Do your children play with jacks?

The game of jacks dates back to over 2000 years ago.  In the ancient world this game was played with stones or small animal bones.  As time went on a wooden ball was introduced to the game.  Then eventually a rubber ball replaced the wooden one and metal game pieces replaced the stones.

I know you wanted to history of the game of jacks before I proceeded with today’s blog post.  For more exciting history facts on toys and games check out: History Lives

Now moving on to my point… Jacks have been around for centuries, yet today you don’t see many children playing this game.  Why not?  Let’s think about the benefits:

1.  Helps develop great hand eye coordination.

2.  Children learn to play with one another and take turns.

3.  It is a short game.  Long attention span is not required.

4.  There is no TV or computer involved.  Simple hands-on fun!

5.  Children love to watch their parents scream and yell when they accidentally step on one.

If you still don’t think that playing jacks is a suitable game for your children, you can try the Jack-in-a-Box Painting activity.

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Do your children build tents and forts in the house?

Now that my children are playing inside more than outside, it was time to get creative with indoor activities.  Painting and coloring alone will not get us through an entire winter.  Painting, color and fort building will get us to at least February.

Whether we set up the kid-sized tent in the living room or build a fort with blankets, my kids can play this for hours.  They haul in books, toys, pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals.  Pretty much everything but the kitchen sink can be found in their forts.

Sometimes it is a magical land and my daughter is the princess in the castle.  Other times my son is fighting off crocodiles in the moat.  Letting them use their imagination and be creative is the best part of having them play in the tent or fort.

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Are you still searching for bilingual toys for Christmas?

I recently came across a Spanish/English airport while shopping at Sam’s Club.  I was rather surprised to find a bilingual toy at a store that I go to to buy broccoli and bread in bulk.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

It looks like a fun toy.  When my daughter and I played with it in the store we tested the clarity of the Spanish.  The sound was clear which is important for a language toy and the accent seemed authentic.  You never want a Spanish toy with a French accent (you’d be surprised how bad sound quality can distort the accent).

The only reason why I have not bought this toy yet, is because I had already bought my kids their presents.  I am still considering it.  If I don’t buy it before Christmas, I will be checking to see if it goes on clearance after the holidays.

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What is your family’s favorite game to play together?

We go through phases at our house when it comes to games.  For a while it was Boggle.  Then it switched to Connect Four.  Now the hot new game is Spoons.

Playing spoons with a 3 year old and a 6 year old is a lot different than playing with a table of adults.  The speed is much slower and there is no fighting and scratching (yes a game of spoons with my siblings can get rather intense).

I found that playing this card game with kids is great for developing fine motor skills as well as learning to multitask.  The idea of holding cards, looking for pairs and watching for a spoon to be taken is challenging for a child.  However my kids love it!  (Let’s be honest, my 3 year old’s main objective is to try to hold four cards in her hand.  But she still enjoys it.)

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Are your children reluctant to learn or practice spelling?

If so, give Boggle a try.

Our son has always had a very negative attitude about writing and spelling.  This is due to the fact that these areas are a challenge for him.  He does not have to try very hard to learn other subject matter.  So the thought of taking time to learn and practice a skill is a foreign concept to him.

Last night we decided to play a game together and thought we would try Boggle with him.  He wanted to show him that working with letters and writing all in the same game could be fun.  And to our surprise, it worked!  He actually enjoyed himself and wanted to play again.

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