Why cooperative board games make great gifts for families

Cooperative board games for kids: a fantastic way to build social skills!

Parents know that social and emotional skills are just as important as academic achievements. We want our children to be good at communication, caring, and teamwork so they will succeed in life. And frankly, it would just be nice if they got along better with their siblings!

Collaborative play is an excellent tool to develop these skills. Most traditional board games offer only competitive play, where players put self-interest first. However, cooperative board games are growing fast in popularity. In these games, players unite to solve a problem, so that everyone plays a part in a shared mission.

Because they have so many benefits for children, cooperative board games are especially popular with families. After a parent or grandparent discovers cooperative games, they are often so excited that they begin giving them to other families too. A cooperative game is the perfect gift because it means fun for the kids… and more peace for the adults!

Collaborative play develops happier, more talented children

Being able to work with others is a crucial part of life. It requires skills like helping, compromising, encouraging, listening, and group problem-solving. Yet these skills do not always come easy, even for adults. They can only be developed with lots of practice. Cooperative play gives kids a fun, low-pressure way to develop these important talents.

In addition, cooperative games are more inclusive of children of differing ages, abilities, and personalities. You do not have to be the smartest, most aggressive, most vocal, most popular, or luckiest player to be an important part of the group.   

Not just that, but players discover that cooperation feels good. As children play, they build trust in each other, and confidence in themselves. Studies show that these positive effects continue, reducing negativity and aggression even after the game ends. Instead of crowing over a win or complaining about cheating, kids will talk proudly about how they solved a problem together.  

Cooperative games create good citizens

The environmental challenges facing our world can only be solved if everyone around the globe pitches in. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to design Adventerra’s eco educational board games with collaborative elements. Players try to save resources or fight pollution – and the more they work together, the more exciting it gets!  For example:

WaterGame

• This cute beginner board game shows children how to save water, and the importance of sharing this precious resource. Players roll a die and float down the river, answering questions to learn about saving water in everyday life. The person who has the most water at the end wins the game. But there’s a catch: if the community water tank is empty when someone needs it, everyone loses! Players who are doing well need to donate water to make sure no one runs dry.

• Kids care a lot about fairness, so they quickly understand it’s not fair to let others go without basic needs. While they giggle and negotiate, children learn that sharing is an important part of being successful!

• The game is for 3 to 4 players, ages 7+, and it can be completed in about 30 minutes. Check out our WaterGame intro and How to Play videos to see why kids love to play this one over and over.

Recycle Rally

• In this fast-paced STEM board game, players race to clean up their town. Players drive trucks through the streets to collect waste and transport it to recycling centers. Each person earns points for the loads they haul. However, any materials that are not picked up by the end of the week go to the incinerator. If too many recyclables go to waste, everyone loses!

• So, players must sort carefully, and try not to block the street for others. As the game progresses, children begin to realize that cooperating makes it easier to solve the challenge.

• The game is for 3 to 5 players, ages 7+, and it can be completed in 30 to 60 minutes. Watch our Recycle Rally intro to learn more.  

Global Warning

• In this thrilling game, players fight to keep the planet cool. They draw cards to find solutions to environmental challenges like water pollution, solid waste, and deforestation. Players earn points by using solution cards to resolve the earth’s problems, and the player with the most points wins. However, global temperatures rise with each round. If it gets too hot, everyone loses.

• Smart players quickly begin to trade cards and money. They start to see that working together is the only way to save the world before the planet overheats! This unique cooperative board game teaches players to balance collaboration with competition.

• Playable by ages 10 and up, Global Warning is a fun challenge for adults too. Up to 90 minutes of play for 4 to 7 players.  Check out our Global Warning intro video to see how exciting it is.

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In summary, cooperative games are a valuable tool for parents who want to raise kind, empathetic children. These games teach the important lesson that working with others is fun and more productive than working alone. Cooperative games help kids become the kind of citizens who will build a fairer, more sustainable world! Children enjoy them, and parents appreciate them.

Thanks to our work in schools over the last two decades, Adventerra’s games are rich in educational content. All our board games are STEM.org authenticated and have received multiple awards from toy industry, educator, and parent groups. Made of sustainable materials, game parts are plastic-free, recyclable, and compostable. Your family will have a blast playing them!

Adventerra combines the words “adventure” and “terra,” the Latin name for earth. It reflects our mission: to create exciting games that help kids protect the planet! Check out our other educational eco games, and follow this blog for more parenting tips!