Think back to your childhood. What was your favorite rainy day game? What did you like best about rainy days?

Family game night doesn’t fail because of the game. It fails because we treat it like a performance instead of a practice. A few Mary-tested tips to keep game night fun, connective, and something people actually want to repeat: 1. Set the tone before you open the box. Say it out loud: “Tonight is about fun, not winning.” You’ve just lowered the stakes and raised the odds of laughter. 2. Match the game to the energy, not the age High-energy night? Choose fast, physical, or timed play. Wiggly-but-tired night? Go cooperative, tactile, or conversational. The best game is the one that fits the room right now. 3. Normalize mistakes (and model it) Missed a move? Dropped pieces? Lost badly? Name it lightly and move on. Kids learn how to lose and recover by watching us. 4. Narrate thinking, not answers Instead of “That’s wrong,” try “Tell me how you were thinking.” This turns game night into shared problem-solving instead of quiet pressure. 5. End while it’s still fun You don’t need five rounds. One good round builds anticipation for next time. Game night isn’t about raising geniuses. It’s about building connection, resilience, and memories that feel warm later. Be honest, what usually derails game night in your house?

Which one of these connection “rules” are you most likely to try this week? @Erin O'Neill, @Yu-Tzu Huang, @Mukkove Johnson, @Shannon Boyer tagging you to get the conversation started.

10 minutes, zero prep, big connection I realized that sometimes, life gets so hectic having a game ready activity might make life easier for you, so to start our first week, check out this game. Dice Dash Family Ready? Grab two dice and 10 minutes and let’s make play a habit. What you need: 2 dice paper pencil 3 small tokens (coins/buttons) How to play: Roll the dice; add them. First to 25 (or 50) moves a token to “WIN.” Age tweaks: - 3–5: count dots aloud; first to 15. - 6–8: add/subtract; first to 30. - 9–11: multiply for power rounds; first to 50. Why it works: fast math + turn-taking + cheering each other on. Let me know if you prefer weekly game ideas or if you prefer to use your own. Remember to share your successes in the Wins category. Looking forward to watching your play adventure.

I’m back after a brief unplanned ice spa weekend🥶 seriously, I was offline a bit due to a power outage but I’m back and ready to go. I was just reading an article from Edutopia about the role of board games and vocabulary development. The best part, in my opinion, was the section on creating your own board game. So, here’s my challenge for you. 1. Read the article 2. Create your own board game 3. Share a picture of the game and what the players thought. Add your comment to this post or start a new topic. To get things started, let’s share one favorite game. @Karen Gibson, @Catherine McDowell, @Erica Sisco-Dube, @Betty Jo Winters, @Mukkove Johnson, @Yu-Tzu Huang @Jacqueline Hutchinson, @Janell Bitton, @Erin O'Neill