Have You Heard? Families That Play Together Stay Together

Take a chance! When you tell the family that it's games night at your home, the kids might think you've come unhinged, but make it non-optional and make sure you make it fun! Take it from me, I've done it and it works. Everyone joins in either as a player or a spectator when we played games on XBox. The house is filled with laughter and cheering and it's nice to see everyone having a good time. Playing games is ageless and there is virtually no generation gap.

Plan for one night a week where everyone will be home. If you don't have one night where everyone will be there, you need to juggle things around so you have at the very least one night where the entire family is home.

Then there's board games to consider. You could play everything from Monopoly to Snakes and Ladders depending upon the ages of the children. You could set up themes to play a game for example a Hawaiian theme. Have pineapples and things like that, everyone wears leis. Each person could talk about what they know or as questions about Hawaii. Use your imagination. You know what your family likes.

The game itself doesn't have to relate to the theme; just the atmosphere and conversation. You could be playing Yatzee, Life, Clue, Sorry, Snakes and Ladders, Don't Spill the Beans or Uno. It doesn't matter which game you're playing. You could incorporate your theme into various intervals throughout the game. Each time someone lands on a red square everyone must take a bite of pineapple. Spin a ten and all must eat a macadamia nut! If you select the Go to Jail card, it's your turn to do the Hula dance. Get the idea?

At the end of each game night, discuss next week's theme. Family members can take turns choosing the theme and the accompanying snacks and décor. If it's too much for one person to coordinate or if children are younger, these tasks can be delegated. Your three year old can decide she wants a clown theme complete with balloons and everyone will wear clown make-up. Your 6th grader made opt for an art theme and paint or draw the decorations.

If you want to keep it simple without the extras, that's okay too. You're sure to be a hit with games and their favorite snacks. Everyone will want to come back again and again.

This should be an inexpensive night. You can pick up new games at thrift stores and garage sales for $1.00. Most decorations you may already have around the house or can be picked up at the same places you're getting second hand games or even the dollar store.

Make it fun. Your children won't remember and thank you for all the hours you put in a work, but they will always cherish the family time together. The family that plays together stays together. Have fun!

Even Addictive Games Promote Family Values

Title: Even Addictive Games Promote Family Values Word Count: 570 Summary: While moderation and self-control may be important considerations when playing video games and online games, I believe a case can be made that some addictive games promote family values. Keywords: addictive games, board games, puzzles, Games, kid's games, online games, video games, jigsaw puzzles, Article Body: There's been much debate about the effect that video games and online games have in the development of our children and even in the socialization of adults. Reams have been written about the ways in which video games isolate youngsters and encourage a sedentary lifestyle. Some argue that, when adults play video games and online games to the exclusion of other activities, they effectively distance themselves from others and put up emotional barriers. While moderation and self-control may be important considerations when playing video games and online games, I believe a case can be made that some addictive games promote family values. Some people grow up in "game" families, and others do not. I'm from a family of avid gamers - and this was long before the advent of video games and online games. Some of my first memories are of going with my parents to their friends' houses and sitting quietly while they played bridge all evening. My father worked in construction, and so was out of work during the winter. I fondly recall coming home from school and finding my mother, father, and my father's best friend sitting around the table playing cutthroat pinochle. As I grew older, I spent many weekends up at a mountain cabin, playing hearts with eight or ten other people until the wee hours of the morning. In our family, we didn't only play card games. We played every kind of game imaginable - board games, travel games, Mah Jong, outdoor games - you name it. I was the reigning backgammon champion in my college dorm. We also were voracious puzzle solvers. I preferred cryptograms and anacrostics, while my grandmother solved crossword puzzles in pen until she was 94 years old. And, yes, when the first Ataris came out, my mother bought one and we spent countless hours playing Pong and Donkey Kong. There's no question in my mind that the addictive games we played united our family and taught us important life lessons. The first lesson, of course, was don't cheat - and never play with cheaters. That has served me well in business. The second lesson was good sportsmanship: always play to win, but be gracious when you lose. That, too, has been an important life lesson. Even though I try my best, sometimes I don't come out on top. The third lesson was about the importance of thinking ahead and strategizing to reach your goals. The fourth lesson was about partnerships and teamwork. I had to learn to be a team player, and sometimes a former adversary would become an ally at a moment's notice. Most of all, though, our family's addictive game playing gave us an opportunity to be together, to have fun, and to laugh. We're all highly competitive, but at the end of the day, we're all friends. My son has inherited my love of games and puzzles. To be honest, I couldn't wait until he got old enough to start playing kid's games. Like many parents, I played Chutes and Ladders until my eyes crossed! He plays his video games - but we play a lot of them together. We also do jigsaw puzzles together and enjoy working in puzzle books and magazines. He even creates puzzle books for his classmates using the class' spelling words. So, while people turn up their noses at addictive games, I say that they can teach important life lessons and instill great family values. Play on!