Should You Let Your Kids Win At Board Games?

Hands up if you play board games on Christmas day? We do, and so it seems do many UK families with sales of *traditional games like Monopoly, Twister and Scrabble surging by 40% at Christmas. Now a new survey of 2000 parents by LEGO has found 1 in 5 parents are so competitive that they never let their kids win at games. Leading to 30 per cent of parents rowing with their other half because of their refusal to let their kids get the better of them. I’m sure it’s an all too familiar scene, tears and tantrums around the Christmas game due to sore losers and people cheating but still I think you really can’t beat a good family board game. It’s a great way to involve the whole family and a good way to have a bit of communal fun. As for the question should parents let their kids win at games? Well I think it depends on the child’s age. Under 5 years why not? It’s about engaging them not proving you’re a better player. Age 6+ it probably depends on the child. I know six year olds that are mature enough to cope if they lose and others who have a complete meltdown. 8+ should be able to handle a fair bit of competition in a game that’s not too complex. Teens – well yes they could stand the competition, however, if it’s a struggle to get them to play then perhaps letting them win now and again is good for the bigger picture. But what do you think? Are Christmas games all a bit of fun, or is it character building to let kids lose and understand the joy of winning for real? Let us know your thoughts. * If you’re buying board games for Christmas check out the KidStart savings at Argos, John Lewis and Toys R Us.