Tag Archives: game night

Cranium Super Showdown

Here’s another game that brings a lots of laughs to our house. Cranium Super Showdown is similar to Apples to Apples in that the players take turns being the judge. On each turn the judge picks a “Contest Card”. These cards say things like “climb to the top of Mt. Everest the fastest, or “kick a winning goal”, or “make someone laugh until milk shoots out of their nose”. Each player picks from his or her hand of challengers. The “Challenger Cards” have characters like Pinocchio, Barbie, Willy Wonka, a nurse, a librarian, or a frog prince. The players each … Continue reading →

A Poker Table Top For Games

Happy (almost) New Year! We are having a quiet afternoon before we head to a friend’s house for a family party tonight. I’ve got oral surgery scheduled for Friday, so it’s nice to have a little down time. Earlier today the kids and I played some of our new Christmas games on our new poker table top! The poker table top is actually something I wanted for Christmas. Our dining table is long and oval and was never good for playing board games on. It was hard for small children to reach the far side of the board. We had … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Kids To Lose Gracefully

Tyler and I have been playing games most of his life. The one thing I decided early on was that I would not “let” him win. I want to teach him that there are winners and and there are losers. I want him to know that sometimes he’s going to be the winner and sometimes his opponent will win. That’s life. Some games, like Candyland, are games of chance. So when we play he has the same odds of winning as I do. Other games, like basketball, are games of skill. When we play, I don’t go easy on him. … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Family Games

I love the Idiot and Dummy series of guides. I admit when both series first hit the publishing world, I tried to stay as far away from them as possible. After all I didn’t want anyone to think I was a dummy or an idiot. Then one day I picked up one of the guides and found that they are some of the best written, easy to understand guides around. The funny title was a great marketing ploy and both series have gone on to publish guides that cover just about any topic you can imagine and some you wouldn’t … Continue reading →

Game Night – It Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated

We’ve been meaning to start a game night for a long time. I enjoy playing games as a family, and I know games provide all sorts of educational opportunities. But mainly, I know it’s important to have fun as a family. We just haven’t found a good time to have game night. During the week we are too busy with homework and work and scouts. By Friday we are beat. Saturday night is our movie night, and Sunday night we are busy getting baths, finding shoes and backpacks and preparing for the upcoming week. But last night, even though we … Continue reading →

5 Steps To Making Family Game Night A Success

Playing games is a great way to spend time together as a family. But you also want to make sure that the activity is a success and not something that causes you to not want to speak to each other. To ensure that you having a successful game night follow these five simple steps: 1. Set a date. Make sure that everyone in your family is aware that you are having a family game night and that everyone is expected to be there. Setting a date shows that you value family time and gives family member something to look forward … Continue reading →

Low Cost Activities To Do With Kids (2)

Yesterday, I offered a few great ideas on fun activities for your family to do. I’d like to offer you a few more and elaborate on a few others. Please feel free to share your own ideas as well! Your Local Community Center Community centers typically offer a variety of different types of classes. They are usually pretty low priced, but most offer scholarships for families that are financially struggling. Check out your local community center for interesting classes on swimming, karate, art and more! Plan a Movie Night Rent a few movies (be sure and visit your library for … Continue reading →