Some observations following the purchase and playing of several new games with my kids (as a reminder, they are 5 and 2 3/4):
* Preschoolers have the attention spans of gnats. Gnats with ADD.
* Games have come a long, long way since I was a kid.
* Neither of my kids cares one iota about winning or losing. I have no intention of introducing the concept at this point...it's much easier not to deal with the inevitable drama. I am guessing that this is exactly opposite of how my husband would approach this, given that he lives to win. Related: I sort of hate playing games with him. We can just about get through a (tense) round of a knowledge-based game, but I flat refuse to play Monopoly with him.
* Both kids are TOTAL CHEATERS. This makes me laugh because they are not cheating to win, just to...well, I'm not sure exactly.
* They are surprisingly good with turn-taking, as long as I am directing the flow of the game.
* I started out just managing rounds of the games between the two of them and then it occurred to me, I could...play with them! Not that I find preschool games particularly riveting, but it is slightly more tolerable to play along rather than just nag them through completion.
* I am instituting a No-More-Than-Three-Games-in-a-Row rule. This is partly so they don't get bored with them too quickly, but mainly to preserve my sanity.
* I had no idea how difficult it would be to introduce the concept of rolling a dice. I'm not even talking about understanding the subsequent moving of spaces or whatever, just the rolling itself. Pace can roll a dice like he's been playing craps since he was two (yes, I know the singular is die but I just don't like the way it sounds), but Brighton just does NOT get it. We have this photo safari game that requires rolling a dice and moving around a board. She can't seem to let go of the idea that she needs to get the dice to land in a particular place on the board. At this point I've harped on about "just letting! it! go!" long enough that she's developed a sort of Dice Rolling Paralysis. I hope I haven't scarred her for life.
* As far as activities go, I think the game genre rates well above Chase Me/Tickle Me games, but definitely not as high as coloring. I do love me some coloring.
(In case you're curious, the four games we have now are: the photo game I've linked to before (9/10), Pop-Up Pirate (7/10), Monkeying Around (8/10) and Hi-Ho Cherry-O, which we haven't played yet)
2 comments:
My kiddos love Hi-Ho Cherrio. They also really love Zingo- very similar to bingo but only with pictures.
For some reason my kids are loving Monopoly- only they have no idea how to play it. They like to get out, roll the dice, move the pieces around and be done. If someone lands in jail, all the better.
Random subject change- but I finished three books by Marisa de los Santos. LOVE THEM. Seriously great reads- thanks for suggesting!
Love love love Pop up Pirate! As for dice, give her a target - have her drop it into the box lid or a bowl....less chasing, less frustration, and teaches her what to do with it! and awesome that Pacey rocks the dice! Dice are actually tricky to maintain in your hand! Challenge him by trying to shake it for 5 or 10 seconds without dropping....:)
I wonder if they still make the game bed bugs? That used to be a standard in therapy sessions!
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