War, What is it Good For?
Life Lesson in a Box, Hasbro Game of Risk
What is new about war? Nothing…but you knew that!
Conflicts, battles, and wars are as old as time. They are fought for various reasons ranging from independence to the expansion of national borders. If we counted the American Wars, not to include the wars of others that the US soldiers were part of, we are currently at 12. Starting with our own fight for independence. In all these scenarios, they are all horrific, and regardless of who wins, the "losers" are the citizens whom the war takes its harshest toll.
Back in the day, the news was only shared at 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm or in the morning or evening delivery of the newspaper. Kids could be quickly sent to another room or handed the comics, making it easier to keep the gruesome news from the young.
Ukraine continues to battle
Now, as we are currently facing, in real-time, the war in Ukraine. It's on every channel, every newspaper, and even discussion and videos in school. 24/7 war.
Depending on the age of our grandkids/kids, let's help them face the reality of today. How? Not by showing the pictures of the death of devastation but rather by playing games. No, I am not saying shove the war under the rug, but let's first teach them the fundamentals of war and strategy. The goal of the Hasbro Risk game Risk is simple: players aim to conquer their enemies' territories by building an army, moving their troops in, and engaging in battle.
As a kid, my sisters and I would play the game of Risk for hours on end. We felt defeat, were elated with victory and were driven to develop a strategy to "take the other man team out," only to learn that the roll of the dice and your early strategy allowed a player to defeat the enemy or be defeated.
In life, there is always an element of action and consequence. If children act on the Risk board without thinking it through or considering the possible effects, they could fall behind in the game and eventually lose. It does not take kids long to start realizing the correlation between action and consequence when learning in a fun and engaging way.
So, why am I recommending playing the game of Risk? It's a conduit to start the discussion on how the "luck" of a country, the strategy to stay in control, alignment, partners, and in the real world, it is sometimes a roll of the dice. And finally, the bigger bully does not necessarily always win.
Healthy competition is essential for the development of kids and adult relationships. It helps people set boundaries and get to know each other deeper. When in competition with someone else, you can see a bit more about who they are, how they behave under pressure, and their personal ethics.
Now, how deep the kids' conversation goes depends on their age. It is critically important to talk to the kids about actions and consequences and what is happening in Ukraine depicts the political situation…a real-time Risk.
Use Risk to teach kids about actions and consequences. That being said…
