Board games from age 10 and for teenagers

Not necessarily. The number on the box is the publisher's recommendation, not a fixed limit. Whether a game is suitable also depends on how much experience of games your child has, how long they can stay focused and whether they can read the text on the cards confidently. A good way in: play the first game together and think the moves through out loud until the sequence of play is familiar. If it gets too much, put the game aside for a few months and then try again.

Executive functions are the mental abilities with which we consciously control our thinking and actions. The neuroscientist Adele Diamond distinguishes three core functions: inhibition (impulse control), working memory and cognitive flexibility; planning, problem-solving and reasoning build on them. At ten, they are not yet fully developed: in one study, spatial working memory did not reach adult level until around the age of 19. The frontal brain regions involved mature late, with parts of the prefrontal cortex still maturing at the end of adolescence.

Games made specifically for two people work well: abstract tactical games such as Hive or Kamisado, the trading duel Jaipur or short card games such as Lost Cities: Card Game – With 6th Expedition and Hanamikoji. If you would rather play together than against each other, you can land a plane as a pair in Sky Team, coordinating largely without words. Many of these duels take around half an hour and so also fit into a weekday evening.

Research is cautious on this. Executive functions can be improved at any age through practice, especially when they are challenged regularly and with increasing demands. However, the effects usually transfer only to similar tasks. A review of interventions using board games found indications of better knowledge comprehension, more interaction and higher motivation, but stresses that there are still few studies. Board games are therefore not a training programme, but an opportunity to practise planning, waiting and rethinking with enjoyment.