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Games that make kids cry
Filed under: Tweens, Activities: Babies, Holidays, Toys
Recently, we attended a birthday party of a little boy who turned eight years old. It was held in a clubhouse at a neighborhood playground and the boy's parents had planned a few games, including musical chairs. That didn't go over so well. The problem with musical chairs is that the focus, really, is on getting kids "out". It's really a rather negative game.Well, The first kid out started to cry, as did the next, and the next, and then Jared and pretty soon a whole bunch of kids were crying, including the birthday boy who wasn't out, but was upset because all his friends were crying. Well, we got through it, but Rachel and I resolved that we wouldn't be playing musical chairs at Jared's or Sara's birthday parties.
I'm not a big fan of competitive games anyway. My idea was to have all the kids sit in a circle and toss a balloon or beach ball up in the air and see how long everyone can keep it up in the air. That way, they all work together towards a common goal which is not really a win/lose sort of thing but more of a keep-it-going type game. Everyone works as a team and if the ball hits the ground, everyone has a laugh and they all try again.
I don't think one game will be enough, though, so I'm hoping someone will have suggestions for more games that don't involve winners and losers -- I don't want anyone at Jared's or Sara's parties to feel like a loser. So, anyone have any suggestions? What games have you played at your kids' birthday parties?
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
3-19-2008 @ 2:40AM
eugene said...The problem isn't the "everybody wins" attitude, it's the lack of any sense of community and group identity that turns kids into whiny, self absorbed monsters, imo. Too much emphasis on the whole "you're a bright and shiny star" and individualism and not enough training on how to get along with other people.
Kids in Japan are in lock step with one another, they all learn and advance at the same rate and yet they don't have the same sort of selfish, me first attitude there.
3-19-2008 @ 9:32AM
Linda M. Ramos said...We tend to do a variation of musical chairs.. everyone is a winner in the end. One year we did a spiderman party.. we made paper webs with numbers on them.. when the theme song stops everyone should be on a number.. the number is picked from a hat .. that person takes their web and goes to pick out a prize in a box. then they get to pick out the next number. I always have plenty of prizes so no one is disappointed.. the kids love this game and I have never gotten tears.
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3-19-2008 @ 10:45AM
Rhonda said...We played musical shares in Brownies. It works the same way as musical chairs except when you take away the chair, everyone still has to find a seat. At the end, you have everyone sitting on each other's laps. You do need to play it carefully so no one gets hurt but it is hilarious to watch them try to pile on to fewer and fewer chairs. It elicits much giggling and shrieking and is a lot of fun without being a "everyone's a winner" game. It's just plain enjoyable.
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3-19-2008 @ 11:31AM
ninainindia said...What is the world coming to if we can't even play musical chairs anymore?
Even things I read about giving out prizes at birthday parties, it sounds so over the top. The birthday boy/girl gets presents, the guests don't; that's what happens here. It doesn't mean they don't have fun.
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3-20-2008 @ 10:56AM
Heather said...I agree kids need games where there is only 1 winner. That is real life. They need to learn that it is ok to not always come in 1st. Then we can celebrate the winner.
I hate games where everyone wins.
The other 2 games sound really fun.
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3-28-2008 @ 2:16PM
Jenn said...We've done a 'hunt for buried treasure' - plastic 'gold' coins thrown around the yard, and a 'cannonball' fight - wadded up pieces of packing paper tossed back & forth between 2 cardboard 'boats'. Obviously there was a pirate theme. Neither had a winner or a loser, but the kids had a blast nonetheless.
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