Overview
Did you know that a woman who was anti-capitalist invented the most capitalist board game of all time?
Her name was Lizzie Magie, and her original purpose was to protest against monopolies, by creating a board game she called – “Landlord’s Game”.
After a few years and few modifications that were made by others, “Landlord’s Game” became known as “Monopoly”.
Magie, who lived in the United States, invented this game in 1903, and as a woman with less Rights than men, she didn’t get the credit for inventing Monopoly, which over the years was modified to be more child friendly.
And why am I telling you all about it? Because this classic board game, has provided millions of people lots of and fun, including my 6 years boy learned a lot from it!
Let me share with you why Monopoly should make a comeback in your house and work its magic on your children’s growth and development.
Math Skills
I like to play with my kids Monopoly, because it’s an interesting board game. It’s also a great tool for children to learn basic math and sharp their math skills. My six years old knows now what money is, he understands the value of it, how to count money, how to do calculations and he is now able to add and subtract large numbers.
Workout for Brain
Board games stimulate parts of the brain that are responsible for memory formation, short-term memory, quick recall, and complex thought processes.
As a result, playing monopoly trains children’s brains to be smarter, more agile, and develop a more efficient cognitive ability that helps children perform better in other domains of life.
Learn how to be Patient
Stanford’s Marshmallow Test has proven that patience – delayed gratification – is a major determinant of a child’s success in later years. Children who exhibit the ability to show patience by delaying gratification receive more success in life, including better scores on standardized tests.
Monopoly is a game that takes time and requires patience as there is no immediate winner; a person who makes smart choices ends up better than others, and ultimately, a winner.
Hence, to help children learn how to delay gratification for greater success and double the rewards, monopoly must become an addition to a child’s indoor activities.
Enhance Communication Skills
The ultimate test of communication is negotiation. The ability to convince someone to get what you want can help children, even adults, at all stages of life.
Monopoly is based upon a gameplay where negotiation is inherent. Do you wish to buy Mayfair Street and build a house there?
It won’t be so easy as the player will need to buy it from another player and negotiate the rates.
Monopoly, unlike other board games, helps a child develop the powers of communication and negotiation.
Debt – Double-Edged Sword
Hundreds of students find themselves neck-deep in debt as soon as they graduate.
As empowering as debt could be in the short term, it is equally crippling, especially in the latter stages of life.
Monopoly offers a financial lesson children must learn early: it costs money to borrow money.
Liquidity
To win a game of monopoly, one has to have money in his or her hands.
Players that lose are those who buy every property in sight and towards the end of the day, are left with little to nothing. Eventually, they have to sell their assets at a lower face value.
Once you find yourself in a quagmire of selling properties for quick cash, you will end up losing your money as well as the game.
Therefore, monopoly teaches children to always be careful with where they spend and invest.
Controlling Emotions
What a lot of parents fail to realize is the canvas Monopoly offers.
Whether your kid is an introvert, extrovert, or lies somewhere else on the personality spectrum, Monopoly offers children an opportunity to be themselves and express themselves through their strategies.
They face novel situations and try to navigate through them on their own.
Studies show board games, such as Monopoly help people manage real-life stressful situations much better.
Learn While Having Fun
The science is clear. Monopoly is the greatest game a parent can teach their kids to assist their development.
With countless opportunities for learning and making memories with friends and family, we are sure you are going to give Monopoly a chance to be the best mentor your children can ever have!