Friday, January 18, 2013

Family Game Night!


Decades ago, families often spent more quality time together. Nowadays I feel like there are significantly more distractions. At our fingertips, we have 300+ channels on television, iPhones, personal computers, and video games. It seems like family time often takes a back seat to the distractions. One way to bring back that quality time is to start a dedicated family game night each week. 

Family game night is important in so many levels. First and foremost, it's quality time with your family. It can also be a learning opportunity. During games your children learn about good sportsmanship, following directions, good communication skills, coordination skills, and perceptual skills. Which brings me to my next point: we can incorporate Vision Therapy into our family game night! Here are some board games you can incorporate:


1. Rory's Story Cubes- This game can develop visual thinking including visualization, visual memory, form perception, pattern recognition, and sequencing.

2. Make 'N' Break- This game can develop spatial and logical skills.

3. Rush Hour/ Rush Hour Jr.- The game can develop memory skills, spatial skills, and problem solving.

4. Scrabble- (One of my all time favorites) This game develops memory and visualization skills. Most definitely builds your vocabulary!

5. Boggle- Another great word game. Improves speed and recognition, and visual memory.

6. Matching Card Games- There are so many great matching card games. This will help develop visual memory skills.

7. Puzzles- Helps children understand that a whole is made of parts, developes hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, builds visual-perception skills. Also develops attention, concentration and thinking skills such as recognizing, remembering, matching, sorting and problem solving. We love puzzles!

8. Connect Four- Helps develop eye-hand coordination skills, visual-perceptual skills, and fine motor skills.

9.  Labyrinth- Helps develop motor skills, concentration, perception, reasoning, and most of all, patience!

10. Jenga - This game helps develop depth perception and eye-hand coordination.

There are TEN great board games to play on family game night. As you can see there are many benefits to setting aside a night each week as family game night. 

If you forget what visual-perception skills are here is the complete series:


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