Importance of Games for Young Children

Today Ellie and I played a very simple game that's basically matching a few number and color cards to the numbers and colors on a spinner. It was fun for both of us. I originally picked it out thinking that it may get her started in recognizing some of her numbers, but we are getting much greater benefit out of it. She is learning how to both win and lose. After she won one game she was absent-mindedly repeating "I won, I won". I explained how that did not make others feel well if they had just lost. It was a good lesson to learn in a very non-threatening manner. She just wanted to know why someone would feel bad and then stopped. She didn't even realize she was saying it, yet she could have started on a bad habit if it hadn't been stopped. Parenting is always interesting.