Photo by Dave Photoz on Unsplash
“It’s time for Game Night!” my daughter yelled.
My son groaned as we all came to the table. At least once a month, we played games as a family. My son preferred movie nights or video game nights.
It was my turn to choose a game. Each Game Night, a different person chose the game we would all play. My kids each had their favorite game but rarely knew what I would choose. Yahtzee was my choice this time.
As I pulled out the Yahtzee kit, one child went to find pencils, another brought in the freshly made popcorn, and my husband carried the drinks. My son whined about having to do the math as he grabbed for the dice to be first to roll. We started by rolling the dice to see who would go first. My son rolled a six, so he went first, which is his favorite thing.
My kids would try to help the person rolling the dice by giving them ideas on where to put the roll. When they were little, my husband and I would tell them the best choice. As they grew, we did not share our ideas as much. They would discuss it and then decide which dice to roll a second time.
Yahtzee is a game that uses math, strategy, and rolling dice. My kids did not like the math part at all, but they loved it when they got five of a kind because they could scream, “YAHTZEE!” I enjoyed helping them learn strategy and practice math. Sometimes, we would get several Yahtzees, and other times, none. Teaching them strategy helped them beat me, but it was worth losing.
Our monthly game night did not require new games each time. We had several games I bought when I was single, like Yahtzee and Backgammon. My husband loved teaching card games like Hearts, Euchre, and Spades. He enjoyed playing the games he learned in college. I love strategy games. The kids often chose Uno or Life.
Game nights did not involve much cost except for snacks. We would pop popcorn, or in the fall, we might have mulled cider. If a child chose the game, the other two got to select and make the snacks. We created snacks from what was in the cupboard. Sometimes, we had chips or popcorn. Sometimes, we had something baked, like cookies or cupcakes.
As my children grew, we bought games like “Ticket to Ride” and Risk. During a blizzard in Maryland, Risk held our attention for a week. We often challenge each other with Trivial Pursuit. We challenged each other’s knowledge, from Disney to sports to Star Trek. My kids know most of the answers to the Disney version. My husband loves looking at the cards for Sports, and I admitted defeat at Star Trek since I did not keep up with all the spinoffs.
What are your family’s favorite games, and why? How often do you get together to have a game night?
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