How are you going to introduce your kids to gaming, if at all?

[JoeBlank]

Good timing for bumping this thread.

Before I forget, I mentioned the D&D Adventure Game earlier in the thread. If you are interested in the game, find one while you can. Amazon and Toysrus online no longer have them. I managed to find one at a nearby bookstore (thanks diaglo), but it was their last one. I believe the game is out of print. It looks great for introducing kids to gaming.

Just this week I started my sons, ages 5 and 3, on a rules-lite miniature skirmish game. Bascially, we are leaving out the command rules, AoO, and spells (for now). Each are running a couple of minis in a combat, and they are getting a good feel for the rules. Of course, the older boy is doing better, and showing more patience, but they are both very enthused and ask to play every day. Once they get the hang of that, we will graduate to the Adventure game.

 

[Silver Moon]

It looks great for introducing kids to gaming.

I actually started my kids with the "Fuzzy Heroes" game, which introduces the concepts of miniatures gaming using stuffed animals.

 

[Kriskrafts]

As far as kids gaming I've been teaching special education for quite a while and not only do I use gaming with my children but I use it with my classrooms. Kids ARE roleplayers that is what dolls and other imaganary play is. Gaming teaches kids how to think things through, deal with problems and other people. I have used gaming in my class to teach the kids about the American Revolution, history in our state, Egypt, England and Scotland. I use 10 sided dice to create math problems. I have taken Masters level course on how to intergrate theater and roll play into my class because they were required for my master's degree. I've watched kids think through problems in a game then use the same stragity in the hallway to stop a fight.

I sat last night and watched my children think through the facts

the bear is sleeping...it's fall...hey bears hybernate in the fall...the bear will be leaving the cave because it needs to eat a lot before it sleeps for the winter
Lets watch the cave and we can check it out when the bear leaves


I'll take the fact that they intergrated the science lessons into their gaming as a good sign and the 5 year old started the thought process

Gaming is a way to lead a child to think and rely on their own thoughts something I really want for my children so that they have it when I'm not there to help them

 

[Sam]

Before I forget, I mentioned the D&D Adventure Game earlier in the thread. If you are interested in the game, find one while you can. Amazon and Toysrus online no longer have them. I managed to find one at a nearby bookstore (thanks diaglo), but it was their last one. I believe the game is out of print. It looks great for introducing kids to gaming.

I'm pretty sure that WotC is coming out with a new "Basic" set or Adventure game or whatever they're going to call it. Though the current Adventure Game is a great intro to D&D and I'd defintely recommend it.

 

[Altalazar]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread to celebrate - now that I have a kid of my own and this is no longer quite so theoretical to me. She's six weeks old and adorable. My wife wants three more. That's enough to game...

Any other thoughts on introducing gaming to your kids? I wonder if it won't just be my kids, but their friends as well. I can only imagine what else will compete for their attention when they are old enough to be interested in gaming. Hopefully, video games won't have taken over.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread to celebrate - now that I have a kid of my own and this is no longer quite so theoretical to me. She's six weeks old and adorable.

Hey! congratulations!

On topic: My brother is 23 years younger than me. I don't even think he knows I game. I have no plans to introduce my 2 year old daughter to the hobby. If she wants in, she's in, but if she passes on what is a rather sedintary activity, I won't mind.

Besides, I've read enough creepy stories about the perils of bringing a teenaged girl to a gaming group.

 

[Altalazar]

Hey! congratulations!

On topic: My brother is 23 years younger than me. I don't even think he knows I game. I have no plans to introduce my 2 year old daughter to the hobby. If she wants in, she's in, but if she passes on what is a rather sedintary activity, I won't mind.

Besides, I've read enough creepy stories about the perils of bringing a teenaged girl to a gaming group.

Thanks.

And probably a teen girl in a gaming group is in less peril if she's not the only girl. Probably there is even less peril if her dad is part of the group. Of course, I wouldn't make her play, but I will introduce her to it. Not just the playing but the other aspects of it - some of what I enjoy is the creativity as a DM in creating and writing about a world or as a player in creating and writing about a character. Good writing skills are in short supply as are opportunities to explore creativity in a constructive and relatively safe way in a nice hobby.

But who knows how it will all work out. Right now, she mostly just stares at me and smiles, when she isn't sleeping or eating. She does follow me around the room with her eyes now. She once didn't take her eyes off of me for almost 25 minutes, as I walked around the room, sometimes going around and behind her. It was so cute. But now I digress. I'll resist the urge to put up baby pictures here. I'm the typical first time parent, in that I have a few hundred pictures and a few hours of digital camera footage of her.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I'll resist the urge to put up baby pictures here. I'm the typical first time parent, in that I have a few hundred pictures and a few hours of digital camera footage of her.

Actually one of the photo forums has a place for family gaming pictures. Go for it!

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

My son just had his 3rd birthday, I got him some D&D miniatures to play with (1 starter pack and 2 from Angelfire). He also got a remote controlled Dragon that moves, roars, and flaps it's wings. He put the wearbear from Angelfire in the dragon's mouth and made the dragon chomp on the fig. I confess it brought a tear to my DM eye.

We've played with them like army men and he has his favorites, he also likes to look at the pictures in the MM, MMII, and MMIII and wants me to get him some guys that look like some of the monsters in there.

While he's far too young to teach him about the game, I think he's got a good seed planted and I envision taking him to games where he can roll the dice and learn the fine art of TPK firsthand.

As a bonus, everytime we watch the LotR series he always has us replay Shelob's on screen moments over and over again. That's his favorite part, especially when she wraps up Frodo.

 

[Crothian]

I'm going to hide it from them and treat and it as something they aren't allowed to get into. I figure that's the best way to get them interested.