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CREATE YOUR OWN BOARD GAMES

Board games have not lost their place entirely. I still see games for children that are fun and a great learning experience without really giving much effort. My children and I in the early 80's played most of the games that I did like operation, backgammon, Yatzee, dice, shoots and ladders and more that were popular. Electronic games were not around that much or very expensive to buy.

It is important for children to create something from their own minds, in order to build that extra mental sharpness to think of things on their own, instead of just what is created for them. If your children are used to playing board games of different types, have them make one from their creative mind. Believe me each year later we did one they became more sophisticated at 7 and 5 years of age .

As an artist myself, I always had poster board, card board, pens and markers and crayons for my work. When we would go hunting or camping in the woods in our trailer with our children when they were 2 and 4 years old, I would always bring these items along because to them it was a special time to create a game of our own. It would always be a new game nothing repeated.

It would always have the winding roads of boxes that we would move our piece, whether it be a rock, coin or something small the children would pick. We would pick a theme,characters, pieces, method of movements with dice,cards,their path. AT TODDLER AGE IT'S ALMOST LIKE WRITING OUR OWN STORY like from the children's books I would read to them. Since that was a good hour or so when they would be done with snack and relax and I read them a short story or we write our own. This gave me ideas since the girls were most creative when they calmed down from a lot of exercise hiking or playing.

When they woke up and the weather was not good, or at story time, my children,their dad and I would give it a head start. Then most of it was the start and finish line with alot of adventure and fun. I did make most of the learning movement cards in three different ways like flash cards, color cards, with some words, numbers or pictures, that would mark the main stops along the way. We had lots to do so we would find the way to the finish line. In some of the games created we would love adding the spinner wheel. they love to flick that little card board. After the game is made and listen for changes there will be so make extra path boxes because "3 more things would make it better, dont cha think mommy."

I am writing a book from the old papers and the notes we used to design them. I tried to keep all of the board games created, some did not make it, but with the notes I made 25 years ago, I can recreate them from the best of my memory and give one to them for their children. I want to see in their eyes if they remember that game that they created so long ago on camping trips. I remember their faces when we played it. The oldest would have to change at least one rule. She would say "forgot one". So we would write it down and add it later if need be or it would just change if the rule was good.

When you decide to make one of your own, which I hope you do. Think about making one with your children or grandchildren. (THERE ARE NO BATTERIES OR NO AC/DC PLUG REQUIRED) just a lot of imagination, adventures and fun with memories that store nice in sealed plastic and without worry about corrosion to any parts for many years to come. What a great future keepsake with all the family involved in some way and well preserved.

Learn more about this author, Helena Stone.
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