How to set up a board game club in your school

4. Board games can be played over and over again – an unlimited resource. This replayability gives a really good return on investment. Tabletop gaming is not weather-dependent. A good board game library provides excellent indoor play options on stormy days. 

5. Board games increase interaction and boost relationships. When playing games, players focus on one another, but within the safety and structure of the game. To be successful, they learn to communicate effectively in order to accomplish their objectives.

6. Playing games can increase awareness of others. Players learn to truly listen to obtain information about other players. The timbre, pitch, tone and volume of the voice gives indications of how they are feeling about their moves. 

7. Board gaming is inclusive. Anyone can play. All ages can play together. Many disabilities can also be catered for. Learners can compete on a level playing field with staff. With the right games, strength, age, physical ability and prior knowledge will give you no discernible advantage. The structure and rules of games appeal to many who find more free-flowing activities challenging, helping them interact and develop friendships in a comfortable, safe environment.

8. Playing games aids learning. Playing games improves memory formation and cognitive skills, increases processing speed, develops logic and reasoning skills, improves critical thinking, boosts spatial reasoning, improves verbal and communication skills, increases attention and concentration, teaches problem solving, develops confidence and improves decision-making.

9. Playing games teaches competitiveness within a limited domain. Everyone gets used to experiencing defeat; games involve failure on a manageable scale.

10. Playing games can increase our consideration of and respect for others. With the fast pace of turn-by-turn action in board games, learners can quickly see the impact of their actions on others and feel the potential repercussions.  

11. Board games provide learners with challenge. Performance in games is improved by experimentation. Mistakes are remembered and learned from. Players learn that the time taken on refining their strategy and game-play will reap benefits in the future.

12. Playing games has proven health benefits as it increases laughter and reduces stress, which boosts the immune system and lowers blood pressure, and puts young people in a good frame of mind for learning.

How does a school board games club work?

Your board game club can be created to suit your school. All you really need is a pile of good games and somewhere to play, ideally with large tables. Your club could run at lunchtimes, after school or even over breakfast. Choose a time that fits well into the school day and will give as many learners as possible a chance to participate. If possible, aim to find a regular 45 – 60 minute slot. This will give learners enough time one longer game, or several shorter ones. If time is limited and you can only squeeze in 30 minute slots, make sure your board game library is well stocked with shorter ‘filler’ games.

Find enthusiastic staff to get involved and play games with the learners, but train up student gamesmasters to teach games. Board game club offers opportunities for student leadership and responsibility. As your club grows, your team of student gamesmasters should also grow. Reward gamesmasters for welcoming and helping new members to create an inclusive and supportive environment. 

Plan club meetings properly – avoid having a pile of games that learners fight over. If you want a free-flowing games club, implement a system where you or a responsible gamesmaster acts as ‘librarian’. Club members can decide what they want to play, then collect the game – ‘check it out’ and the librarian can share any specific instructions related to the care of that game. Alternatively, plan the games that you’ll play in each session. If you have several copies of a game (e.g. card games), teach the game to the whole group, before spitting into smaller groups to play. Alternatively pick a theme for that session and set up games on each table. Pre-assign student gamesmasters to each table to lead the games.

Also look for opportunities to take games outside the scheduled club to really become a board game school. Find a way to open up your board games collection so that more learners can access it. Run a ‘pick up and play’ break-time board game library staffed by student gamesmasters. Look for opportunities for your club to host special events such as game nights with parents, game corners at school fairs and drop in sessions during parents evenings. Place light games strategically around the school to increase opportunities for learners, staff and visitors to play during the day.

Sadly, most people don’t realise this because we still see the same sad old titles in major shops. Suppress the urge to only acquire mainstream games – Monopoly isn’t going to excite anyone, and you won’t fit it into the school day!  Avoid flooding your games library with tatty donations and the contents of the local charity shop. While you may get lucky once in a while, you’ll reduce the draw of the club if the games are shoddy. 

Instead contact local board game cafes and games clubs for recommendations and approach publishers to see if they run any projects with schools. Downloadable ‘Print and Play’ (PnP) games provide excellent options for schools on tight budgets. 

Time indications on boxes can be really helpful, but be aware that most of these have been based on adult (who know the game) playing. Some young people make decisions more quickly, so games may not take as long, but if there are distractions in the room, games could take a lot longer! Take age guidelines with a pinch of salt. Check whether the age is restricted due to content or complexity. Publishers often underestimate children’s ability and may also inflate age guidelines in order to attract adult gamers. 

As the club grows, get regular feedback from members about which board games they love and why. This will help you to develop your games library to suit your group.

How to teach games

Learn how to play a new game when you’re on your own. It is almost impossible to read and understand a rule book when under pressure from a table of expectant players. And for players, there is nothing more frustrating than watching someone read the rules for 20 minutes before you can get started. YouTube ‘How to Play’ videos provide a useful resource alongside rule books.

Plan how you are going to teach the game. The slicker the teaching of the game, the better. It is usually a good idea to start with the aim of the game and the victory conditions. You may also need to give a quick thematic overview – explaining the context and setting. Explain turn structure and some of the basic actions, but it is absolutely fine to start playing a game without all the information being given upfront. 

Try to limit your initial introduction to ten minutes. Within ten minutes you should be playing, either having launched into the game proper, or playing a few practice rounds to see the game in action. 

Unless the rules are very simple, playing a game for the first time can be hard and tempers can get frayed. Don’t take it personally. There may be multiple ways to play and even multiple ways to win. As a player, you’re forced to make decisions from the first turn, without understanding their full impact. 

Consider having practice rounds or no scoring on the first game as this will take the pressure off new players.

There is no need to teach strategy. Part of the fun of playing new games is working out new strategies for yourself, forming your own connections, making your own discoveries and testing your own ideas. Making strategic decisions is rewarding and interesting. Most players would prefer to lose on their own than win with someone else’s ideas. Whether you win or lose, you remember the tactical decisions you made and use these as a basis to work from the next time you play.