Playing Games with Kids - for Competitive Parents

My friend Michelle just gave me a great tip for playing games with school age kids. She and her son are really competitive, so they both play their best when they play games. In most situations, an adult's mind would clobber the 'strategy' of a child's mind, right? So as soon as Michelle gets her strategy in place on a game, she and her son trade places, giving her son the advantage. Then both get to end the game on a competitive note, with Michelle trying to play catch up to win.

So if they are playing Connect Four, when Michelle has mapped out 2-3 ways to win the game, she trades playing pieces with her son. Her son has a fresh perspective on ways he might win, and Michelle stays challenged by trying to make a winning finish with her son's former tokens.

I know, it's not all about winning. But some of us are so competitive in nature (no one in my family!!!), that we need a way to level the playing field.

Happy playing!