Game Night: Fun For the Whole Family

By Elizabeth Wells

Can a family that plays together, stay together? Game night, the latest family-bonding activity, has parents unplugging the Sega and taking out Monopoly. For most people, it sounds like a medieval ritual of torture: siblings of all ages forced to sit in a room and play quietly together. But, as the Hannan and Blocker families of Ohio found out, if you follow a simple set of guidelines, fun really can happen right at home.

Whether you go with games that use teams or individual competition, a night of games can strengthen family ties. First, make sure that everyone feels involved in the fun. Start by giving everyone a job: choosing the games, making the snacks, organizing who goes first, cleaning-up at the end of the night. These roles should rotate so all family members can look forward to their turn at being first, making the treat, and so on.

The Hannan's began game night with mom, Lynda, pulling out all the games that were appropriate for both her children. "Jack (4) got to choose the first game we played," she says. Then John (Dad) volunteered for snack duty and roasted some pumpkinseeds. "We started with a six-foot-long zoo animal puzzle, and then moved on to the Arthur memory game," says Lynda. Even Katie, only 20 months old, had fun.

Be prepared to deal with competitiveness between family members. If someone wins consecutive rounds of one game and this causes some discord, be ready with one or two backup games. Playing several games during game night helps keep everyone in the family interested.

"We had a few problems with poor-sport attitudes and had to remember to be kind to each other," says Tracy Bockler. Eventually, though, her children Christian (8), Nick (6), and Allie (3) all worked through the rough spots. "This was a fun evening and we are [already] planning the next one."

How long you play each game depends on personal attention spans and when family fun night starts. It’s important for the kids to set a time limit in the beginning of the evening as to when you’re going to call it a night. The Hannan’s played many games in about a one-hour time span and finished the evening by watching the movie, Balto. The Bockler’s, on the other hand, played Disney Trivia and Sorry. "We voted on which game to play first," says Tracy, "eventually the boys quit wanting to win and just wanted to finish so we could get to the snack: ice cream sundaes."

Games that work well for younger children are Snails' Pace Race and Race to the Roof. These games are non-competitive and are fun for older children as well. Children slightly older seem to like Operation, Sorry and Trouble. For intermediate age and above look to Pit, Monopoly, the Game of Life, and Yahtzee.

If the family starts to experience board-game-burnout, card games like Crazy 8s or Hearts also spell fun. Rotating jobs on game night, pre-selecting games that best fit your family's abilities and personalities, and making sure there are lots of continuous activities throughout the night will guarantee a fun night for everybody.

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