"Life is more fun if you play games." -Roald Dahl.
Who doesn't like playing games? Besides helping to acquaint us and our children with "life lessons" and to practice valuable social skills, most good games also afford an opportunity to sharpen certain academic skills to young learners.
Games let children use their creativity while nurturing their imagination, physical, cognitive, emotional strength, and proficiency in skills. Games can help children at a very young age to interact and engage in the world around them.
Games help teach our children about aspiration, success, and disappointment. They'll gain experience with both winning and losing—and learn that no matter what the result, next time they can try and they'll begin again with a clean slate. Games also give you the opportunity to teach your preschooler about rules, about integrity and honesty, and about luck. Games also can help increase your child's ability to focus their attention. Playing board or card games also is a very social occasion. Game playing enables and encourages your preschooler to practice important social skills that she will need to play well with other children. Nearly all games, for example, involve taking turns, sharing dice or a spinner, waiting for your turn, patience, and learning how to be a good sport.
Most board games for preschoolers involve either counting or color matching, for instance. Similarly, most card games for preschoolers involve matching suits or numbers or comparing numbers. Games like picture lotto can help expand your preschooler's vocabulary and give her practice at analyzing and matching pictures.
Most importantly, when you play games with your child, try to emphasize the fun of game as much as possible, rather than focusing on "who's winning."