Whenever I get around my nieces, ages 2 and 3, they often want to be included in the things the grown ups are doing. Remember when playing with pots and pans and pretending to go grocery shopping was cool? There were no concerns about cleaning up or paying for the groceries, just copying what we saw our parents doing.

I was recently reminded of this when I visited with my sister and her family. We intended to play some card games and while our daughter could participate, my niece would have been excluded. As I prepared for the visit, I remembered what we use to do with our daughter when she was younger. Simple modifications of the games were made.

So, I dug around and found the alphabet go-fish cards that we used to play when our daughter was younger. This game, involves matching a capital and lowercase letter. When I shared with my niece that we had a game she could play she lit up. She played the hand with me and seemed to enjoy playing.

At another time, I showed her the Memory card game. While that game is intended for 3 and up, we modified it and used just four matching pairs for a total of eight cards. Once she tried this, she found it interesting to look at the other cards. Rather then insisting that she play the game properly, I let her explore the cards as she began to pull them out. Before long, we were matching the other cards. As she pulled out a card and laid it down, I would pull another and ask if she could find the matching face-up card. It was fun to see her intrigue and excitement as she looked at the different cards, identified them and found their pair.

So, remember that while games may be intended for a certain age group or market they can always be modified. Modifications may include: -an adult assisting in the game. -playing with less cards or vice versa. -changing the goal from getting the most points to the least points or vice versa. -just recognizing the colors, pairs or numbers. -allowing the use of a calculator. -playing for less time. -asking for hints. -giving extra time to the younger kids.

By being willing to modify a game and break the rules, you can introduce a child to a concept, include them in the fun and help them explore something different.