
According to Scholastic, playing board and card games can encourage healthy brain development in teens, sharpen focus, and teach the value of teamwork.
They can also help kids learn how to be good losers and provide an entertaining screen-free activity.
Board and card games can also lengthen kids’ focusing abilities and help anxious kids make friends, in part because the games provide a structured setting that can reduce anxiety.
Teens who participate in a Teen Board Game Club in Tualatin are realizing these and other benefits. The club, organized by a private group, meets from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays in the conference room of the Tualatin Public Library.
“You get to have new experiences and meet new people. It’s fun,” said Nestor Sanchez, a member of the group.
In recent weeks, the teens, along with some parents, have played Coup, a fast-moving bluffing game and Werewolf, during which townspeople try to identify the murderous werewolves hiding in their town. They’ve also played The Chameleon, during which players use hidden codes and carefully chosen words to hunt down chameleons among them before they escape.
Other favorites include Code Names, Catan and Exploding Kittens.
“It’s a lot of fun, you should try it,” said Harley Lima, one of the group’s members.
To learn more about the Teen Board Game Club, visit www.meetup.com/board-games-for-teens-tualatin or email Lisa at LisaEllenCohn1@gmail.com.