Monday, June 27, 2011

Family Night: Game Night

Tonight for Family Night, we are going to play some games with MJ. She loves to play games with us but often times our playtime gets postponed due to preparing meals, running errands, cleaning, working, etc. So, tonight we are just going to play!

We will start our family night off with a new tradition: Accomplishments and Achievements. Each member of the family shares one thing they accomplished or achieved last week and we will all cheer for them. It can be anything from an actual award, to participating in an event, to just a kind act of service they performed for someone else. (Thanks to my little sister who gave me this idea.)


Games

I'm pretty sure that we will play Hide-and-Seek. MJ loves this game. Even when she knows where we are hiding, she'll pretend like she doesn't and will say things like, "Is daddy under couch? No. Is he behind the TV? No."

Alphabet Relay: This is a fun one if you have active preschoolers like MJ. (My sister gave me this idea.) All you need is a set of alphabet flashcards. Pick 4 to 6 letters to lay out on the floor on one side of the room. Have your child begin on the opposite side of the room. Call out a letter that is displayed on the floor. See if your child can pick out the correct letter and run it back to where he/she began. Replace the card with a new letter so there will always be 4 to 6 letters on the floor.

Guessing Game: Gather some unique household objects. Make sure they are safe to touch. Put one object in a bag without anyone else seeing. Have those who are guessing put their hand in the bag, one at a time, and try to guess what the object is. You can also put objects in the bag that make noise and have the "guessers" listen to the object.

If you really want to get fancy, you can do this with different smells. Dab some pickle juice, lemon juice, or vinegar on a cotton ball before hand. Store each cotton ball in a separate baby food jar or other container. See how many smells the guessers can pinpoint.

Other games: click on the game title for instructions on how to play.

Red Light, Green Light : We have adapted this game for our 3 year old. Someone is "it" and controls the traffic lights (red light, green light). "It" says "stop" or "go" ("Red light"and "green light" are sometimes too difficult to say or remember what they mean at young ages) and the others respond to the requests of "it." The first person to reach "it" becomes the next "it." "It" also doesn't need to have his/her back facing the others. "It" may see the other players approaching. I made a simple "traffic light" for "It" to hold. It creates a good visual when preschoolers are playing the game. It is easier to respond when both senses are stimulated (hearing and sight).

Click HERE to download and print your own Stop & Go traffic light. Cut out the two circles and paste them back to back onto a craft stick or paint stir stick.





Dessert: White Cupcakes with Old-Fashioned Chocolate Frosting

White Cake

4 egg whites at room temperature
2 c. flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening
2 tsp. vanilla
Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pan. In large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, bkg powder, salt and soda. Add buttermilk, shortening and vanilla. Beat on low until combined. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg whites slowly and beat again for 2 more minutes. Spread in pans. Bake 25 minutes or so until done. Watch and check to see when done. Cupcakes won't take more than 20 minutes. Cool and frost.


Old-Fashioned Chocolate Frosting

Click HERE for the recipe to this AMAZING frosting from Our Best Bites (one of my favoriterecipe sites).

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