What do you do on a rainy Saturday? 

Wrapped in a big baggy sweater and soft comfy jeans, staring out the window a the sheets of rain.

The outdoor plans have changed.

Time to get the Indoor Games on!

Come on over and help me pick out some rainy day fun!

Card games – Uno, Bowling, Spoons, PrimeBomb, Fractazmic, Crazy Eights, Skip-Bo, Anomia, Zigity, Set, & Phase 10 are tucked into a basket. Phase 10 is the favorite around here – Jon likes Skip-Bo, I love Anomia and Set.

Jon adores Chess. He loves it when anyone will come to play. He even has a Chess Solitaire game to play that we received from Timberdoodle. Crazy about Chess!

Break The Ice, Navigation, PoKeNo, Castle Keep, Apples to Apples, Cribbage, Dominoes, Battleship, Sequence, Rosworth (a chess game), TriBond, 10 Days in Europe, 10 Days in the USA, Solitaire Chess, Blokus and Countdown. 

When we moved from Central Oregon to the Central Oregon Coast I think we gave away upwards of 20-30 board games. As the boys grow older, many of the favorite younger games are thinned from the cupboard. I LOVE Blokus, Jon Loves Rosworth and 10 Days In, Nate likes them all.

The Dominoes are my original set from when I was a little girl at my grandparents house The wooden blocks are worn and beautiful. Grand memories of playing Dominoes with Grandpa!

Sequence for Kids, Don’t Wake Daddy, Guess Who, Life, Pig Pile, Mancala, Cadoo, Yahtzee, Poker/Black Jack and Towers, Connect Four and Mary’s Words.

We also have two baskets that are for missing parts. As games are put away – there always seems to be an extra piece that is found during the next sweep time.  We place those parts in the basket ready for the next time we play. With so many card choices, we like having the card holders. It really helps with little hands!

Coffee and Tea Station – Becomes – Game Center!

Monopoly was chosen on this particular day – it is a longer sized game so it belongs in another spot with Lego Creationary and ??? one more that I can’t remember. Ha!

Tips for building a game center:

Browse companies like Timberdoodle for games. Many of the games that we have teach critical thinking, geography, stragegy, number sets, team play, vocabulary, building and solitude. Knowing your game time is beneficial may help turn more mornings into game times.

Look at your local thrift stores for tried and true games. Last night at the Goodwill I saw many triva games, money games, more old fashioned types, and just plain fun. You may also find many missing pieces in their grab bags as well.

Create the tray/plastic tote to have as a storage for lost pieces.

Create a file folder for game instructions. Try to keep the instructions with the game, but if they are left out, they will need a home until next time.

One Game at a Time. All Part Put Away Before the next activity.Train your children at an early age how to take care of the pieces. Never allow ‘free play’ with the games until they are old enough to care for them.  Make it easy. If the cardboard box doesn’t work, invest in plastic shoe boxes to hold the pieces. Zip Lock Baggies for Cards. We use a Sour Cream container for our Connect 4 pieces.

Keep the Games at a Usable Level. If the games are stored out of reach or site, they will not be close enough to be tempting. At one point when they were younger, I used clear packing tape to seal the boxes that came apart easily and carefully slit them open when we wanted to play. As above, train them early to see them as valuable tools!

Encourage Visiting Friends To Play. The boys are overjoyed when visiting friends can be talked into a rousing game of 10 Days in or Monopoly. However, in this electronic game age, it is often hard to talk a friend into learning a new game.  I have found the easiest way is for me to play one round with the boys, while the friends watch. We keep all of our pieces open, and talk through the game play. If they catch on quickly, I will back out and let the friend take my hand, or shuffle him in a hand.  We often play one round this way. If a visiting friend has a ‘family rule’ then we add that to our game play. If we have a visual learner I may print out an extra set of rules for that person to browse. We have lapbooks to help with chess moves and colored helps for Frazmatic. (Fractions Game). The boys know that if they stress out their visitors, board game time won’t happen. Most of our games have the fun of playing – instead of the push for one winner. Encourage!

FOOD! Have the Hot Cocoa on the ready, or a cold drink in a fun cup.  Popcorn and Corn Chips are a favorite. I’ve been known to bake up brownies or cookies if friends are over. It keeps boys at the table longer knowing that the snack time is coming. 

Model Joy. If you love playing these games, your kids will.  Keep an extra card table around – carve out time, put on some fun music, and participate. Some of my favorite memories as a child was watching my parents play Tripoly with their friends. Look for Card Game Ideas at Used Book Stores to find new and old ways to play with cards.

What’s in your game closet?