The Board Game Clubhouse
Year of inception: 2025
Brand name:
Address: 996 Rocky Harbour Crescent
Postal code: K1V1T9
Business category: Recreation and Educational Services
Primary Contact Details
Name: Kai Niittymaa
Email: theboardgameclubhouse@gmail.com
Phone: 613-979-0398
Website: https://www.theboardgameclubhouse.ca/
Identifier: SE
Company Description
The Board Game Clubhouse (BGCH) is an Ottawa-based not-for-profit with a pretty simple idea: bring people together around a table, have some fun, and learn a little something along the way.
We use modern board games to create engaging, screen-free experiences for kids, families, older adults, and the wider community. Whether we're running an after-school program, introducing residents at a retirement home to a new favourite game, hosting a community game day, or helping someone discover something new through our lending library, we want everyone to feel welcome at the table.
For kids especially, there is a lot of learning hidden inside all that fun. The right game can have them practising addition and multiplication, working with probability, reading and understanding instructions, recognizing patterns, planning ahead, thinking critically, solving problems, and adapting when their original plan doesn't work. Because those skills are being used to play a game rather than complete an assignment, kids get a chance to practise and build confidence without it feeling like more schoolwork.
Games also give us a natural way to work on the skills that can be harder to teach from a worksheet: communication, teamwork, patience, creativity, decision-making, sportsmanship, and learning how to handle both winning and losing. Different games bring out different skills, which is why we're thoughtful about the games we choose and the experiences we build around them.
For us, the games are really just the starting point. It's the learning, laughter, conversations, connections, and memories happening around the table that matter most.
Big fun in every turn.
Community & Social Impact
At BGCH, we believe some pretty amazing things can happen when you get people away from their screens and around a table together. For kids, games can make learning feel like fun, giving them a chance to practise math, reading, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and even how to win and lose with a little grace. For older adults, families, and the wider community, they can create opportunities to laugh, meet someone new, stay mentally engaged, and simply enjoy spending time with other people. We work hard to keep our youth and community programs affordable because we don't want cost to be the reason someone misses out on those experiences. At the end of the day, we're not trying to change the world with board games, but if we can help someone learn something new, make a new friend, build a little confidence, or just have a really great afternoon around the table, we think that's a pretty good place to start.