Ty, my three-year old, asked to play "Chutes and Ladders" with me today. We got the game, sat down to play, and reviewed the rules.
I find innumerable teaching moments when we play board games:
1. We review rules, which works his memory.
2. We have to follow rules, a life skill.
3. We take turns and use niceties as we play.
4. It takes patience, because these preschool games take quite a bit of time.
5. We finish what we start.
So, number 5 did not really happen today, and as usual, I am wondering if I did the right thing.
Ty wanted to disregard the spinning-number part of the game. He wanted to climb ladders and go down chutes. I told him that was fine, but then we were not playing and he could just mess around with the board. This resulted in a screaming crying fit. I stood my ground, but should I have modified the rules, just once?
I wonder, because he is only three. He is small. He wanted to have fun. Is one game of Chutes and Ladders that impressionable for the rest of his life?
I wonder, because what I do matters. I want him to understand rules and know that consistently his father and I enforce them. I want him to know we don't cheat (even though that probably wasn't his intention).
I want him to be happy and know that I love him. I want him to be prepared for life, for me to give him as best a handbook as I can. I just always wonder if I do.
If game rules are important in your house then this seems an acceptable way to handle the situation. I never learned the real rules to most of the games I played as a child until I became an adult. He needs to understand there's a difference between playing the game and playing with the game. Both are acceptable and great ways to learn. He also needs to learn that not everything will go his way, which is a battle I now constantly encounter with my 17 month old.
ReplyDelete~Erin @ http://dreamingwithmidnite.com