Game Night Fun and Taco Bar
Get the family talking at the dinner table by holding a family game night and taco bar. My fast and easy Grilled Chicken Taco Recipe will leave you time to join in the fun.
Holding a family game night is a sure way to get the conversation started and, when there is food involved, even your teenagers will join in the fun with a Skipbo themed taco bar.
You should also check out my game night theme ideas!
Family dinners and teenagers are a specialty of mine so, I want to thank Kelli for inviting me to share some of my secrets with you. I should introduce myself, my name is Sandy and I share recipes and stories at Everyday Southwest.
Growing up, we had a large family with kids aged one to sixteen so, keeping everyone’s attention at game night was a bit of a struggle. I’ve found that card games are a great way to adapt the rules to fit the needs of just about any age group and learn a little at the same time. But, shhhh… they don’t have to know they are learning.
Skipbo is one of our favorite games. It’s a fun and easy card game that reinforces math skills like counting, numbers in a sequence, grouping and even (for the little ones) “how many is four?” The skill development does not stop at math, sequencing is essential for language arts, social studies and even following a scientific method. Oh, sorry, the kids aren’t supposed to know that.
All the kids have to know is that game night is fun. We like to incorporate our family dinners into the games by giving them a “theme.” It doesn’t take long for everyone to join in when they are passing the food around.
Here are some ideas on how to set up your taco bar to reinforce the skills for Skipbo:
- Set up the taco bar with SKIP BO (or numbered cards) in order and have the kids build their tacos by following the numbers.
- Have the numbered cards match how many of each ingredient they should choose, ie: grab a tortilla and add one spoonful of guacamole, two slices of chicken, three vegetable choice, etc..
- Kick up the skill level by putting the cards and ingredients out of order so they must look for what comes next.
- Divise rules for the older kids by making the numbers the “sum” of an equation.
- Start up conversations that will have the kids telling you the order in which they chose their taco ingredients.
- Use your own imagination for ways to fit your own children’s needs.
If you don’t have a Skipbo game, no worries, use the numbered cards out of a regular deck of cards.
And, by all means, substitute any taco ingredients that your family loves for the ones I have listed here.
Fun ingredients for your taco bar”
- Corn tortillas or small flour tortillas
- Grilled Chicken, ground beef, crock pot shredded beef
- Several types of salsa (tomato, pineapple, salsa verde)
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced onion or green onion
- Grated cheese
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Diced jalapenos
Have fun! We would love to hear how your game night goes so, leave us a comment here on Three Boys and A Dog. If you are on Facebook, you can follow Kelli on her 3 Boys and a Dog fan page and me at Everyday Southwest fan page.
I hope to hear from you! If you stop by Everyday Southwest, please leave a note and say, “Hi!”
Sandy Hoopes
This is a fun idea! Just tonight my husband and son requested we do Taco Tuesdays.
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Love the taco bar! My family would gobble it up. Thanks for the great idea!