It’s Thursday, isn’t it? *sigh* And this is my first post for the week.

I once heard someone (Tsh, maybe?) say that in order to live your online life, you have to live a life off-line. And it’s so true. If I don’t play with my kids, then I have nothing to offer you! If I don’t spend time following Jesus, how can I encourage you to do the same?

Well, this week maaay be the extreme of this as I’ve barely been online and haven’t had any time to share with you! Lydia starts school on Monday and this week there are 3 meetings at her school! A math training, a first grade meeting and an open house. Plus, Asa started tumbling and Lydia starts gymnastics today! Now I kinda get that minivan-mom syndrome!

The other thing that’s been taking my time is this…

Yes. That is my play/schoolroom. In my defense, I did take everything out of the closet and put it on the floor. But still. It was bad. And has taken all week to clean. Which the kids aren’t too excited about.

I had to bribe them to clean with games. If they would clean with me for X amount of minutes, we’d play a game. I don’t know if this is a great parenting strategy or not. But it worked because my kids like games. Lately we’ve been playing three games.

Our new three favorite games. Which are probably (and I’m really  not exaggerating) the best and most fun games ever!

The first one is Too Many Monkeys. Sonic had a mini-version of this game in a kids’ meal like 3 years ago and we loved it. So, I found the full version on Amazon and bought it. We play it all the time and most of the time Asa wins!

It’s like a counting game (1-6) and there’s lots of “luck” involved so it doesn’t take a lot of strategy or thinking for your little bitties. But if you want to do some strategy to make it more challenging (ahem, my husband) then you can!

From the same company, Gamewright, comes Sleeping Queens. This is our current favorite. A 6 year old girl came up with the idea when she couldn’t sleep one night. (How fun is that? Her picture is on the back of the box!) It involves Queens, Kings, sleeping potions and brave knights but it also has math and decision making.

The rules seem complicated at first, but once you play it, it’s kind of addicting. Lydia literally dances around the room singing, “Can we play Sleeping Queens? Can we play Sleeping Queens?!”

This last game, Spot It, Jr. is probably the smartest game in the world. It comes in a little tin (so it’s perfect for the car or your purse!) and has cards with pictures of animals.

 

Each card has ONE matching picture on it. So, any two cards you flip up, you’ll be able to find a match. This leads to so many different types of games to play with it–at least 5 are included, but we make up our own games, too. And it’s a perfect one-player game, too.

Playing games with your family is such a sneaky way to spend time with your kids–you get to chat, see how they respond to pressure, frustration, etc. and you have tons of fun!

{Oooh, and check out how our kids like to hold a handful of cards!}

What’s your favorite game to play with your kids?

 

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

I have a hilarious post up at Make and Takes today, as part of her Summer Camp for Kids series. Well, it’s hilarious to me, anyway. Here’s a sneak peek:

Hmmm...not why would Mickey have on a leaf blanket? Well, you'll have to head over to Make and Takes to find out!

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts--including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***