The kids have wanted a games night for a long time so we took the opportunity to do so while the grandparents were here. We started off thinking of dividing into two groups to play two different games but remembered we had Pictionary which can be played with a large group of people and felt that playing all together would be much more fun.
What a great time we had! Due to the huge age range 6 65 we used both the Junior and Adult version cards. We only played for an hour due to bedtimes but I think Peter and Josh were the winners of sorts.
What did we learn? In Josh and Jess we saw a different thinking skill coming out Josh thought very cryptically, Jessica was able to think in terms of associations. Naomi just flourished with the art opportunities though she needed encouraging getting to the key detail that would give the major clue (like a tail on a monkey). This is right where she should be though with starting to learn about keywords. Daniel just came into his own . There are many times were we think his language difficulty holds him back but we saw through this game that it is getting less and less. He understood the words that Pete told him he had to draw and he drew very very well, and from perspectives that were very unexpected. (eg. He got the word Lamp and he drew a 3-D bed with his bedside lamp. I never expected a 3-D drawing from him!) Daniel also communicated around the table in a very clear way and was able to join in the family banter.
Though the kids pull out Table/Board games often we dont get to them as a whole family very often (I often do the dishes while everyone else plays!). We have been saying for a while though that we need to up the games a next level as they no longer need the simple games like Trouble and UNO (though they will surely remain family favourites!)
