Winds of Fortune: FamilyFun Toy of the Year Finalist!

This just in! FamilyFun magazine has notified us that Winds of Fortune has been named a finalist for their upcoming Toy of the Year Award! Finalists are expected to be listed in their November 2009 issue, with the top ten announced later.

This is great exposure for SimplyFun's newest game!

It's Child's Play!

It’s Back to School, but This Year’s Most Important Lessons Will Be Learned at Home:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states the most important life skills for children to become successful and happy adults are most likely gained in a home where parents and children spend time together in play.*

Here’s what the AAP says about play:

The Trend: Less Free Time

“Currently, many schoolchildren are given less free time and fewer physical outlets at school… This trend may have implications for the social and emotional development of children and adolescents.”

The Solution: Togetherness at Home

“Children are most likely to gain essential traits… within a home in which parents and children have time to be together.”

The Best Interaction: Downtime and Play

“Some of the best interactions occur during downtime–just talking, preparing meals together, and working on a hobby or art project, playing sports together, or being fully immersed in child-centered play.”

*Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, “The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development,” January 2007

SimplyFun Buddy Terri Kasseth Shares Her Family Game Story: How "Drive" Saved My Summer!

How Drive Saved My Summer!
submitted by Terri Kasseth

We were just about halfway through summer and 3 of my kiddos (ages 4, 6,& 8) chose to bicker constantly from sun up to sun down. Cartoons ruled my house and the kids tried to rule each other with their choice of cartoons. I was going crazy constantly breaking up fights.

One afternoon, I was on the phone losing my mind with a friend and said, "This is why God made schools, because not all mothers are intended to be with their children all day long!" It was at that moment I knew I couldn't let the next 6 weeks of my summer be this way.

The next morning we woke up and I did not allow any cartoons at all. The very first thing we did was sit down and play Drive. A wonderfully quiet, calming, and relaxing game. Everyone, even the 4 year old, understood how to play and enjoyed the game. We played for an hour. Then they ate breakfast. After breakfast the mood was cheerful and everyone enjoyed their own activities, a couple of them even played together without fighting. The routine took place each morning that week.

However, when the kids came to wake me up early they were asking to play Drive instead of watching cartoons.

The atmosphere in my house was such a dramatic change, I couldn't believe it. We now enjoy time together playing Drive each morning. My kids are happy and enjoying each other and that makes Mom very happy! Thanks SimplyFun for such a fabulous game!

Make Time for Family with 30 Minute Play Solutions

Too often I hear, "I don't have time to play games."

To that I ask, "Can you make 30 minutes a day for your family?"

In just 30 minutes of game play you can:

• reconnect with your family and/or friends
• create fun, lasting memories
• build essential life skills
• enjoy meaningful conversations
• experience family bonding
• reinforce family values
• strenthen relationships through healthy play

When searching for your own 30-minute play solutions, look for choices that have everything you need to play a complete game in one box or pouch. You don't want to waste time searching for those little add-ons, like a pencil and scoring pad. You should be able to just open the box, take a minute or two to read the quick rules, and begin playing a fun game.

Might I suggest checking out SimplyFun products. These games are just that: simple to learn and fun to play! I've found SimplyFun to offer the best solutions for 30 minute play. This is one of the many reasons I chose to become a SimplyFun games consultant. As a work-at-home-mom, I have lots of 30 minute blocks of time to play games with my family.

Check out this "Christmas in July" Sales Event going on right now. http://bit.ly/Trtzj Watch demonstrations of many games on the web or attend a SimplyFun games party to experience these 30 minute play solutions first-hand.

Healthy play is essential for a successful, balanced and happy life. I invite you to rediscover the people who mean the most in your life and together take time to celebrate the importance of play each and every day. It only takes 30 minutes a day to fit game play into your busy schedule. Grab a game and play with your family!

Parenting Tips for Felt Board Story Telling

Children of all ages enjoy to tell stories and let their imaginations flow. They love it even more when their parents create the adventures, especially when the audience members are the stars of the story. Little girls fantasize about being a fairy or princess and boys imagine being a swashbuckling pirate, cowboy or super hero.

Even Hollywood recognized the importance of imaginary story telling. That is why Bedtime Stories, starring Adam Sandler and Keri Russell, is such a hit with families. However, you don't have to produce a motion picture to tell your story.

A great creative way to tell a story is to incorporate a felt or flannel story board. There are many online education resources where you can purchase a ready-made story board with accessories or you can create your own as a fun family craft project with a purpose.

Once you have your felt board, here are some tips for you as a parent. Try to remember and implement these suggestions when you are story telling with your felt board:

1. Before you begin your felt adventure, arrange the necessary pieces face up in the correct order for the story.
2. Decide in advance when and where to place each felt piece. Your painting of the adventure with felt pieces will flow more naturally.
3. Create a friendly atmosphere by having your audience sit close to you.
4. Sit or stand to one side of the board, with the felt items on your lap.
5. As you tell the adventure, look into the faces of your audience to make the felt board characters come alive.
6. Once the figures in place, move them as little as possible. Spend most of your time telling the adventure and occasionally add, move, remove or point to a felt item.
7. Give your audience an opportunity to make their own adventure by telling another story or mixing up the ending.
8. Relax. Smile. Enjoy telling stories. Display genuine pleasure and enthusiasm. All the while conveying a positive message to your audience.

In our home we use Tibbar's Everyday Felt Adventures as our story board of choice. This all-in-one felt story board features 88 full-color felt pieces and three story scenes in a grab-n-go case. We take Tibbar and friends around the world, creating fantastic adventures along the way!

If Tibbar's Everyday Felt Adventures is an item of interst to you, please order it through this Independence Day Celebration link. Manga Manga is FREE with a $50 purchase made before June 30 through this link. You're sure to have Tibbar's Everyday Felt Adventures and all the other items you purchase in hand before your 4th of July picnic, BBQ, or fun family gathering.

Teaching a Child the Alphabet

It's been a while since I was a child--over forty years ago! As I think back to my early childhood education, I really don't remember how I initially learned my ABC's. What I do recall vividly are the cursive penmanship lessons in second grade, but I must have already known my alphabet to have completed those lessons.

Now that I have a preschooler of my own, I want him to learn his alphabet this summer so it's fresh when he starts his Pre-K class. He already knows the capital letters. Learning the lower case alphabet is not as easy. In a child's mind sometimes a 'd' and 'b' look the alike. Same goes for the 'p' and 'q'.

So, if a child isn't yet writing, how do you go about teaching the lowercase alphabet to a preschooler? To find the answer I put on my thinking (research) cap and began combing the Internet for suggestions.

Low and behold, I found a wide selection of ideas that are both fun for the child and educational for my peace of mind. There are three ways I can tackle this summer lesson plan:
1. Set him in front of a PC and run a software application, such as Let's Learn ABC
2. Show flash cards or read books, such as Dr. Suess's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book
3. Use a puzzle, like Huey Learning Puzzle

Well, as you can imagine, I chose the most interactive lesson from among these three choices. The one that incorporates family fun and games! The Huey Learning Puzzle allows me and my son an interactive learning experience. Not only is he identifying the lowercase letters, but he's matching them to the capital letter also printed on the puzzle. Each lower case alphabet character is a different puzzle shape so he quickly learned that the lowercase 'd' will not fit in the 'b' spot.

In addition to the alphabet, Huey also teaches colors and counting. Each of Huey's shoes is a different hue. The lady bugs in the scene are numbered 1-10 for counting. Three concepts in one puzzle! I've hit a gold mine for a solid wood puzzle at only $12!!

Now that he's on the verge of spelling 3 and 4 letter words, the Huey puzzle makes a great spelling game, too. One puzzle, unlimited fun learning possibilities!