My family loves playing games. We are not too much into technology but more board games and sport games. We try to have a “Game Night” a couple times a month but I have been thinking how much fun it would be to have a weekly “Game Night”.
Let’s face it, board games can be pricey. There are a few I am saving up for because they are just so expensive. Most of our board games have come from the thrift store or Goodwill store. They are less than $2 for great games. We also like to give the kids a new board game each Christmas as a family gift. This has bulked up our board game supply.
For our “Game Night” I like to have a simple dinner prepared. Usually it’s pizza. I also like to have some kind of dessert: either cookies or ice cream or a favorite candy. I make popcorn as well because my kids love snacking.
After dinner, we choose which game we will be playing (sometimes we choose a few games depending on what ones they are). We turn on some music and play. My youngest son is only three so he sits with either me or my husband.
My children (all boys) are super competitive. It is just in their nature. I am the most uncompetitive person alive. I mean, I love to win but I am never cut throat or angry if I lose. During the early part of our marriage, my husband and I would play board games a lot. We had to stop playing Scrabble because he would always win and that just isn’t much fun. We have resumed playing in recent years as I have a better vocabulary since homeschooling (haha).
Playing board games with your kids is such an amazing event. The kids learn new skills and there is lots of laughter and fun (most of the time). It is important to us to have lots of family time and what better way to spend time together than playing games. Board games can also hone different skills. For instance, Monopoly Jr. has helped my boys with their math skills. Checkers has helped them with strategy. I do plan to teach them how to play Chess in the near future (which is such an amazing game).
We didn’t start off playing such games though. It was CandyLand and Go Fish. We have gotten so good at those games that we had to move on to bigger things. Now we play Uno and Battleship. Those are two of our favorites.
After we play games for a while we all snuggle up on the couch and put in a family-friendly movie. We take turns picking which movie to watch. That usually gets us all calm and almost ready for bed. I have really enjoyed doing this with my family. Give it a try on a Friday night. Order pizza, buy some ice cream, and get out those dusty games from the closet. Kids will love it!
To find some great ideas for games to play with your family, check out Rainbow Resource Center.
