Celebrating the Family Get-Together Moment

It is a very precious moment when you and your kids are all together in dinner hall or going out together in one car. Make the best use of that precious moment by playing some family games together while sitting in the car or having dinner. Check out for such funny and exciting games in this article.

"Cities" has always been a special favorite with our family. We have played it not only during lunch, but in the car when the children get restless, or while we are cleaning up the living room. You would be surprised how much more willing boys and girls are to dust or wipe the dishes when there is a game on. "Snap" is a jolly game that in-betweeners enjoy. Start the game off by pointing to one of the family circle, pronounce a word, and then spell it, such as "Dog. D O G." Then immediately count to twelve then say "Snap." Before you reach twelve the lad or lass to whom you have pointed must name three objects, the first beginning with D, the second with O, and the third with G. If he doesn't finish before you say "Snap," he is "IT" for next time. Words of more than three letters can be used after a little practice in the game.

Because there is a bit of actor in each of us, most everyone enjoys "Adverbs". Mother thinks of an adverb and then proceeds to do what the players request her to do in the manner of the adverb she has thought of, such as "Wearily," "Hastily," "Ardently," etc. Then the group tries to guess what the adverb is.

Another talk game that can be played anywhere or anytime is "Proverbs." This is enjoyed by youngsters a bit older. One thinks of a proverb. The others ask any questions they please, but in his answer the thinker-upper must use one word of the proverb. The questioner tries to discover the significant word in each answer until he can guess the proverb chosen. For instance, perhaps the proverb chosen is, "All that a glitter is not gold." The questioner might ask, "Is your dress new?" and the answer might be, "Yes, but it doesn't glitter."
The person who first guesses the proverb thinks up the next one.

With the dinner work cleared up happily and quickly sometimes there is time left for table games before study or bedtime. When I was a youngster I thought of chess as an old mans game, but today youngsters enjoy chess from the time they are about eight.

But if you dont care for such a time-consuming game, there are many other familiar games that you should haul out and brush off for fun with the youngsters. Such as checkers, tiddlywinks, parchesi, and all sorts of card games. And if you have an idea that canasta is only for the grown-ups just try the youngsters. They love it and will give you a race to win.

Incidentally there is no place like game time to teach the small fry good sportsmanship. Unless of course in your family Dad always has to win. One young lad once told us, "At home we have to let Dad win every game." That Dad was only a spoiled boy grown tall. But we can use family game time to teach our own youngsters to take defeat gracefully, to win without too much gloating over the loser, and to accept parents as people and not as consciences on legs that catch them when they are doing wrong.

The youngsters wont be the only ones who will benefit from family games. Before you know it, you will be looking forward to those rainy vacation days when Jack and Jill must stay in the house. Fun and laughter will replace the restless scrapping and bickering that now make those days unpleasant.

These fun games are entertaining and healthy for you and your kids. You and your children will definitely like it.