Enchanted Forest again

Sarah wanted to play Champion Forest (her name) again last night. This time, we followed the rules. I had forgotten about the 3 options when you roll doubles (look at any unoccupied tree, move over the stone bridge, change the top card). The game went much better. It still took us a very long time to find the first symbol, but the game moved along after that. She won this time, but there were a few times I made wrong moves on purpose to keep it close early. But from the halfway point on, I played it straight.

I have been working with her on how to act during and after a game. I've have been explaining that it doesn't matter if you win or lose. What matters is that you do the following:

Play by the rules
Play nicely
Play your best
Have fun

At the end of every game I ask her if she did each of these... often to console her after I win. Last night, when she won, she explained them to me. It was a precious moment.

This morning on the way to school, she said playing games is a LOT more fun than watching TV and she really enjoys spending time with me. What a kid!