Dr. Heller encourages them to ease back just a tad. Rather than stopping the game for every questionable move made on the sly, simply let your child know you saw what he did by joking, “I guess you really didn't want to land on that space, did you?” This way, the child knows he didn't get away with murder, but the game continues to be fun. Cheating does need to be dealt with however, when it begins to sabotage the game to the point where the other players no longer have any chance of winning. Point out to your child that the two of you are playing with completely different rules and the game is no longer fun for you.
Dr. Heller suggests once again turning the tables on your child by saying, “Those are some neat rules you're using,” and then you start cheating too. This forces the child to decide one of three things. They can either:
- Start playing by the agreed-upon rules
- Put the game away until everyone can play fairly
- Say, “Forget the rules; let's just have fun bouncing all over the board.”
This latter idea tends to horrify most parents at first, says Heller. “Parents often get so rigid in the "follow the rules" mentality that they lose sight of the fact that the game is supposed to be for fun.” But a brief descent into chaos can often be more fun than the original game itself as you both start flipping Memory tiles this way and that, seeing who can put their checkers into the Connect Four board the fastest, or using your chess pieces to literally whack your opponents off the board.
With fun like that, who even worries about winning?
Suggested Playing
The best games are fun no matter if you win or lose. Here are a few that will keep the whole family engaged and entertained regardless of the outcome:
SNORTA
Out of the Box Publishing
4-8 players
Ages 7+
Raucous-good barnyard fun. Players have to oink, moo and hiss in an effort to get rid of cards. Kids tend to do better than adults because they have fewer reservations about yelling out animal noises.
Apples to Apples - Junior Edition
Out of the Box Publishing
4-10 players
Ages 7+
Funny comparisons that the whole family can get in on. Leads to fun and animated discussions on whose comparison makes the most sense, which can often open other doors of communication with your children.
Pictionary Junior
Hasbro
3-8 players
Ages 7+
The classics never die, especially ones that involve drawing pictures. As long as players can avoid exclamations of, “Draw faster, draw faster, you fool, you fool!” the game always remains a favorite.
