Board games that can help build executive functions

The term covers the mental abilities we use to manage ourselves: planning, sustaining attention, holding back impulses and adapting our thinking. In a child's everyday life, this means, for example, waiting until it is their turn, keeping an instruction with several steps in mind and looking for another way when the first one does not work. The specialist literature names three core areas: impulse control, working memory and cognitive flexibility.

Even for children aged 4 to 6, provided the rules are simple. At around four and a half to five, most children can switch to a new rule when sorting. According to studies, switching flexibly between rules from card to card is usually not possible until the age of seven to nine. In this selection, Spooky Stairs is recommended from age 4 and Cockroach Salad from age 6. Publishers recommend games with rapid rule changes, such as Ghost Blitz, from age 8.

Regularly and with a growing challenge. Research shows that repeated practice is crucial and that the demands have to increase step by step; otherwise progress remains small and interest fades. In practice, this means starting with the junior edition and moving on later. And once the rules are familiar, it is best for the children themselves to make sure they are followed.

No. Board games are opportunities to practise in everyday family life, not a treatment. If you are worried about your child's attention or impulse control, talk to your child's doctor or ask your child's school about specialist support. Good to know: executive functions are the first to suffer when someone is stressed, sad, lonely or overtired. Playing should therefore be fun and not turn into a chore.