People with special needs often love board games. Sure, there is the fun of competition, and it’s always good to learn new things. Games offer the chance to practice new skill sets, to develop the ability to synthesize concepts, to work toward a particular goal, and to enhance social skills. That last one alone is worth the price of a game or two.
My son is the director of a therapeutic riding center for special needs clients. Many of us miss out on the warmth and love offered by folks with special needs because we are uncomfortable with people who are different. We don’t know what to say or how to act. The shortcoming is ours, not theirs. We take for granted that the physical differences we see are indicators of a different heart. If there is a different heart, it is often bigger and more open than our own.
We could all take the chance to get to know someone outside our comfort zone. Maybe a point of connection could be an afternoon of game play. How about Bingo or Dominoes? Think big and bright. Pick a couple of board games for special needs children or adults and volunteer some time at a local day camp or group home. You’ll be the one who gets the most from the effort.
Board Games for ADULTS??? Okay, "for Adults" doesn’t have to mean "for Adults," if you know what I mean. 
Seriously, most of us just want to have some good conversation, good company, and good clean fun when we socialize. What better way to enjoy the company of friends than with a peaceable evening spent playing a game or two. Put on a pot of coffee, heat up some banana bread or a coffee cake, and pull out a crowd-pleasing board game.
Pictionary is a terrific game. I have a friend who guesses the picture from a straight line. Honest. I have trouble identifying a photograph, so they wait until I’m out of the room to choose teams. I’m much better at Scattergories. And Trivial Pursuit. I am a font of useless knowledge.
How about you? Are you a brain? Maybe Cranium or Scrabble are to your liking. If your ability lies in strategy you may prefer Chess or Mastermind. Backgammon and Yahtzee both utilize a combination of strategy and fortune. There’s always Clue if you’re a sneaky son-of-a-gun or if you harbor suspicions and conspiracy theories. Old reliable Monopoly lets you practice getting wiped out financially. And for all of you would-be Kings of the World, it’s hard to beat Risk for world domination.
There are lots more. Pick a favorite board game or two and call the crew. The adult crew. Adults — grown-ups — having fun just playing some board games. You know you want to. It’s hard to beat fun board games for adults.
Fun board games for teens just sounds like you’re trying too hard. Really. But you’re not. Young people are just people. They have friends. They like to do things with the people they like. They get tired of trying to say the right thing, wear the right clothes, hang with the right crowd. Heck, they get tired of just trying to figure out what all of that is. They need some easy-going time with no big consequences — just a chance to slow down a bit now and then. Offer them a board game party.
Risk, Yahtzee, Pictionary, Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit — all of these lend themselves to team play. Trivial Pursuit comes in a number of variations, so if they’re big Lord of the Rings fans, go with that one.
They will, however, play with a different intensity than their parents. "Soorrryyy" could take on a whole new meaning at your house. Player pieces may well be slapped around the board with more energy than one might expect. The Game of Life could be assigned choices not listed in the rules. Scene It will cause them to monopolize the television while Monopoly will give them time to take over the refrigerator. Who cares? They’re home, at your house, laughing like crazy and having more fun than they ever thought. No keggers, no missing parents, no car trouble — just friends and food and fun. Even teens have fun with board games.
We don’t always think about board games for preschoolers when we think about their play. Little ones run and jump and fall and get up and do it again. We sometimes limit their calm time to television — cartoons and children’s movies are quite good. Still, we miss out on some important training for small ones, as well as missing time spent together in an atmosphere of calm. More and more, children are losing the art of polite conversation and civilized interaction with adults. One solution? Bring out the games!
Pre-school board games help children to develop skills they will need in reading. They learn to match colors, count, recognize letters and their sounds, think sequentially, win graciously and lose gracefully. These are pretty important concepts. Candyland and Chutes and Ladders will wear you out, because your youngster will want to play again and again. There are all kinds of dominos (I know — not strictly a board game) that allow children to match cartoon characters rather than dots. There are games that let them match picture cards arranged on a grid and games that require fine motor skills. You’ll find that all of them are great fun for your four-year old.
Take the plunge. Board games with your pre-schooler. How much fun can you cram into one day?
The foundation of board games: children’s board games. I’m talking heart of childhood, elementary school, make a game out of everything age group. They make their own board games. They play board games at school when the weather is bad. They play board games all summer long in the floor, usually in the doorway to the kitchen. They just play. So what do they play?
Old stand-bys are still loved. Checkers and Chess are easily obtained and only take two people. Monopoly can take an entire afternoon and even then may not end with a clear winner. There’s a Monopoly Jr. now that is perfect for beginning readers and only takes about thirty minutes to play.
Sorry and Trouble, with it’s great Pop-O-Matic dice tumbler, remain crowd favorites. The Game of Life has become pretty convoluted, but kids still like to play it. Mouse Trap is fun to build and has the added value of a half hour of trapping mice once the game is done. Upper grade levels have a great time with Clue and Colonel Mustard and the Library — with the candlestick. Then there are cartoon-based games (think Spongebob) and Junior versions of Trivial Pursuit and Cranium. And Chinese Checkers and Parcheesi and Operation and Tri-Bond and Mancala and Aggravation and Backgammon and Scrabble and — oh, you get the idea. The list of children’s board games is as long as your imagination.
Play time! Fun board games! Vintage board games.
Yep, fun board games of time gone by, making them vintage. Nice word for old. Well, maybe not all that old. Remember these?
Tripoly: played this one with the neighbors. I don’t remember much about it except we used poker chips.
Game of the States: VERY educational. 
I’m pretty sure this was a gift trom my aunt. Very sure. Really. Aunt Helen.
We really did learn all kinds of things about the states. We learned capitals, state birds, agricultural products, population — none of which I remember now. Not that much of it would be the same, anyway.
How about Tycoon? You had to be money-grubbing and free of conscience. My brothers slaughtered me. What are some others? Stratego. Mystery Date! Now there’s a great game for a sleep-over. Surfer dude. Hmmm. Clue, Monopoly, Scrabble, Rook, Payday, Stock Market — all great games. I wish I still had all of them. But here’s the one we played ALL THE TIME:
Square Mile This was the game with plastic roads and bridges. There was a railroad and a swamp. There were these little bitty buildings — houses, a school, a church, factories, apartment buildings, a shopping center. This was a cool game. The best for a rainy day. Old? Yes. Vintage board games.
