I grew up in a television-free home. There were things I hated about this at the time (like when everyone in my class was talking about what was on TV the night before, and I had nothing to contribute), but looking back, I can totally see how it impacted my childhood in such positive ways...
-We were crazy readers! I mean, seriously, we all read so much. My two siblings and I would all be stretched out across the living room furniture, or in our rooms on our beds, reading whenever we had free moments.
-We were really creative! I started sewing and crafting at a really young age (I think partly just following in my AMAZING mom's footsteps). I was often digging through my mom's fabric scraps, piecing them together to make clothes for my dolls, or sewing little purses out of levi's pockets or other scraps I could find.
-We were also creative in our play. The three of us kids would put on shows for my parents and each other all the time. Now that I have two kids that enjoy putting on "shows", I have great sympathy for what we repeatedly put my parents through!
But, one of the cornerstone memories of my childhood were our "game nights". We played so many board games and card games as a family. I am not going to lie and say that all of my memories of these game nights (or even game days with just my siblings and I playing while my mom was doing mom stuff and my dad was at work) are all warm and fuzzy. No, there were plenty of frustrated moments, temper tantrums thrown by sore losers, and antagonistic behaviors from my brother that drove me batty. But, looking back, I have such a fondness for these times where we were sitting around a table, playing a game, laughing together, working out differences, learning to talk through frustrations and how to deal with disappointment and losing. I am still a total board game junkie and was so excited once my daughter reached the magic age of "3+" so that we could start playing all the fun games that I grew up playing.
I have recently found these two board games that are classic games that have been "remixed" with a twist.
It’s a whole new way to hopscotch and a whole new way to test your body twister-style! How will you hop… In a straight line? A diamond or a zig zag? You can even set up your own path with the durable, non-slip rings and spin your way to hopscotch fun! This game is easy to learn, quick to set up, and the movable rings let you change your path and customize your game every time you play. I love that this game gets my kids moving, and that it is super small and easy to pack away. We have been playing it in our garage, which is our play room by day, and it has been a big hit for us all! It is a great game to play indoors on a gloomy day when you are wishing that your kids could be outside burning off that childhood energy. This is a great game for preschoolers on up!
This is a very simple version of monopoly that has a circle track that "Mr. Monopoly" drives along as he makes his way around the town. You press down on his head and he tells you how many spaced to move. It comes with play money and building blocks (like legos) that you use to build your houses around the town. It allows kids to practice turn taking, counting, using their fine motor skills, and paying rent (which, in this current economy cannot be started too soon). Being the "banker" takes me right back to my childhood with those rows of pink, yellow, green and goldenrod colored dollars. This is an ideal game for preschoolers who aren't quite ready for the Monopoly Jr. action.
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