Making Your Children Work Together

by Pat Lemke
(Oconomowoc, Wisconsin)

Like most people, it's always hard to find a game or activity that everyone will partake in. I found that when you make things up and make things fun, everybody will be happy to join.

My husband and I decided to make up this game:
What you need: Index cards, scrabble tiles, zip lock bags and good clues...

We made it like "Who wants to be a Millionaire....If they got stumped on a question, they could phone a friend or ask one of the parents.

Each clue led the children all around the house/yard.

We made up clues with different catagories like "SONG" Stop wait a minute Mr.________
When they figured it was "POSTMAN" they knew to go to the mailbox, where they found another clue written on an index card in a zip lock bag along with two scrabble tiles. After they collected all the clues, they than had to take the collected tiles and form a senrence that "WE" the parents had already pre made up. So, make sure you have all the right letters to complete the sentence you have pre made up.

Ours was "There is no greater love than family." And yes, they all took part in the fun and as a award for doing so, they each got a prize.
It was easy, inexpensive and fun. We enjoyed watching thtem work and think together. And yes, they did have to phone a friend..LOL With the clue: :Don't get "agitated" by this clue....Which the answer was WASH MACHINE. But you cann make up your own clues and determine the difficulty as well.

I hope that others will try this...it's really a good way to get t he family to spend quality time together...if only for an hour or two.