I play with kids. Twenty questions, treasure hunts, cards, and run-through-the-sprinklers are regular pastimes.

If pressed I could probably come up with educational objectives for them, like comparative competence, and auditory discernment, fine motor skills and sequencing mastery. But really it is just plain fun.

 

When we are waiting in line my brood often plays a game that I have not figured out. It involves fingers leaping from one hand to another, and the strategy of forcing your opponent to reach the capacity, which means they lose. I have seen them use it to keep Benjamin quiet in church. 

 

World Peace Game was created by a man who wanted to challenge his students to work together to solve problems in a way that everyone wins. The players take on tough issues, and wrestle with the complexities. Brenda Brathwaite designed a game to help children understand slavery and how it impacted this country. Both of these people understand how playing helps children engage with a process more deeply than simply reading about it.

 

I own a few relationship games of my own. LoveU2 was designed by the Dibble Institute to help high school students make better choices around sex and dating. Money Habitudes is one that deals with perspectives around spending. Another is Couple Links which is a playful way to engage in conversations within marriage.

 

These are part of the Caring for Marriage library, and I am happy to let you try them out.