Plea to parents: Introducing children to the abstract concept of games

[TheGogmagog]

Sorry I don't have RPG experience to share. I'd be careful about adding killing long before I would worry about winners and loosers. It is something I think about as my daughter gets older. If she picks up on it great, if not oh well.

One comment I wanted to add was I read an article about games. It said they are important to teaching children situational rules. It helps them grasp the concept that there are a set of rules for the playground and another set of rules at a resturant.

 

[Templeton580]

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[Bastoche]

IMO 2 1/2 years old is pretty young for board games. My daughter is 3 and the few board games we "try" to play are more along the lines of moving the figures on the board and creating stories. Not actually playing the game. Even at 4 or 5, it's still a bit young.

 

[Simplicity]

RPGs are a great way to encourage cooperation instead of competition.
Having winners and losers can be a source of great rivalry.
That's why I encourage parents to run the Tomb of Horrors module for their children.
Cooperation helps everybody to lose.

DM: "So do you want to go in the big fancy demon mouth portal?"

Player: "Yes!"

DM: "Hand me your character sheet then, so I can tear it up."

Player: "Noooooooo... AAaaaaaaaa!!!!"

DM: (tear... tear...) "You're distintegrated! Hahahahaha!!!"

Player: "Nooooooooooooo!!!! I hate you! I wish you were dead!"

Oh I suppose it doesn't have to go that way... But a TPK can bring the family together!

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

My experiences with games and my own children:

My daughter, almost 6 years old, loves games and now pretty much follows the rules as written. She likes to win, but doesn't mind if someone else wins. Certain games she gets more upset if she is not the one to draw her favorite card or land on her favorite space than she does about losing. My son, almost three, wants to play games with his Daddy and big sister, but he has no desire to really follow the rules. He'll follow along and listen to instruction for the first few minutes of the game, then he'll start to do his own thing instead. We let him as long as he does not disrupt the rest of the game to the point my daughter and I cannot play.

Kids understand the concept of competition pretty naturally. I think it is wrong to not teach it to them, What I try and teach along with that is that it is ok to not win and when you do win, it is rude to gloat about it.

So, anyway, getting back to the point asked, rather than looking for non-competitive games, instead play "normal" games, but find rewards within the game other than just winning. Playing Chutes and Ladders and the child gets the big slide way back to the beginning? Make it a fun thing to have his piece ride such a big slide. We have an Old Maid set with different people on each card. My daughter loves getting the Ballet Dancer pair since she's so pretty. My son likes the Fireman pair. We make a big deal when they get those cards.

Basically teach them to enjoy playing the game as much as winning it.

 

[cmanos]

My brother has a 5 year old daughter. Up until reently I was careful not to buy her games. I got har Candyland and Chutes and Ladders last year for the holidays.She didn't have any problem with the rules. She loved going down the chutes. The biggest problem we had was her attention span wasn't long enough to get through a whole game. No, she's not ADD. She's a kid.

Over Memorial Day we were playing Sorry and she was doing quite well. Granted she is 5 and you are talking about 2 1/2 year olds.

I would think there has got to be some sort of interactive story game out there for kids that age.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Just thought of one that my kids love - my parents found it a couple of years back and keep it at their house for when the kids come to visit.

Snail's Pace Race

 

[Dread October]

I don't really have a game idea but it's never to early to play "Hide the Toys in the Toybox" or "Guard the Shopping Cart" or Who Can Just Be Quiet".

Then after all of those games, they could be rewarded with a game of "How Dirty Can We Get" and Who Can make Mommy the Maddest".

Those are awesome games.

If they don't like those, then have them get chalk board paint and paint a wall with it and let the go to work on the "ONLY MAGIC WALL IN THE HOUSE"

No competition at all. I'm willing to bet that after a few months of such wussy activity, the parents will fall all over themselves organized "Pillow Case Races" and such.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

They're Manhattan attorneys and they don't want competitive games?

Irony.

 

[Mercule]

Granted she is 5 and you are talking about 2 1/2 year olds.

This is actually an important point. I've got a 5 year old and a two year old, both. The two year old does not usually play games. Her sister didn't at two, either. Even simple games like musical chairs are a bit complex (in some ways) for a two year old to understand.

A four-year old can play short or simple games. A socially advanced three-year old might be able to, also. Before that, it's pretty much just playing with the pieces.