Board game adventures!!

Hello!

During quarantine, I realized something about our family.  That is that we play a LOT of board games, and I mean a LOT!

It started off with toddlers and we did Candyland, Chutes and ladders, and several other fun "easy" games.  As the kids got older we found lots of "junior" versions of games so they could play more adult games, without the intensity.  And now our boys are 5, 7, and 9 and we have developed family favorites, ones we add for education, and ones we play only a couple times a year (including our many many versions of Monopoly.)

This post is in NO way a "buy this" but just some fun recommendations that we have really enjoyed over time. 

1) Cooperative Games

We like using these in order to reduce the intense competitive side of our boys on occasion.  These types of games encourage kindness, cooperation, and working as a team.  We like to do these when we need to decompress and just work on being friends that day.

Wildcraft is our FAVOTRITE for this!  It's a game that introduces lots of herbs, nature, and it's a fun blend of chutes and ladders and candyland, and lots of learning takes place as well!

  

There are lots of other games that go under this list as well, but this tends to be our main one.  We have even used our "My Feelings Game."  We use this game to just get us talking openly about all variety of feelings.  This was recommended to us after our daughter passed away, and with boys we were struggling to have them talk openly about some of their emotions.  This game has been a healthy way for us to open up and learn about healthy ways to handle how we are feeling!

2) Educational Games

SOO many games can fall under this!  The main one we do for these are :

Apples to Apples (disney version) to work on Grammar and word definitions. 

Racko is fun to work on number order and greatest to least

HedBanz we use to work on verbal skills and speaking creatively

Monopoly (ANY version of this seeing as we have at least 5) has taught our kids Money Management, Couting, and lots of other valuable skills!

Trekking the National Parks:  This one we LOVE because we can map out Parks, learn geography, and help us plan our new vacations and fun. 

Also, you'd be surprised what can count as "educational" but there are tons more.  These are just our personal favorites. 

3) Two player games

Now this category we don't use quite as often because there are more than two of us, but our older two enjoy these when they need a break, or just when they want some one on one with mom and dad. 

 Chess or Checkers: Depending on the age this is a great way to work on strategy and bonding with one on one.  It teaches spatial skills, and thinking ahead.

Stratego: Although this game was updated since the version I had as a kid, our kids love this Capture the Flag board game!  They work on strategy, battle, and use a lot of adventure with this one.

Guess Who:  This one has been helping us working on expression and using questions to arrive at an answer.  The kids have enjoyed this one a LOT. It's a fun, quick, and easy going game. 

4) Junior games

Now because we have the ages of 5-9, our 5 year old can't quite keep the attention span of the older ones.  Even our 7 year old was borderline in this area with his ASD.  We tried Risk and never could finish it and would end with frustration.  However, we did find Risk Jr and that has become a hit!  It's a pirate-version where you can launch the dice at people, but it's a much shorter map. 

Ticket to Rider, First Journey:  We have never played the adult version yet, but the kid version is very smooth, fun, and has been teaching us map skills.  It' went along great with American history and we can't wait to grow into the older version.  You have to take trains across America and try to get tickets to the most places.

We also have a lot of games we love just for fun such as: 

Floor is Lava, perfect for running inside on rainy days,

Jumanji, which is base on the original movie and a fun adventure

Catan, which the boys enjoy with their dad and making new civilizations,

and of course Hit the Trail, which is a  dice/card game that lets you "hike" and see who wins!

All in all, we LOVE board games, and it's a great way to slow down at the end of the day, or to kick off the day before everyone is rowdy.  I hope you share and tell me which ones your family enjoys!  We are always looking for new recommendations :)

 

Kicking off Summer!

Hello all!

We survived!

We went through the ups and downs and sideways emotions of lockdown, shelter in place, and having limited friend and exposure. 

Overall, we deeply needed the slow down.  We got to enjoy "being a kid" moments SO much more, and bonded as a family.  Although that was incredible, I am SO thankful that we can slowly start seeing people again and getting back to a slightly more normal life.

To kick off summer, and celebrate the lifting of lock down, I was able to go to North Dakota and spend a few days bonding with some childhood friends.  It had been years since I had been back to my hometown, and the visit, although short, was so refreshing.

The boys got to go to Mississippi and enjoy time away from our house finally!  They spend a week boating, fishing, playing, and getting some great time with their Pawpaw and Granny.  I'm so thankful we had the chance to reset, visit, and get some great away from the house.

This summer we won't get the same adventures we normally do, but we are relearning a new pace of life. I'm learning to slow down and not over commit too much.  The kids are learning to be okay with less crazy and learning a slower pace as well.  We have the tendency to be SO big on adventures and fun, that we lose the ability to just enjoy a slower pace of life.

My whole life has been "go, go, go" and although I love that, I've also gotten to the point through my trauma and grief that I just can't.  It's healthy to slow down.  It's desperately needed to be content with less.  

I'm trying to teach my kids that it's okay to have days we sit at home and play and relax and just enjoy the family.  But it's also great that we do have a couple friends and we can do adventures a few times a year.

Learning a healthy balance is not always easy, but through the chaos of the world around us, it's important to teach our children peace and grace and kindness.  

I'm incredibly thankful that even though I don't have a lot of "in person" local friends left, I DO have an incredible support of women that do Bible studies, encouragement, and pray for each other.  We don't need the most busy life, we need the most grace filled life. 

Learning to slow down is my biggest struggle, but as we learn the balance of not spiraling into depression, and not getting so busy we avoid emotions, we are developing a happy medium.  

Remember to love and encourage those around you who may need it.  Remember to take care of yourself.  Above all, remember to love and raise our kids to do the same!

Have an amazing kick off to a summer.  It may not be a "normal" summer for many of us, but make it the best you can!