Bringing back game night

I grew up in a family that loved games. My grandparents were always playing card games, and I have fond childhood memories of watching my parents play pinochle with friends. Extended family members would gather around a table featuring a huge scrabble board, and memories were made over how to use the dreaded six vowels in a word.

My two younger sisters and I could be found giggling over games like Girl Talk, Dream Phone, Mall Madness and Scattergories back in the ’90s. As a parent in a more modern world, I find myself trying to tie my children’s childhood back to my own: to a place where cell phones and most technology was non-existent and playing video games meant getting a turn to play Duck Hunt at the neighbor’s house.

I have passed down this game playing gene to my kids and, with the addition of newly acquired games from Christmas, our game cabinet has officially reached maximum capacity. Our family doesn’t have a regular game night each week, but you can easily spot us sitting down to spend some quality time with a child throughout the week, especially during the winter. I find the cold weather lends to more opportunities to get in a quick game with my kiddos.

I grew up in a household of girls, so the games in my house now look a little bit different than those of before. Life, Rack-O, Pictionary and Scrabble still adorn our game closet but newer, more strategic, board games also grace our dining room table like Ticket To Ride, Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan. My son received Exploding Kittens for Christmas, and that is also very addicting.

Rivalry and competition has grown as I try to beat my 10- and 12-year-old game masters. They have often been found to play games by themselves as they develop strategies in anticipation of our next show down. Ticket To Ride looks like a nerdy train game on the outside, but it is actually a fast-paced competition to crisscross the country via railways to get to your destination. It is probably the most kid friendly strategic game that we have, and I would recommend it for kiddos 8 and older. Once you master the USA version, you can purchase add on game boards with other countries and even different time periods.

Carcassonne is a newer game for our family. It is a different kind of game where you have to build the board as you go. Strategy is heavy in this game as you have to decide how to earn points and how to place your “meeple” (your small wooden person of color choice) on the roads, cities and farms that are being built. This one is a little more challenging and involves some more critical thinking, so kiddos 10 and older would be best suited to learn this one.

The final strategic game we play is Settlers of Catan. This game has a huge worldwide following, and I first saw it gracing the tables of dorm rooms in college. This game involves building settlements and collecting the basics in order to build: timber, ore, brick, wheat and sheep. This is probably the most strategic and requires a lot of focus and finesse as you try to earn points and learn the art of trading with the competition.

Overall, it really doesn’t matter what kind of game you play. Sitting down for game night is less about playing the game and more about building a stronger family relationally. Taking the time allows you the opportunity to know your children better: to learn what they think and how they deal with competition.

Pick up a new (or new to you) game today, and start your own family game night. You will not regret taking time for this opportunity to know your children on a deeper level. And if you have any tips on how I can beat my 12 year old in chess, I would be much appreciative.