After half a dozen club meetings, I’m starting to notice some patterns about how students pick the games they want to play each week. Foremost, if there is something new and shiny, every student will be drawn to it. Last week, that was Jumanji Stampede. Perhaps in my infinite concern about which games the kids may find the most interesting each week on-theme, I overlooked one very simple fact: 7 to 9 year olds just want to have the most fun possible.

Most of my energy in board game club is not spent on teaching and playing games. As much as I can, I let the kids do that themselves. I may step in for a quick explainer or play a hand of a large group game if I have the space and time, but otherwise my role is more along the sides of the actual content itself. Most of my energy in board game club is spent building and repairing the fragile social threads woven amongst the kids.