Scientists have proven that number-based and counting board games such as Monopoly, Othello and Traps and Ladders improve math skills in young children. This was made clear by a comprehensive review of the research published on this topic over the past 23 years.
Board games have been previously known to contribute to children's learning and development, including improving literacy and reading. A new study found that for children aged three to nine years, the number board game format helped improve counting, addition, and the ability to recognize a number greater than or less than another.
Researchers find that children benefit when they play board games several times a week under the supervision of a teacher or other trained adult. They based their findings on a review of 19 studies published since 2000 involving children aged three to nine. All but one of the studies focused on the relationship between board games and math skills.
All the children in the studies received special board game sessions, which were held on average twice a week for 20 minutes for one and a half months. Teachers, therapists, or parents were among the adults who taught these sessions. The authors assessed success in four categories, including basic number skills, such as the ability to name numbers, and basic number understanding, such as «nine is greater than three.» The other categories were enhanced understanding of numbers, where the child can accurately add and subtract, and an interest in math.
The results showed that the children's math skills improved significantly after training the children in more than half (52%) of the problems analyzed . In almost a third (32%) of the cases, children achieved better results than those who did not take part in board games.