Oh, the
games families play The Pereira-Santos Family
Fun interaction helps kids with cognitive, educational and social skills and strengthens the family bond.
24 Atlanta Parent January 2013
by Julie Bookman
I
t’s early on a Saturday night and the mom is doing a final wipe-down of the kitchen counters while Dad dries the last of the pots and pans. “Hey everybody!” the mom calls out. “Time for Family Game Night!” When parents choose to spend part of an afternoon or evening playing games with their kids, they are showing the kids that they put high value on family time and just being with their kids. “Even in the midst of work demands, financial strain and household chores and responsibilities, the parents are showing that the family unit is still the top priority,” says Nadine Kaslow, a professor at Emory University whose specializes in family psychology. Jennifer Joiner says that she and husband Randy wouldn’t have it any other way. “Playing games brings us together,” says Joiner, mom to Nathan, 14 and Grayson, 8. “We tried to make every Wednesday night our game night, but that has turned into a big homework night, so now we try to choose another night to play. Then we definitely play on weekends and sometimes invite friends or a neighbor family over to play.” From the “regular” Settlers of Catan and Catan Jr. to Monopoly, Uno, Ticket to Ride and the Monty Python version of Flux, the Joiners own “probably a hundred” games. “If done well, playing together is good for bonding and connection,” Kaslow adds. “In families that have fun together, there’s a greater sense of satisfaction and of love and
Search “family social games” and “family game night” on the Internet to find lots of ideas – even recipes – for your family’s game night.
warmth. It’s even easier to do chores together – and you can even turn that into a game.” “We all enjoy the nice, friendly competition, and we enjoy each other’s company,” Joiner says. “My older son is all about beating Mom and Dad. His angle is to win, and he even gets cutthroat about trying to beat us. It’s fun thinking of that sly little grin on his face when he thinks he has us beat.” Just a few games that the Joiners, who live in Tucker, are enjoying these days: 7 Wonders (build your city and affirm your military supremacy in the ancient world); Zombie Dice (get as many little green brains as you can before you get three zombies!); Guillotine (compete with other executioners during the French Revolution for “heads” such as Marie Antoinette’s); and Ticket to Ride (a cross-country train adventure that can be played as a board game and also in a Xbox “live arcade version”). Joiner grew up in a game-playing family, and her passion for games has rubbed off on husband Randy, who nowadays has his own “guys night out” to play hot-contest games atlantaparent.com