Shando Varda is a storyteller, musician, community artist, teacher, workshop leader and playleader from kindergarten to corporate levels. Inspired in the 1970's by the New Games Foundation's approach to cooperative play, he now teaches and leads play with people of all ages. He lives in Lyme Regis, Wales.
101 Family Vacation Games is a compilation of activities that can
help entertain both children and adults. The games are divided into
six main categories - travel, vacation, beach, outdoor, home, and
birthday party games. The book title is somewhat misleading because
the games, with the exception of some of the beach games, can be
easily adapted to be played anywhere. There is also a special
section at the end with games parents can use to interact with
babies and young children. The layout of the book is excellent.
Listed at the beginning of each game is the number of participants
required, the level of difficulty, and whether any props will be
needed (i.e. music or a deck of cards). Most of the games are
fairly simple and can be completed quickly. Also provided are ways
to modify the games so that younger children can also be included.
Several of the games are old favorites, such as Charades, I Spy,
and Rock, Paper, Scissors, but there are many with which I had not
been previously familiar. The author stresses the importance of
making sure everyone understands and agrees to the rules before the
game begins. He also states the importance of parents taking part
in the games so they can share similar experiences with the child
and create memories as a family. Playing provides many benefits
including: exercise, learning ways to relate to others socially,
releasing stress, and acting as a diversion to forget about one's
problems for a short time. Some games help to develop reflexes and
concentration skills. Others involve exploring the world around us.
The next time you see children playing don't be surprised if they
are actually learning something. I recommend 101 Family Vacation
Games for all parents and children. It will not only help to
develop a closer relationship between the two but also allow them
to learn more about the other's thoughts and dreams. Playing
together develops lifetime memories that become more precious as
the years pass. It is important to set aside a few minutes each day
to play, whether it is to remove oneself from life's daily stresses
or simply to spend time with those you love. — Leslie Granier,
Reader Views Jump-start family fun time with these 101 ideas for
games and past times. You shouldn't wait for your next vacation to
spend some time with these simple, low-tech games. Right out of the
bubble mailer my boys were playing Word Tennis and laughing out
loud. On first inspection, I spotted some tried-and-true favorites,
like Rock Paper Scissors, which are probably already in most
families' repertoire. But for the most part, the games were new to
us. I appreciate the useful table of contents matrix, which matches
each activity with the number of people needed. You might think of
"vacation games" as "games to play in the car." But that is just
the first section of this book. There are categories for: Travel
Games, Games at the Destination, Beach Games, Sand Figures, Outdoor
Games, Games to Play at Home, Birthday Party Games, and finally
Games for Babies and Young Children. If you are like me, and your
brain stalls when required to come up with something to entertain
your children, you'll want to have this book handy. I know I will.
— Mary Ann Therese, LibraryThing.com Early Reviewer I admit it.
Although I am a creative person, sometimes after a long day at work
or a long drive to a vacation spot, I am exhausted. Flipping on a
video screen is an all-too-common cop-out to using my brain to
think of something more creative, more engaging, and ultimately
more satisfying. But now I have the solution! With this great
little book I don't have to put my brain into high gear to think of
something to do--- I can just browse through dozens of easy and fun
games for kids of all ages, categorized by situation, age, and
equipment needed. There are some old favorites, but many ones that
were new to me
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