By Rob Solka, School-Age and Teen Services Outreach Coordinator

While the weather outside may be frightful, the board games in Fairfax County Public Library's Library of Things are so delightful! Whether for a holiday gathering or a snow day, a variety of board games are available to borrow free at your local library for the whole family to enjoy. Board games offer many benefits that positively impact childhood development and help kids and teens build language skills, increase focus, manage frustration and incorporate important values like teamwork and fairness into their daily lives. FCPL’s Library of Things offers over 30 board, card, and tabletop games, including the ever-popular Ticket to Ride, Point Salad, and Codenames. Board games are one of the most in-demand items in FCPL’s Library of Things, with over 80% checked out at any one time.  

Get "Board" At The Library

Want to get out of the house and play board games with others? Many libraries offer free monthly board game programs for kids and teens. These include:  

• Chess Club programs at Dolley Madison, Kings Park, Kingstowne, Oakton, Pohick Regional, Reston Regional and Tysons-Pimmit Regional libraries.  
• Dungeons and Dragons programs at Centreville Regional, Kings Park and Sherwood Regional libraries.
• Pokémon card programs at Chantilly Regional and Reston Regional libraries. 

In-Branch Puzzle Programs

Additionally, numerous libraries will also host puzzle programs this winter. These include: 

• Jigsaw Puzzle Contest on Sunday, December 3 at 3 p.m. at Sherwood Regional Library.
• Family Puzzle Party on Monday, December 29 at 2 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Library. 
• Game and Puzzle Exchange programs on Saturday, January 24 and Saturday, February 21 at 1 p.m. at Dolley Madison Library. 

Take advantage of these programs and the exciting items available in the FCPL Library of Things to bring more joy to your family this winter season!