I’ve recently finished two sweater projects, which for me, counts as a lot of knitting. I’m thinking that I will probably take a break from crochet and knitting for a while to recover, so you might see more posts about the other things I enjoy in my life. This week, I thought I’d talk about playing board games with my friends and family!

Growing up in a big family meant that my parents were always on the lookout for things to keep us occupied and peaceful. One strategy included having a selection of classic board games for us to play. I still remember the summer that my brothers and I played a full round of Monopoly each day, and we each had a set of properties that we liked to target. I’m not sure why, but my favourite was the fuchsia set!

I also remember playing game after game of Clue with my best friend and her younger sister in the basement. I think we enjoyed the deductive challenge as we tried to outwit the other. Sometimes, when we are feeling nostalgic, we will still play a round together when we meet up. It’s funny how the little things can linger, even after so many years.

I also love playing board game with my babysitting children and clients for speech therapy! I’m not sure if you can tell in the picture above, but I’m playing with a few of my babysitting kids. I love when children are able to start playing more complex board games! I’ve done games like Clue and Incan Gold with children as young as 5, so it’s never too early to start, as long as you have the patience to explain things simply and repetitively. Sometimes they will surprise you, and kick your butt! I’m not ashamed to admit that I have been soundly thumped in games of Connect Four before, and I was trying my hardest.

The fact that board game cafés began emerging in the last fifteen or so years has also been a great addition! It’s nice to have a place to try new games out and socialize with friends without necessarily committing to buying the game blind. Do you have any board games that you enjoy playing with your friends and family? I’ll list a few board games that I have enjoyed, but remember that this is by no means an exhaustive list, and these groupings are also very vague:

• Chase: Avalon; Betrayal at House on the Hill; Clue; Coup
• Displace: Chess; Othello
• Economic: The Game of Life; I’m the Boss!; Monopoly; Sushi Go
• Guessing: Battleship; Guess Who; Hanabi; Hedbanz; Mastermind
• Space: Azul; Connect Four; Gobblet Gobblers; Otrio
• Race: Cariboo; Trouble

Until next time, happy crafting!