The Feeling of Nostalgia

Posted by Regene Mckinney on 8/24/2020

The Feeling of Nostalgia…

Time for Fun!

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, many schools across the United States have switched to an online school platform, including Atlanta Public Schools.  As a parent, you are probably asking yourself, after finishing the online school work with my child, now what? Atlanta Public Schools and the School Social Workers that support students and their families want to lend a helping hand with tips on making this time with your children and family more supportable and exciting for everyone in your household.

Prior to social media and cellular phones, children were forced to create fun free fun things to do in the house and outside.  As we all practice social distancing, this is the time we all can introduce new fun ideas to our children that many of us grew up playing.  Can you think of two games you played as a child with your siblings, relatives, or friends?  Does thinking back give you a feeling of nostalgia? 

 

Memory Game

Memory Game.  You’re probably wondering, what if my children range in ages?  Well, that’s perfectly fine.  Games for all ages consist of a deck of cards and play “Old Maid”.  This game simply builds memory for your child in which all cards are face down and each player take a turn where they have to identify the mate.  If they do not identify the mate then they must place the cards back face down and the next person goes.  The cycle is repeated until someone gets a mate.  Once that person gets a mate, they keep the mate and continue.  When they miss, the next person goes and the cycle continues.  At the end of the game, the person with the most mates wins the game.  Sounds like fun, right? 

 

TicTacToe

Concentration Game.  Another game that sure to be a hit among young people is the game of “Tic Tac Toe”!  Growing up, there was a favorite pastimes for many children.  This game builds concentration for your child.  The only thing required to play is two players alternate marking empty squares, a piece a paper, and a pen, pencil, or crayon.  The rules includes the first player marking Xs and the second player marking Os.  The first player who places three of the same marks in a row wins the game.  If all the spaces fill and no one wins, then the game ends in a draw. 

 

Simon Says

Following Direction Games.  A really cool game growing up that taught children to follow directions was “Follow the Leader” and “Simon Says”. If you remember “Follow the Leader” then you can recall all the fun young and older children had.  Follow the leader involves a leader being in the head of the line.  Everyone else lines up behind the leader.  Once everyone is in line, the leader moves around and everyone else in line have to mimic or follow the leader’s actions.  Anyone in line who does not follow the leader or does what the leader does is out until the last person.  The game is then started over with the winner of the previous game being the new leader.  

On the other hand, Simon Say requires everyone to obey the commands of the words, “Simon Says”. For instance, if Simon says, Jump up and down, then players much jump up and down. But if Simon simply say, touch your nose, without first saying “Simon says,” players must not touch their nose.  Those that touch their noses are out until only one player remains.  Beware, this game can get really loud because of all the fun everyone is having.

Other games/activities to consider while at home with your children are:

  1. Read or act out a favorite book children’s book.
  2. Put on a fashion show by letting your children raid everyone closets in the home.
  3. Have a movie night with popcorn!
  4. Play 21 questions game specific to your household.
  5. Have a Karaoke Concert or lip sync battle with everyone singing their favorite song.
  6. Challenge each other to a game of charade.

This is a difficult and challenging period for everyone but we all know it won’t last forever.  But understand, this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to have precious family time with our children which will allow everyone to connect and bond on a deeper level. 

It will interesting to know which games/activities you did with your children and any games/activities you enjoyed yourself when you were a child.  Please feel free to send me a message of any indoor games or activities you do as a family.  I look forward to hearing from you.

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