How Board Games Can Help Your Child Deal with Frustration
Understanding the Roots of Childhood Frustration
If you have a child between the ages of 6 and 12, chances are you’ve seen their frustration bubble over—slamming a pencil down during homework, groaning over a tricky math problem, or storming off when a game doesn’t go their way. It’s not easy to watch, and even harder to guide them through it when your own reserves are running low. But here’s a glimmer of hope: instead of tackling these emotional challenges only through lectures or consequences, what if you could do it through play?
Why Board Games Are an Emotional Training Ground
Board games offer a special kind of learning environment—natural, low-stakes, and immersive. Within just a few rounds, your child is processing turn-taking, waiting patiently, managing competitiveness, and grappling with losing. These seemingly small moments actually mirror the big feelings that come with frustration—not getting what you want, not feeling in control, or facing something hard.
Consider how your child reacts when someone skips their turn, or when they’re just about to win and the dice don’t roll their way. That burst of emotion? It's the same thing that shows up during schoolwork setbacks. The beauty of board games is that they repeat these scenarios often enough to help kids get used to them, rehearse better responses, and bounce back a little faster each time.
Playing Through the Tough Moments
No game is without its challenges—someone gets ahead, someone loses a card, tempers rise. These are teaching moments in disguise. When approached with empathy and structure, you can help your child label what they're feeling and explore better ways to handle it. Imagine saying during a tense round of Uno, “I saw that you got upset when you had to draw four. That’s so frustrating! Do you want to take a little breather or keep playing?”
By turning playtime into a safe arena for emotional practice, you're helping your child build resilience. And remember, you don’t have to win every battle or fix every eruption—instead, your consistent presence and patience make the biggest impact.
Choosing the Right Games to Build Emotional Skills
Not all board games are built alike. Some are more collaborative, reducing competitiveness and promoting teamwork. Others involve strategic decision-making, quick thinking, or unusual challenges that push your child beyond their comfort zone—in a good way. If you're not sure where to start, these collections might be helpful:
- 10 Must-Have Board Games for 6-Year-Olds
- Best 2-Player Board Games to Play at Home
- Best Family Board Games to Bring Siblings Together
Games like Outfoxed!, Zingo, or The Mind give kids space to make mistakes and recover from them, while also building connection with parents and siblings in the process.
Using Routine to Build Emotional Endurance
Like any skill, managing frustration gets easier with repetition. Creating a regular board game time—whether it's every Saturday morning or 20 minutes after dinner—can put your child in touch with predictable success and setbacks, which strengthens emotional regulation over time. For ideas on establishing these routines, take a look at this guide on structuring board games into daily routines.
Make sure to keep it flexible. Don’t worry if a session goes poorly or ends in tears—this is all part of the learning curve. The key is to come back often and talk through what happened after feelings have cooled.
Supporting Calm Moments Off the Game Board
Frustration can’t always be soothed in the moment, especially when kids are overwhelmed. That's why it can be valuable to build in peaceful, screen-free alternatives to help your child regulate. One gentle option is listening to engaging audio stories, which can offer both entertainment and emotional grounding.
The LISN Kids app is a curated library of original audiobooks and podcast-style stories for children aged 3–12. Whether played during wind-down time or on a car ride home from school, these stories can help your child decompress and recharge emotionally. It's available for both iOS and Android.
When Games Become a Bridge, Not a Barrier
There’s something deeply special about a game well played—not just for the fun, but for the growth it fosters. If your child struggles with handling loss, perfectionism, or emotional regulation at school or during homework, board games can become a unique kind of bridge. A way to reach them, to guide them, and to connect, using laughter as the vehicle and resilience as the goal.
And as a parent, you don't need to be perfect. Just being willing to sit down and roll the dice—with curiosity, humor, and patience—is a powerful step forward.
Looking for options that travel well or work on-the-go? Browse this list of portable board games for families that make it easy to keep the rhythm going, even on busy days.