I would have thought that the expertise displayed by my children in buying and selling property on the Monopoly board would have surely resulted in one of them ending up as a very rich property mogul. None of them did, despite their skills at buying strategically to get control of a section of the board.

Sometimes their strategy was more about stopping one of their siblings collecting a set than improving their own property portfolio. This resulted in various side deals between two or more of them. They even had to make up new rules to allow the wheeling and dealing.

Monopoly is just one of the many board games still played in our house when a few of them are home.

Playing games always results in laughs, lots of slagging, winners and sometimes sore losers but always family time together. All games bring accusations of cheating and in fairness, they are justified in many cases.

Scrabble has been known to bring up some made-up words and the dictionary has to be on hand to settle arguments.

Mobiles are banned from board games so we have to go old school and it’s probably the only time the hardback dictionary is used nowadays. Some have used the distraction of looking up a word as an opportunity to hide a letter tile (usually X, Z or Q) under a cushion or in a pocket. They inevitably get caught and the others are quick to enforce a penalty.

Family games

Family games were ever thus. An opportunity to spend time together and have a bit of craic. As a child, I often felt aggrieved that I seemed to land on snakes way more often than ladders and I’m not sure I ever managed to get all four tiles home in Ludo. If I’ve lost you by mentioning Ludo, please look it up. It’s a simple game that can be played by a larger range of ages which is great if you have a gang home with adults, teens and younger.

Many games have different themes, complexities and lengths which can suit a family at different times such as being away on holidays or when one is sick and needs to be entertained.

While board games are great fun, they can also improve life skills. Some improve negotiation skills, planning and teamwork, yes even among siblings. They can also be educational.

Scrabble has certainly improved my spelling and taught me some new words, once I had checked the dictionary that is. There are games that incorporate elements of general knowledge, history and geography.

Scrabble has certainly improved my spelling and taught me some new words, once I had checked the dictionary that is. There are games that incorporate elements of general knowledge, history and geography.

It took me years to fully understand chess which is definitely a game that involves a lot of strategic thinking, advance planning and concentration. Someday I hope to win a game against my eldest son.

Board games are an alternative to online games in a world where most of our lives and entertainment is viewed on screens. They can also be part of a family tradition or ritual. In our house, the Christmas night game of Monopoly is legendary. It goes on for hours, stopping only to make the mandatory turkey and ham sandwiches around 9pm.

I laugh at how they all put their Monopoly money in their pockets during the break for safe keeping. Sibling trust, eh? We were given this particular set nearly 20 years ago by my brother Gerry as a family Christmas gift. It’s still in use despite the ear marked money and it missing a few red plastic houses.

So if you’re looking for a gift to give a family that will last long after the box of sweets is being used to store dog food, then consider giving a board game.

Unlike the sweets, it will encourage healthy competition, spending time together, collaboration, improve some skills but most importantly, be a great source of family entertainment and craic.

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