Here's my article on whether or not you should allow children to win at games:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art39789.asp

What do you think? What do you actually DO?

I don't actually have children, but I do play lots of board games with my friends' children (I need play-testers so I can do reviews!). I try not to let them win, although I'll sometimes try to level the playing field at the beginning of the game by giving them a few bonus points or allowing them to move a few spaces forward. I always explain why I'm doing it, usually feeding them some line about how "I'm much older than you and I've played this game many times before, and if you'd like to move 4 spaces ahead of me so the game will be more fair, that'd be okay." They'll often opt out of it, and choose to play it "straight" on their own.

Like you I don't actually have kids, but I've played lots of board games with friend's kids.

Usually, I will play things 'straight', although I always intentionally go easy on them... most of us know tricks and strategies to win games, and I try to forget them and simply play it very simply and literally.

Also, if we play multiple games, if I have consistently won, I will usually intentionally let them win one or two so they don't get upset.

I'll let them win a couple, as well, if I've won a few too many rounds. Also, I try to choose games where I don't have a clear advantage... ripping an 8-year old up in Scrabble is not my style.... I won't even play Scrabble with most adults, because even if I don't play "Scrabble geek" words, I still have a pretty hefty advantage.

I forgot to mention, also, that I like to play games on teams, if it's possible. Me and one kid and their mom and the other kid, for example. That way you can both help them be better at the game, but you're *really* competing against the other adult, and just including the kids.

I agree with both of you. On the rare occasions I play boardgames with children I try to play on their level, play straight and fair, and play a few rounds so that the winning and losing hopefully evens out. More often, it's teams playing each other which is just loads of fun and not taken seriously and half the time no one knows who's winning anyway (like forgetting which team's mover is which, grandad's been moving the wrong piece or the wrong way for the past half-hour...)

This has been kind an issue at my house. I have two boys, ages 6 and 8. My oldest is so competitive and turns everything into a contest. At 4 he was cheating at candyland (not that we let him get away with it, but he tried. A lot.) I try not to let him win, but some days I really want to, just to avoid the whinning <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have 2 grown sons - I use to crush them.
And, they never got mad.

It taught them Great Sportmanship.

As a matter of fact, they use to say,
"You not gonna let us beat you?"

My answer, "Nope."

Vicki L. Forte'
Bella On Line
Crime Editor <img src="/images/graemlins/rolling.gif" alt="" />

I have a four yr that I play memory games with. I never let him win on purpose. He is excited when I get one just like when he gets ones. It is not about winning at his age. To me, it is more getting him to follow rules and paying attention. But I don't take it easy on him in any of the games that we play. Sad to say, he just beats me.

LOL I always get beaten at Memory. I always pick the card NEXT TO the one that I meant to pick.

I would be so easy to beat at Scrabble. I'm too right-brained, I battle to logically form words out of a bunch of letters, especially when some of the letters are in front of you and others are already on the board. I've been doing the ones in the Sunday paper just for brainercise.