One of the things that I am trying to do this summer is reduce my boys reliance on screens, be it computer games or TV. As a family we have always loved board games, but we do not always take the time to have a proper family games night and this weekend we did just that and we have resolved to make it a weekly thing.
Whilst I went shopping to Asda for ingredients to make Coke floats to cool us down. MadDad and the boys got things ready. They had baths and got their PJ’s on ready to compete. Now we are not ones to do anything half heartedly and we are a very competitive family. We drew up a league table and agree the winner of the previous competition would choose the next game.
Coke Floats
- Soda of choice
- Vanilla ice cream
The recipe is easy — just pour Coke over one or two scoops of your favorite vanilla ice cream and serve —
We tried lots of different flavours of Coke including vanilla, cherry and plain and couldn’t decide which was a winner on a unanimous basis! Maxi and I love vanilla, MadDad plain and MIni Cherry. But we all agreed they were a real treat and something different to make the family games night special.
Now for the games. Rather than play one long game as we were all hot and concentration was not the best we decided to focus on shorter games that we could play against each other. We started with a family favorite Connect Four. We take Connect Four very seriously and the games tend to take quite a while and I have to say that I never win!
Then we moved on to LEGO games. We love all the LEGO Games we have as they are so much fun, easy to play and perfect for all ages. We played Robo Champ and Kokoriko this time. Before we knew it two hours were over and it was time for the boys bed. We had an amazing time and agreed that we need to do this on a weekly basis as it was so much fun and we want to work our way though all the board games we have. We had a super night and you can see all our #screenfree family games night photos on G+
What are your favorite board games to play as a family?
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oooh what a lovely idea. We must try this too. What is the game with the LEGO birds?
Emma » It is called Kokorico http://www.lego.com/legogames/en-gb/howtoplay/Kokoriko.aspx It is so much fun
I love coke floats. Looks like a fab night
We love to play Yatzee (great for a little sneaky math) and Pictureka for silly fun. We also like to play Rummoli once in a while when my Granny is around as this is what I played with her and my Great Granny when I was young. The kids love it. We only play with pennies as I’m not into encouraging gambling but the kids enjoy their wins regardless of how much they get.
Mmmm, coke floats.
Screen free time is something I always think about implementing in our house, for me and the OH more than anything. I find it very hard to actually put the phone down and put it into practise though ; )
My kids are little, but love playing games by Orchard Toys like monster bingo or shopping list. I can’t wait for them to be old enough to play grown up games as we are big board gamers in our family. My favourites are “Ticket to Ride” and “Carcasonne”
I’ve never had a coke float, I think that’s one for my summer bucket list 😉
This is a great idea to implement while the kids are young and still enjoy spending time with their family, as opposed to their friends. And the Coke floats give the evening a special sense of occasion. Enjoy it for as long as you can.
We always liked Trionimos or Mexican Train (dominoes) in my house – great for number matching and Rumi K where you had to discard all your numbered tiles in a sequence or book before anyone else. It takes a little concentration, but getting rid of even one of your tiles always felt like a victory.