Board Games

My recent post about board games received some feedback, including questions about what games my daughters can comprehend. I thought I would share some of the games that seem to work for us.
Memory: They were able to start playing this around age 3. I rarely used the whole deck. I found our version at Pottery Barn. The cards are big (about the size of a coaster) and colorful.
Candy Land: This game took some time for them to understand. Still, it was a good way to work on recognizing colors.
Chutes and Ladders: We're still mastering this game. It's a little harder because they're still trying to figure out the concept of "sliding" and "climbing," so I haven't even started to tackle the lessons you learn along the way. (Good deeds get your closer to the end, naughty behavior means you have to slide back toward the beginning).
Yahtzee Jr.: We just started playing this game a few weeks ago. The scoring system is difficult for a five-year-old to comprehend. Unlike traditional Yahtzee, where each player strives to roll varied combinations, in this version once any player obtains a score no one else can receive that score. Since I don't make a big deal about scores anyway, this isn't a huge deal. They still enjoy trying to roll matching dice (should I be saying die? I can never remember) and counting the number of matches when they're done.
 We've attempted Operation, but it's still a little advanced for them. I wanted to buy them Perfection for Christmas, but Hubby vetoed that idea. He's right. They're probably not quite old enough for that game... and I'm not sure I'm ready to constantly hear the timer!

The Board Game Dilemma

I enjoy a good board game. A holiday in my family was not complete without a fun game after the big meal. My daughters, thank goodness, enjoy games, too, but I have a feeling I'm teaching them some bad habits.
The best example is Candy Land. If you have played the game, you probably know what my big pet peeve is... the dreaded card that takes you to Candy Cane Forest. I hated that card as a kid, I hate it as an adult. One of my girls will be soooooo close to winning and them BAM! she draws the candy cane card. I've started taking it out of the deck, along with some of the other picture cards that take you back near the beginning... but lately they've started questioning why they never seem to draw that card.
My daughters have, fortunately, reached an age where they can make it through a board game without becoming distracted. They're really starting to grasp the concept of games. The problem is, if the game is taking too long, I won't point out when they skip a square here and there. I know I need to start becoming a stickler for rules, but for now, I guess we'll just make up the rules as we go.