7 minute read
Grateful Games
finding the fun and games in thankfulness
Reflecting on your blessings can provide t his year has brought some stress, challenges and disappointment to everyone, but one of the best ways to stay positive and grounded in difficult circumstances is to maintain a thankful attitude. November is the perfect time of year to renew a focus on gratitude. entertainment for the whole family
As a matter of fact, being intentional about thankfulness all year long brings some long-lasting benefits. Most importantly, finding joy in thankfulness can be a fun family affair.
Here are some fun family games and activities that will keep everyone remembering the good things in life:
Use music to boost spirits.
If your family has musical talent, why not create a fun (and perhaps silly) song that lifts spirits, makes everyone smile and helps them remember their blessings? Not everyone is that musically talented, so perhaps create your own playlist of happy-memory recorded music everyone loves. Music often sets the mood, so playing positive music around the house is bound to make everyone appreciative of the small things in life.
Play some blessing bingo.
Create a bingo board filled with things that make your family thankful. Repeatedly calling out your blessings to your family is bound to bring those positive things to the forefront of your minds. When someone gets a bingo, you can even have that person share some favorite memories or associations from each of the blessings that were part of the winning lineup.
FUN GUIDE
Create some reflective artwork of good memories and favorite things.
Documenting your blessings in creative ways is a part of cherishing them. Have everyone in the family make some drawings, paintings or other types of artwork inspired by the things you are thankful for and place the artwork in a prominent place in the house. Every time you walk by, think about what the art represents.
A game of “grateful telephone” will make everyone laugh.
The simple game of telephone is always a good way to stir up some laughs with younger kids, as the message is almost always changed by the end of the line. If you have littles, play the game of telephone by stating a blessing or something that makes you thankful. If the message has changed by the end, the person at the end must guess the original message. Create a scavenger hunt of blessings.
Don’t just talk about your blessings— get competitive in your ability to remember and document them. Come up with a list of things your family is thankful for and divide it in two. Team up and go around your home, or perhaps the whole city, and take pictures of the different blessings on your list. Perhaps you’ll drive to a familiar park and take pictures of your favorite spot, or your team might capture an image of your favorite family game.
The team that documents everything on their list first wins, but they also must reflect on why they are thankful for the family members on the other team.
Use your blessings to inspire charades or Pictionary.
Charades and Pictionary are always favorite family games—just consider focusing the content a bit. Let the things you act out or draw be things the family considers blessings. The game is bound to result in lots of laughs and will give insight into what stirs gratitude in other family members.
Keep a thankful jar.
Having something to reflect upon always is important. Write out different things you are thankful for and put them on strips of paper in a jar. Any time one of the kids begins complaining or feeling a bit down, take out some of the strips of paper to read and reflect upon. Follow that up with writing another blessing on a new strip of paper and putting the replacement in the jar. Make it a point to have everyone write out two blessings for every complaint they voice.
Most importantly? Don’t limit this activity to the kids—make sure they see you practicing it as well. Be intentional about creating new memories.
This year has given us enough less-thanstellar circumstances, so work to create new memories to overshadow the negative. It might be something as simple as watching the stars, taking a walk or going on a drive together. Find a new place in nature to enjoy and use that time together to reflect on the positive.
As a bonus, consider adding dance moves to the music. Singing and dancing around the house in a positive, grateful spirit is bound to create some hilarious memories you will cherish for a long time.
Create a thankfulness memory box.
Have a special box where you collect keepsakes from favorite memories and good things you experience in life. It might be a rock from a special walk, a souvenir from a trip or a scarf that reminds you of Grandma. Go through the items from time to time and reflect on why you put them in the box. You could turn the items into time capsule treasure that you bury and reflect upon in the future.
When you engage in these games and activities, you might find your family comes to count some surprising things as blessings. Even though it all seemed like chaos at the time, perhaps the kids really did appreciate your ability to teach them math when school was cancelled, and perhaps the kids really enjoyed getting to eat lunch with you every day when you were working from home. You might also realize the extra family time this year was a unique gift, especially considering the kids might be all grown up the next time you blink.
When you are intentional about being thankful together, the whole family can become closer.
Allison Gibeson is a Lee’s Summit writer and mom who is looking forward to keeping a thankful jar.
Lee’s Summit Magic Tree
KC’S BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Kansas City sparkles in holiday splendor with magnificent displays across the metro! These are our top picks for the best Christmas lights in KC!
Most displays operate from Thanksgiving through Christmas, from sunset (5:30) to 10:00; however, there are a few exceptions. Check websites to verify times.
Crown Center Mayor’s Christmas Tree: Crown Center Square (2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO, CrownCenter.com). The 100-foot-tall tree is adorned with 7,200 lights.
Legendary Christmas: Legends Outlets Kansas City (1843 Village West Pkwy., Kansas City, KS, LegendsShopping.com). Unique lighting display on a 45-foot holiday tree created by a worldrenowned technology-driven holiday lights team, all synchronized to music.
Festival of Lights – Enchantment: Powell Gardens (1609 NW U.S. Hwy. 50, Kingsville, MO). Festival-goers walk a mile-long path spread out over 25 acres through the gardens featuring a variety of immersive light displays. Christmas in the Park: Longview Lake Park (I-470 & View High Drive, Kansas City, MO, 816.503.4800). With more than 500,000 lights, 175 animated figures and splashes of Christmas color, this enchanting drive-thru winter wonderland’s magic will delight the entire family. Lee’s Summit Magic Tree: Lee’s Summit Magic Tree is located at I-470 & View High Drive. The tree is lit with more than 12,000 LED lights in every color of the rainbow.
Winter Magic: KC Parks and Rec introduces a new holiday light experience this year in historic Swope Park. Tickets must be purchased in advance for this holiday light experience. WinterMagicKC.com
Holiday Lights on Farmstead Lane: Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, 138th & Switzer in Overland Park. The display will run each night 5:00-10:00, Thanksgiving through early January. The 38-minute show is synchronized with music.
ALTA Sciences Animated Lights: Alta Sciences (101st & Metcalf, Overland Park). From mid-November through Christmas, the 175,000-LED light display is beautifully choreographed to music for an animated light show your children will love!
Stagecoach Park: (1205 E. Kansas City Rd., Olathe). The show features 41,000 lights and more than 16 million color combinations.
Gardner’s Christmas in the Park: Cornerstone Park (215 N. Center, Gardner, KS). Christmas lights decorate Cornerstone Park.
Candy Cane Lane: Outlook & 79th Street in Prairie Village. This neighborhood decorates with amazing displays. See candy canes, giant Christmas trees and beautifully lit homes.
