Chances are your kids are curious about DnD. Here’s why you should join in.
- Imaginative Play
Kids learn by pretending. Inhabiting characters, creating fun scenarios, and going on imaginary adventures helps them figure out their own capabilities—and limits. Through their actions and choices, kids get comfortable with negotiation and compromise. And crucially, they learn that if you want to make any change, you must change the narrative first.
Young DnD players also learn that changing the narrative affects their peers. Their choices have consequences for their community, and the choices of their community have consequences for society as a whole. That includes you! By seeing you outside a familial context, kids start understanding that you are both part of a wider community—and that you might even have a community outside your family! This an important insight to become mature and
It’s difficult for young ones to make these links in a real environment, or for it to seem like their choices have any meaningful impact. By breaking their frame of reference, DnD lets kids see the wider picture, including where you fit in it. DnD also offers kids a limitless arena to explore agency, orient their future selves, and humanize others.
And best of all, exploration in a “pretend world” often filters back to the real world! Imaginative play is an invaluable tool for growth, and all the more invaluable with someone they trust alongside.
- Sneaky Education
If you tell kids they’re about to learn something, they’ll often stop listening—that goes double when it’s a parent doing the teaching. DnD lets you impart your knowledge with a buffer. After all, you aren’t Mom and Dad anymore, but whatever character you wish to be.
You’ll be able to expose your kids to life lessons without the usual resistance, and guide their way on tough moral choices. Being in character also takes the pressure off of you. Maybe you could never find a way to teach your kid about the value of teamwork before. You’ll be surprised how much easier it is as a wise old Dwarf. You may even find opportunities to display wisdom you never knew you had.
Besides all the life and moral lessons, your kid will pick up a lot of literacy, math, and critical thinking skills. There are rules to remember, statistics to keep track of, and thorny scenarios to navigate through. Personal finance is also in the mix, as each character has to manage their own gold, and learn when to save and when to spend. Lead by example and show your kid why these skills are valuable as you blaze across the battlefield!
Your kid will also pick up organizational skills that you can give tips on. Everyone has to keep track of their own character sheet, including items and abilities they’ve acquired. Cleaning up your room is a hard sell but cleaning up your character sheet is an intrinsic motivation! The more organized their character sheet is, the better they’ll be able to adventure. This offers a tangible and powerful benefit to being neat and tidy.
- Bonding
By playing alongside your kids, they’ll see that fantasizing is OK! You’ll demonstrate that, as an adult, it’s still okay to play. Kids often seek permission to express themselves, or worry that their ideas and emotions are unacceptable. Showing them it’s not only OK to express yourself, but encouraged, will be greatly appreciated. Plus, they see that you struggle to express yourself sometimes too, which builds empathy.
Playing with your kids will also help them see you as a human being, rather than just Mom or Dad. You’ll surprise them with your goofy comments, your style of fighting, and, most importantly, the moral choices you make. They’ll see that maybe you’re not so different after all. And for added fun, create your characters together! If your kid finds it stressful to be in the spotlight, classes like the 5e Artificer, let them be support characters.
Perhaps most obviously, there’s no comparison to slaying dragons and problem-solving as a group. You will take cues from each other, and defer to each other in certain situations, which forms mutual respect. You’ll also escape from lots of sticky situations by the skin of your teeth for loads of laughs and memories. Vanquish evil together and vanquish all those barriers between you at the same time!
