Westcott Elementary School Family Game Night, Two-Generations Going for the GOLD!
Norma Sanders
Published: October 19, 2015
Free play is a fantastic way to unwind after school, but when the words “I’m bored” escape our youth's lips, one way to circumvent this is to reach for games. Not the electronic kinds that require a TV and video controller—the kind that rattle around in a box and require human interaction and real face to face family engagement. This was the spirit behind scheduling the second annual Westcott Elementary School, Family Game Night, on Thursday, October 15th. This annual activity is a key parent engagement activity, sponsored by the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC), due to generous grant, from the W.K.Kellogg Foundation to support their mission of "putting children first."
Family Game Night or better yet Family "Board" Game Night is one annual after school activity the Auburn Gresham GOLD education team parent coodinators, has found to be a great intergenerational activity, for youth and parents to engage, by learning or getting reacquainted to playing board games, together. The event was also filled with plenty of goodies to go around, including fresh popped popcorn, served by the Westcott local school council parents.
The Auburn Gresham GOLD (AGGOLD) parent coordinators checked around the GADC and parent room closets and brought time-tested game favorites such as: Monopoly, Scrabble, Password, Clue, Bingo, Chess, Life, Operation and Sorry. We didn't forget our pre-K-3rd grades and we added in Candy Land, Memory, plus Chutes and Ladders especially for the little ones.
The AGGOLD parent coordinators, Jazmyne Walker and Del-Marie Nelson, said almost in unison, "It's more than just an evening of after school play!" They went on to share how they've planned Family game night, as a fun way to bring youth and family closer together and sharpen student's critical thinking skills, at the same time.
While the main reason we enjoy playing games together as a school family is the fun we have together, there are other benefits. Learning the rules of the games, learning to be strategic, meeting and playing with friends old and new, and competing in dance competitions (Whip/Nae Nae) are all ways to learn how to be gracious winners and losers. "With these key learnings, we believe that Family Game Night ultimately can make youth into better students!" said Principal Dockery as she greeted parents and joined the youth in a few hours of unrestricted fun.
Check out the Slide Show below to take a look at some of the family fun:
In a plugged-in world in which on any given evening Mom and/or Dad are on their mobile phone or tablet, your brother is watching TV or playing video games on the TV and your sister is listening to music on her mp3 player, a night of playing board games helped put everyone (families) back in touch with each other on a face-to-face basis. What are some educational board games you and your family play? When it comes down to it, playing unplugged games can keep you plugged in to each other as a family.
I also look forward to posting to the community portal a Family Game Night story, by three young ladies from Ms. Hemps, reading & writing class, who agreed to pen a joint story!
Hope everyone had fun and learned some new games to try at home! The education team has already thought about some ways to make Family Game Night even better, more engaging, meaningful and fun!
See you next year...