Price:
$17.00 or Less

Appropriate for ages:
Talking Child to Great Grandparents

Board game description/strategy:
There is no winner or loser in this game. The object of the game is to get families (players) talking by rolling the die, moving the spaces, drawing a card and doing what is on the card or drawing a card that is blank and you can do your own thing. Each player is suppossed to listen without comment to the other person! This doesn't always work because people who know one another well may blurt out, "Yes, I remember that! It was so funny," and before you know it everyone is laughing (or if it is sad, everyone may end up crying). This game has brought about many family hugs and we carry the thoughts from the game with us until the next time we play.

Learning skills addressed by this game:
The "measurable" skills are simple ones, counting and reading. The most important skills addressed can not be measured. These skills include listening, communicating, respect, understanding and self reflection.

Other comments about this game:
We really like this game and there are different versions. Each version has a set of easy, lighthearted cards for people who may be struggling or don't know each other well enough to feel comfortable sharing intimate details and feelings. There is also a more intense set of cards which includes questions that are more thought provoking or designed to bring out more information and emotion. The difference is just the questions that are on the cards.

Our 3 year old plays with us, and while we sometimes have to alter the questions a bit so she understands or it is something she has experienced, she can roll the die, count and talk! A card may say, "Tell about a time when you were afraid at school." Mom or Dad would change the question to, "Are you afraid of anything," or "When you are afraid, what makes you feel better?" It really is a wonderful way to bring about conversation and understanding with anyone who plays.

We like the "no winner" because competition in our house is so intense in other ways that this is a nice change! Before the game starts, you agree on a length of time to play or go around so each person draws a specific number of cards. Because you don't "HAVE to play until someone wins," you can play this game even when you only have a few minutes (each person draws one card) or you can play a marathon!