There's trouble in the bubble!

I’m not really sure how “Fun, Fun Friday” got started in our house. Maybe it was an incentive my husband gave all of us to somehow make it through the week without killing each other. “Fun, Fun Friday” to our 4-year-old use to mean the Wii. That was basically the only time we let him fall into a deep trance and play Mario Kart and Sports Resort.

But after too many Fun, Fun Fridays ending in the most dramatic meltdowns ever known to man, we decided the Wii was going on an extended vacation. We started buying board games and fun things to do as a family. We now have two game-aholics in the house – my 4-year-old and me. If we’d let him, Nate would stay up all night playing Crazy Eights and Chutes and Ladders. And if it weren’t for the consequences we’d all suffer over the lack of sleep, I’d let him. There are a ton of great skills to learn from these games. Here are a few of our family favorites:

Trouble – Santa brought this for Christmas. I remember it being one of my favorite games growing up and had forgotten it was still around. The counting aspects to this game are great and have really helped Nate learn his numbers and the basics of addition. Plus waiting on that 6 to come around is just FUN!

Chutes and Ladders – You remember this one! Hit the right spot and you’re flying to the top; hit the wrong square and you’re headed all the way back. This game is great for counting and understanding the concept of rewards and consequences.

Connect 4 – Strategy! Strategy! Strategy! Or at least that’s my chant to Nate as we play this. I’m trying to help him understand how to anticipate the competition’s move and think in a whole different way.

Dominos – My mother-in-law introduced Nate to this and he absolutely loves it. This is another one of those thinking games to determine what numbers you hold vs. your competitor’s. We have the Cars version with all his favorite characters on the dominos, which makes it even more entertaining.

Memory – We have several character versions of this classic game. Jason and I have been absolutely amazed at how Nate can remember plays from early in the game. I can’t even remember the card I turned up the play before, much less five back!

War card game – Nate asks to play this at least once a day. We have the Cars version (do you see a theme here?), which makes it even more of a favorite. Lots of good math skills learned in this one, plus it’s a great exercise in patience. This game can go on FOREVER!

Guess Who? (Disney version) – This was another Santa gift and is now one of our favorites — the classic Guess Who game but with Disney characters. That makes a huge difference in Nate’s confidence level when he plays. Because he is so familiar with the characters, he can better determine who needs to be eliminated.

I ran across this list on Amazon.com of best board games for kids ages 3-8. It’s filled with a lot of the classic games you most likely played with your parents back in the day. If you haven’t already, dig out some of your old board games or buy some new ones (you can buy classics such as Trouble, Connect 4, Sorry and Guess Who at Target now for $10). It’s very satisfying to see your child having fun while learning!

Hope everyone has a Fun, Fun Friday!