping parents to introduce board games to family life.
The Board Game Family shares lots of real-world tips on how parents
can tear their teens away from tech and enjoy quality family time.
If all you get from your kids is a grunt before they disappear to
their rooms, this book is full of ideas to get you all talking,
laughing and playing together again.Anita Cleare, parenting coach
and author of the Thinking Parenting blog
aaThis week's #ReadItTorial is partly book inspired, after all it
was Ellie Dixas fantastic aThe Board Game Family: Reclaim your
children from the Screena that set our cogs whirring this week
(check out her Dark Imp blog via that link). With C away at Guide
Camp for an entire week, I had a good chance to thoroughly digest
and absorb Ellie's book, reinforcing something that we've already
known as a family for a very long time. Board games are blimmin'
awesome, and they've come a long way since the ones you probably
remember playing on wet rainy afternoons while stuck on a caravan
holiday as a kid. Back then I remember the almost religious
experience of digging out hoary old games like Operation (aThere
goes his funny bone!a) or Mouse Trap (did anyone ever, in the
entire history of humanity, ever get their mousetrap contraption to
work first time? No, us neither!) or more action-orientated games
like the mighty Kerplunk or a really obscure one for you 70s kids,
aTip-Ita - a strange balancing game involving a poor circus
performer balancing on his nose. Board games are now a serious
moneyspinner for a lot of startups and gaming companies. You see
it's catching on, this idea that there are real and actual ways to
get a family sitting round a table and having a conversation,
having fun and most importantly interacting with each other.
Playing a strategic or hilarious game does more to help a family
bond with each other than any electronic or videogame-based
equivalent (though I do know plenty of folk who commonly bond over
videogames too, good for them I say!) Like a lot of parents, we are
rapidly approaching that hideous eventuality - their kid getting
their first mobile phone and become an uncommunicative
hunch-shouldered screen-staring zombie. We've had many
conversations about what we hapless parents can do about it -
ranging from the horrible notion that we'd have to become foul
draconian monsters, limiting phone / screen time severely, ensuring
phones aren't allowed in her bedroom, disabling the wi fi, all the
usual stuff you see well-meaning child care experts blathering on
about. Or perhaps, just perhaps, we can head this eventuality off
at the pass with the use of board games, as Ellie suggests. A lot
of her advice is sound and really brilliantly structured into
chapters that show the positive effects and scope of including
board gaming in you life. It's fair to say that some of it really
wouldn't work for us as a family, and other bits just sound too
idealistic to be realistically applicable to anyone but the
smallest number of folk (still more bits in the book make Ellie
sound like at home, it's definitely her way or the highway!) But
overall the idea is intriguing, enticing and could very well be one
method of avoiding that hateful eventuality. Give kids something
else that's more interesting, more engaging and (hopefully)
stimulating than whatever their friends are getting up to on
Instagram, Twitter or other social media bits and bobs - and
they'll leave their phone in another room. In Ellie's case she's
talking about board games but there are plenty of other activities
that would work too (ever sat down with your kids and drawn /
coloured / made books / comics, for example?) There's also the
chance for kids to get one over on their elders if they win.
Ellie's very clear about her own in-house rules. All participants
in games play to win, and that does sometimes mean that in certain
games the kids miss out. But it's something else that's worth
learning - being a graceful sporting loser as well as a humble
sporting winner. That's a life lesson we could all do with a
reminder of as it's seldom covered elsewhere. We already love board
games, though the cost can sometimes be prohibitive (it is
definitely not a cheap hobby to get into, with some popular games
ranging from between A20-50 quid a throw - about the same you'd pay
for most modern console videogames, though arguably board games
could long outlast those, lifespan and attention-grabbing wise).
Ultimately though it feels like it'd be a worthy investment, and
definitely preferable to what usually happens after we've all got
home, had a meal and settled down for the evening or at weekends. I
think Ellie really does put forward some really positive points in
her book, maybe there is a better way - and maybe at ReadItDaddy
Towers we should pour everything into making it work before the
inevitable screen zombification kicks in. I mean who wouldn't fancy
sitting down to an evening of aExploding Kittensa, aMunchkinsa or
aPandemica rather than an evening looking at the silent glow of a
mobile screen filled with some worthless mumbo jumbo. (Ellie's book
aThe Board Game Familya is out now, published by Crown House
Publishing).a Click here to read the review on ReadItDaddy
blog.ReadItDaddy blog, https: //readitdaddy.blogspot.com
aThis book is all about, you guessed it, board games. It talks
about how board games can bring a family together and different
family tradition you can have with board games. The first few
chapters are the positives about playing board games as a family -
spending more time together, less screen time, etc. And how to
start a board game collection. There are plenty of tips in the book
on how to change the rules of the game to suit your family needs.
For example, if you playing with young children or someone with
learning disability. There are tips on how to make the games unique
to your family. Like in my family, when playing Monopoly if we have
to pay money we put it under the free parking, and who ever lands
on that space gets to keep the money. There's advice on what to do
if a member of your family doesn't want to play, or there is
arguments or sore losers. There are lot's of little tips that I
myself as quite a big board game player will be taking away and
using. There is also a list of board game suggestions too. Overall,
this book is great if you are thinking about starting a family
board game night. I would recommend it to people with young kids
and teens a like. You can also gain a lot from reading this book
even if you don't have children. 4/5 stars for meNatasha Mairs,
@SerenityYou
Ellie Dix leaves no stone unturned in The Board Game Family; she
gives in-depth explanations about the pros and cons of board games
(both of specific games and in general). She discusses the
potential problems that may arise and details the possible
solutions. Her chatty, engaging style is sure to encourage parents
to experiment with her recommendations a especially those parents
who are struggling with monosyllabic teens who think that playing
board games is terminally uncool. As a parenting consultant, I
frequently advise my clients to play board games, card games and
pencil and paper games as a family. From now on, I will also
recommend that they read this book.NoAl Janis-Norton, Director,
Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting and Teaching
I love this book! Every parent should own a copy of The Board Game
Family a not only to ensure that they don't get caught up in a
digital device-smashing moment, but also to help their children be
less digitally inclined. It is an incredibly practical resource,
providing an in-depth analysis of various board games, party games
and card games, as well as an exploration of the pitfalls to avoid
and the benefits derived from board gaming. If you want to bring
more joy and connectivity into your family, and save your children
from obsessing with their online world, Ellie Dix's The Board Game
Family is essential reading.Elaine Halligan, Director, The Parent
Practice, and author of 'My Childas Different'
It can often seem that individual members of the family are
physically all in one place, but individually, they are all playing
their own separate electronic/single payer games. This refreshing
book aims to redress that balance and as it says ''to brush off the
dust'' and rediscover the joy of board games payed as a family or
group. In The Board Game Family, teacher and educationalist Ellie
Dix aims to help fellow parents by inviting them and their families
into the unplugged and irresistible world of board games. The
benefits of board gaming are far-reaching: playing games develops
interpersonal skills, boosts confidence, memory formation and
cognitive ability, and refines problem-solving and decision-making
skills. With these rewards in mind, Ellie shares a wealth of top
tips and stealthy strategies that parents can draw upon to unleash
the potential of those dusty game boxes at the back of the cupboard
and become teachers of outstanding gamesmanship equipped to
navigate the unfolding drama of competition, thwart the common
causes of arguments and bind together a happier, more socially
cohesive family.Click here to read the review on
parentsintouch.co.uk.Parents in Touch
The Board Game Family: Reclaim Your Children From The Screen is a
fantastic ''how-to'' for parents wanting to bring their kids back
into the living room, away from their phones and back into family
life together. Anyone who reads my blog will know that board games
are a huge thing here, we play most weekends year round and usually
everyone in the house joins in... As soon as I opened The Board
Game Family I knew we were on the same wavelength. The writing
style is chatty and full of sarcasm and witty quips. It''s
friendly, accessible and perfect for parents of today''s teenagers.
Ellie Dix starts by explaining why you need board games as part of
your family life. The benefits of board gaming are massive. Playing
games develops confidence, memory, co-ordination, logic skills,
problem-solving and decision-making. It teaches you patience,
tolerance and an understanding that everyone thinks differently.
Ellie also explains how a healthy culture of competition and good
gamesmanship can strengthen relationships. Gaming helps us
reconnect with our children. It is quality relaxation time where
you aren''t all doing the same thing separately or silently, you
are working together as a unit, chatting, laughing and socialising.
I personally see it as very important time spent, and I know my 10
year old likes absolutely nothing better than playing a game
together with his family The examples of games included in the book
really caught my excitement. Ellie rates a good few of the games
which we really like to play. Carcasonne is my 9 year old''s
favourite game and a lot of the really good independent games
we''ve reviewed for Asmodee are mentioned in this book. There is a
great toolkit for getting started, even if you haven''t been a game
player yourself. Ellie suggests ways to bring games into your
family''s life, and which games will be a good starting point. The
book covers ideas for setting the scene, fitting the mood and
making games night a bit special without huge effort. We often have
popcorn or tortilla chips and salsa when we play and will be in the
mood for completely different games from one week to the next.
It''s rarely wise to have your heart set on playing something a
week on Saturday because it may not suit once you get there. There
are tips for when you have situations such as cheating or fights,
and how to manage games night. If you realise your game will go on
far longer than someone''s tolerance for it, sort that out.
There''s no point playing on until you all hate it. Ellie even has
suggestions for how to play a game with the wrong number of
players, missing pieces or entire gaps in gameplay to guess. We''re
with Ellie on this too. We often adapt a game to play with the
wrong number or have slightly different conditions for those aged
18+ v''s the younger boys. If a rule is too complex or
discriminates against a single player, we make a clearer rule or
even different rules for different players - for us this often
happens when colour is involved. Overall we have one really
important gaming rule in our house As long as all of the players
agree, it''s probably fine. At the back of the book is an extensive
list of over 100 games, with number of players, expected time
it''ll take to play and a good description of style of game and
gameplay. I''ve reviewed many, many of the games listed on this
blog, and played several more. It''s a great list which includes
almost all of our family favourites. The first game listed is
possibly my personal all-time favourite - 221b Baker Street. If
that wasn''t enough, included is a press out Dark Imp Dice and a
scorecard for you to record your own family gaming victories. Ellie
also suggests a couple of ways to acquire free games, and some
games of her own. My family love board games and it has kept us
together and strong through all our children have had to face in
the last 6 years. It is a light-hearted, fun way to involve
everyone, build relationships and check up on how everyone is
doing. We still have our 25 year old over to play games and I''ve
even used photos of my daughter''s boyfriend playing in blog review
posts. Getting conversation out of my 21 year old can be like
pulling teeth, but he''ll play just about any game with you all
evening long. The Board Game Family is a great book and reading it
I just wanted to play games! It really gives any reader the
confidence to go for it, and adapt rules, winning conditions or set
time limits whenever it suits the players. It''s a brilliant
springboard for parents wanting to reclaim their relationship with
their pre-teen, teenage and young adult children.Click here to read
the review on TheBrickCastle.comTheBrickCastle.com
Written with humour and real-life experience, The Board Game Family
is packed full of great ideas and is bursting with practical
suggestions around playing games with kids of all ages. Obviously a
board game fan, Ellie enthuses you with her knowledge about the
benefits of playing board games and empowers you to reclaim your
children from their screens and create fun memories with them that
will last a lifetime. The Board Game Family will help you make
board gaming, whether it be in the form of quick 20-minute fillers
or full-on gaming marathons, a natural and easy part of your family
life.Sue Atkins, parenting expert on ITVas This Morning and author
of 'Parenting Made Easy: How to Raise Happy Children'
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