Friday Night Games

We are a big board game family but our Games Nights look a bit different than they used to. Gone are the nights of games stretching into the wee hours (Monopoly anyone?), gone are the raucous arguments during Scattergories (this one may be controversial but I put it down anyway ...), gone are the wine and cheese. To be fair, when we're staying with my parents and have a family dinner we do get the games out when the boys have gone to bed. It doesn't happen as much as I'd like it to though.

Thankfully our adult Games Nights have been replaced with something else, not quite the same but lovely none the less.

Elliot is at that stage where he is a big boy and big boys don't have sleeps. After all, he will be three next week! He does however, need a sleep. And to get him to have a sleep we have resorted to all sorts of measures, no sleep = no dessert, no sleep = only one book before bed etc etc. His response is generally 'I don't want dessert' and my favourite 'one book is fine Mummy'. Such a male. The one thing he really misses when he doesn't have a sleep is games! So if he has a sleep he gets to stay up late and play lots of games with Mummy and Daddy once Archie is in bed. So far we don't have an extensive games list. Uno, memory, snap, Alphabet Bus and a hybrid snap/fish game that he has invented.

Elliot counting his pairs at the end of his snap/fish hybrid game.

I love that he is having fun and I love that Matt and I get to spend some time with him doing something that feels so grown up. I also love that he is learning so much without even realising it. He is using his knowledge of number, counting, colour and shape in a practical way. He is reinforcing this knowledge and expanding on it every time we play. He can now play a game of Uno with little intervention or prompting from us and he can now deal out a game of cards properly (shuffling is still interesting though!).

Dealing out a game of Uno

He is also practising important social and life skills. He keeps a track of whose turn it is, which way the game is going, who dealt last time and whose turn it is next. He offers to move someones counter if they can't reach. He is learning to be a gracious winner and a good loser.

I love that we've passed on the board game gene and can't wait to add to our collection of games! I'd love to hear your suggestions of good board/card games for kids!