Candyland is more fun when you let a two and a half year old make up the rules.
We just bought our daughter Candyland - actually my son gave it to her on HIS birthday so she would not feel left out. After he went to bed, we cracked open that game to play for the first time.
My husband patiently explained the rules to her, while I sat on the couch, shaking with laughter. After all, she's two. The rules are whatever she says they are.
"Do you understand, baby?" my husband asked.
"Um, yes," my daughter replied.
"Okay then you go first."
My daughter promptly took all of little gingerbread men, screamed "Mine" and ran behind the couch.
While I fell over laughing, my husband fetched our daughter and explained the rules to her again. This time, when he told her to go first, she pulled a card. But she didn't like that card. So she put it back. And pulled another. Didn't like that one either. Put it back. Finally pulled a card that she liked - the one that matched her gingerbread man. She promptly stuck it under her gingerbread man and announced, quite proudly: "All done!"
My husband was going crazy - after all, he is the supreme rule follower. So once I stopped laughing, I asked my daughter how to play the game.
"Well," she said. "Red means stop, green means go, and yellow means slow down."
"Hmm," I said. "That sounds like driving."
"I drive the car," she told me quite seriously. "Have keys?"
Eager to get the subject away from my two-year-old's desire to take our minivan out for a spin, I asked her what blue meant.
"Um..." she said, thinking hard. "Blue means sky."
"Great! What does purple mean?" I asked.
"Purple means go backwards," she said.
"What about orange?" I asked, holding up an orange card.
"It means ROAR!" she shouted.
Thus, having decided what the colors meant, we began to play. When we pulled a green card we went; a red one, we didn't; a yellow one, we went s-l-o-w-l-y; a blue one, we flew our gingerbread man around the room; a purple one, we went backwards; and an orange one got us to roar like lions.
After about 20 minutes of Candyland, giggles, and roars, my daughter swept all of the pieces off of the board. "I WIN" she shouted, and then marched around the room singing (no lie!), "We Will Rock You."
I can't wait to hear what the rules are for Monopoly.
We just bought our daughter Candyland - actually my son gave it to her on HIS birthday so she would not feel left out. After he went to bed, we cracked open that game to play for the first time.
My husband patiently explained the rules to her, while I sat on the couch, shaking with laughter. After all, she's two. The rules are whatever she says they are.
"Do you understand, baby?" my husband asked.
"Um, yes," my daughter replied.
"Okay then you go first."
My daughter promptly took all of little gingerbread men, screamed "Mine" and ran behind the couch.
While I fell over laughing, my husband fetched our daughter and explained the rules to her again. This time, when he told her to go first, she pulled a card. But she didn't like that card. So she put it back. And pulled another. Didn't like that one either. Put it back. Finally pulled a card that she liked - the one that matched her gingerbread man. She promptly stuck it under her gingerbread man and announced, quite proudly: "All done!"
My husband was going crazy - after all, he is the supreme rule follower. So once I stopped laughing, I asked my daughter how to play the game.
"Well," she said. "Red means stop, green means go, and yellow means slow down."
"Hmm," I said. "That sounds like driving."
"I drive the car," she told me quite seriously. "Have keys?"
Eager to get the subject away from my two-year-old's desire to take our minivan out for a spin, I asked her what blue meant.
"Um..." she said, thinking hard. "Blue means sky."
"Great! What does purple mean?" I asked.
"Purple means go backwards," she said.
"What about orange?" I asked, holding up an orange card.
"It means ROAR!" she shouted.
Thus, having decided what the colors meant, we began to play. When we pulled a green card we went; a red one, we didn't; a yellow one, we went s-l-o-w-l-y; a blue one, we flew our gingerbread man around the room; a purple one, we went backwards; and an orange one got us to roar like lions.
After about 20 minutes of Candyland, giggles, and roars, my daughter swept all of the pieces off of the board. "I WIN" she shouted, and then marched around the room singing (no lie!), "We Will Rock You."
I can't wait to hear what the rules are for Monopoly.
i want to play candyland with your family!!!!! those rules sound so much better!
ReplyDeleteYep...that sounds about right! I think her rules really are more fun even for the adults.
ReplyDeleteObviously your daughter is gifted! So are you for going with the flow.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that I am with your husband on that one...at first...trying to follow the rules exactly. But in all actuality when I sit back and realize that I am with a young child my teacher patience and support come into play and overpower my often times overpowering control issues.
ReplyDeleteNow ... I figured out how to leave a comment and not be anonymous!
ReplyDelete