I’ve always loved board games, with their mix, chance, skill and competition. As a child, nothing would keep me still for longer than Ludo with my Gran (with the special ‘blocking’ rules, or Monopoly with my best friend Sarah down the road. (Much to her Mum’s probable irritation - a single game could 'monopolise' the dining table for days on end!)
Most of us probably still enjoy a board game from time to time – my personal favourite is Balderdash, which, with certain friends, can have me crying with laughter. Most of us never really get tired of gently competing with each other and applying our skills and knowledge in a race to the finish, whilst laughing and having fun.
Those exact elements mean that board games can be a really engaging way to get people involved in both learning and, crucially, reviewing learning, and that’s why, over the years, we’ve developed a range of board games for Trainers’ Library.
Here’s a few of my favourites:
Police Chase is a game of strategy and intrigue. It’ll test your participants’ commitment to working together as a team, explore what happens when trust is undermined and encourage participants to think about what happens when there are personnel changes within their team.
Pitfalls and Trampolines are extremely popular board games. Loosely based on ‘snakes and ladders’, these are simple to learn, simple to play and a fun way to review learning.
When players land on a trampoline, they take a Trampoline card and must give three hints or tips related to the topic on the card.
If they land on a Pitfall card, they’ll need to explain how they’d avoid or overcome that Pitfall. For example, how would you deal with a customer who, no matter how many times you try, just doesn’t seem to understand what you’re saying?
There are three versions of Pitfalls and Trampolines available:
I love At a Crossroads. Players work in teams and face a series of conundrums. (All the conundrums are based on real life experience.) A green light moves them forward, an amber light gives them a second chance and a red light stops them progressing. It’s a race to the finish, with the ability to divert other teams by offering a better solution to their conundrum.
There are three At a Crossroads games available:
If you're a Trainers' Library member, everything you need to run these games can be downloaded from the member area. Or, for an added wow factor, you can buy professional game packs for these, and many other games from Trainers’ Market from just £65.00.
If you're not a Trainers' Library member, then these games, and their packs, can still be purchased from
Trainers' Market.