Remember playing Chutes and Ladders together? Candyland? Connect Four? Uno? I loved those games.
OK, not Candyland. I have a few good fuzzy memories of playing Candyland as a child. They include me always drawing a card to jump ahead and never getting stuck in Molasses Swamp. Clearly, my dad shuffled those cards to my advantage or winked a lot during our gameplay.
I am not like him. I do not enjoy games just for the fun of being together. I am like my mom. I play to win. Always. Even when I’m playing with my child. There’s little wonder why I never remember playing that game of pure chance with my boy. I moved him right along to Sorry with some choice-making strategy.
But he’s twelve now. What do we do when it’s just the two of us?
He scoffs at games unless they are on a screen and require a remote of some sort. And, you know, as I said – I play to win. So these games are not fun for me. I think you understand what I am saying here.
Imagine my delight, then, when I purged and organized the family bookcase and found an old Christmas gift from grandma.
Tabletop air hockey wasn’t fun when he was five or six years old. I remember arguing. That’s right. I’ll admit it. I, a grown woman, argued with a child.
He wouldn’t stay on his side of the line. He hunched over the board and leaned strongly into it. But it’s not entirely a game of physicality; it’s more a game of finesse. He sent the game piece (or worse, the entire table) flying across the room. I screamed. It got loud. I put it away. For good.
And then years later, this magical moment of spring clean purging came. I took it out and placed it in the giveaway pile. He walked through the den and said, “Oh, I remember this,” and instead of continuing on to his bedroom, he came and sat down on the couch. I had my doubts, but I agreed to stop my cleaning and play. And now it’s a keeper.
I’ve declared this the best summer toy of the year.
- This thing is an INSIDE GAME and this mama has already been so incredibly hot this year.
- This thing is FAIRLY INEXPENSIVE and easy to find. I’m not recommending a certain brand. Grandma went to Target, but Walmart and Amazon can help you out, too.
- This thing is OLD SCHOOL and you’ll find yourself sharing stories of your own youth with him as you play. He, in turn, tells me a few things and, well, it’s better than what I hear over dinner.
- This thing is FAST and allows for quick play. Our “counter” goes to nine points, but you can start over again and again. Beware. I’ve found it kind of addicting.
- This thing combines STRENGTH and FINESSE and middle school boys are refining both. In other words, they love it; but moms can still sometimes win.
That built-in bookcase still hasn’t been completely cleaned and organized, but we’ve had a lot of air hockey play happening in this den lately. It’s included a lot of conversation, a lot of laughing, and a lot of sweet competition. But when I stop winning altogether, that thing’s going back in the giveaway pile…
Until then, why don’t you share one of your favorite indoor games with us?
