5 Reasons Family Game Nights Are Important for Children with Special Needs

There are some fun ways to help childrenlearn and connect whether or not they have a disability. Family game night is one way of helping your child learn valuable skills in a safe and fun environment. If you've never had a family game night, you're in for a treat!

Here are 5 important reasons to have a family game night with your special-needs child. 

1. Connects Family Members

Having a regular family game night connects family members while creating a fun family tradition. Everyone in the family interacts while playing. 

Many people with disabilities experience at least some amount of social isolation. Game night brings everyone out of his/her room and into the family unit. 

Include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins if you have enough games and space!

2. Teaches Good Sportsmanship

Mastering the skill of losing is as important as learning how to win. A family game night teaches your kids how to lose with grace. 

A good loser congratulates the winner. He doesn't offer excuses for why he lost and the other person won. 

3. Fosters Good Communication

Game playing fosters good communication skills. Communicating is much more than only speaking. Communicating is often challenging for kids with special needs, especially for kids with autism. 

Help your child learn to read, listen, and process the game instructions. While playing, your child learns to clearly express him or hersel, as well as learning active listening skills. 

An important part of playing some games is picking up on non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions. Games like charades can help with this type of communication. 

4. Teaches Life Skills

Does your special-needs child have trouble counting money? A game like Monopoly helps your child learn this critical life skill in a fun and stress-free environment. 

Board games teach life skills such as understanding consequences. Games also teach kids that life isn't always fair but they shouldn't give up. Never hold a grudge is another great life lesson your kids can learn from game night. 

5. Improves Critical Thinking Skills

Some games even teach your kids to be better critical thinkers. Chess is a classic example of this. 

Chess teaches your kids to think several steps ahead, sharpening their critical thinking skills. This also helps your kids with academic performance. 

Host a Regular Family Game Night

Host a regular family game night and watch your special-needs child blossom. From interpersonal relationship skills to good sportsmanship, the whole family learns better skills. 

Game nights teach valuable life skills while honing and improving critical thinking skills. Your kids will love having the whole family together doing something fun. Game nights are much healthier than watching the television all evening!

Are you ready for a family game night? Give it a try.

Looking for more ways of benefiting your special needs child? Keep reading our blog!