Connect the fam challenge day 1
It’s day one of #ConnetTheFam challenge and we couldn’t be happier because love sharing ideas that helps families become closer.
Growing up, Sunday nights were game nights and competitive ones at that. Cousins, aunts and uncles would gather around the table at gramps and grammy’s with bowls of popcorn to play endless hours of golf, 7-up, bid, and rummikub. In the summer we would migrate to the back lawn for games of pickle, shuffle board, croquet, and our family’s favorite, duck on a rock. The true miracle—that we still liked each other when the games wrapped up.
Of course we spent a lot of time laughing, but those games were a vehicle for talking. We bragged about other’s accomplishments. We got history lessons about the depression and World War II. We laughed at bad dating stories of aunts and uncles and cousins. We planned our futures and asked for advice.
Somehow when we’re playing games, reality is suspended for awhile and we let our guard down. Which is why members of the Smarter Parenting team love playing games with our own families. Especially when it’s these communication games—Communication Starters or Would You Rather. With the mostly silly—though sometimes thought provoking questions—our children feel comfortable opening up. And they really like hearing mom and dad answer say they’d eat ice cream for the rest of their life or that they wish they could fly.
Conversation Starters
Once you print the files and cut out the questions there are multiple ways to play.
Option 1: Split into two teams. Alternating rounds, each team gets one minute to answer as many questions as possible. For the question to count each person on the team has to answer the question. Which means the game is doing double duty by also teaching them teamwork. The team that has the most questioned answered at the end wins. If you want to up the ante-the winning team gets out of a chore or gets to have dessert first.
Option 2: Place questions in a bowl. Everybody draws a question and answers that question. Continue until all the questions are answered. If you still want to play once all the questions are gone, put them back in the bowl and start again.
Option 3: Place questions in a bowl. Each person draws a question but instead of answering the question, they get to choose someone else that has to answer. The tricky part of this one is to make sure that everybody gets the same opportunities to answer questions.
Download the files HERE.
Would You Rather
Looking for a silly game. This is it. Nothing about these questions makes any sense which is exactly why children love it.
Option 1. Make A and B signs for each member of the family. Ask your family the questions and have them hold up A for the first answer or B for the second answer.
Option 2. Take turns asking either the group or individuals a question.
Option 3. Split into 3 team. Each team asks the other team a question. Without looking at their other team members, each member holds up either their A or B sign. When everyone on a team chooses the same answer, that team gets a point. The team with the most points wins.
Download the file HERE