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.