A popular date night activity for singles and married partners, young and old(er), is to play a board game. Board games are not only for kids. However, they can bring out the kid in you and take you back to your childhood.
With so many board games on the market now, including ones we know well that even come in their retro packaging, the options for date night fun are endless. That is if you and your partner are for the challenge — quite literally. If you haven’t tried it, here are a few reasons to put game night on the calendar for you and your partner.
Board games are an activity couples can share.
It’s no secret that engaging in shared activities is good for relationship-building, and playing board games provides a structured and enjoyable way to spend time together. Playing board games is not always everyone’s immediate go-to for date night ideas, so if you’re looking to change up the routine of going for drinks or dinner, board games can be a nice addition to your repertoire. It can also be a great way to extend a date, say with a game of Scrabble or Rummikub after a meal.
Couples can engage in communication and teamwork.
Board games encourage communication and teamwork, essential skills in any relationship. When playing a board game one-on-one, you have yet another opportunity to chat, the game serving the same function —setting the stage — as a dinner would, for example.
Playing board games also allows you and your date to compete against others as a team. As you do, you can see how well you collaborate and work to overcome challenges together as they present themselves.
Board games give couples an opportunity to compromise.
Compromise begins with deciding to give board games a chance as a date night activity, and then again when you choose the game that you are going to play. If you both decide you like the activity and want to do it again, you are compromising each time you select which game to play!
If you are playing a board game as a team, you have another chance to see your partner’s willingness to compromise in action. After all, you often have to devise a strategy or pick one answer to present when playing on the same team. Whose strategy are you going to go with? Whose answer are you going to give? Does it matter whose idea it was? You can learn a lot about your date from these moments.
Couples can see their partner’s competitive side.
Similar to how they can give you a birdseye view into how well you can collaborate and compromise, board games provide a chance to see your partner’s competitive side. Unless you are put into a competitive situation, many couples don’t realize how aggressive their partner can get under the right conditions. How your partner reacts when they win or lose can be telling about how they may behave in other scenarios where they are opposing someone else, including you.
Board games are fun.
The operative word in the phrase board game is game, which usually spells fun. If everyone’s taking it in stride and not behaving too competitively, a board game can be a source of enjoyment and laughter for a couple and a group. Board games can also be the impetus for scheduling a get-together with friends, such as a game night-type party.
Of course, even if everyone’s paying by the rules (of the game and socially), not everyone finds board games enjoyable. And that’s OK. Then, you don’t have to make playing them a regular occurrence.
However, if your partner really loves board games, you may want to “take one for the team,” your team, every once in a while and play them as a couple.
Couples get to spend quality time together and create lasting memories.
Spending quality time with your partner is imperative if you expect to deepen your relationship. Whatever the activity, it becomes the basis for the memories you create, hopefully good memories.
If board games can be a reason for you and your partner to share a part of yourselves with one another, and it makes you both happy (or if making your partner happy makes you happy), then, by all means, pull out the Monopoly board, smile, and take a stroll down Boardwalk. Just try and stay out of jail, or, at a minimum, the doghouse by being a good sport.