Star of the Day

[30 Minutes]

This game was designed for two players and becomes more fun the more you play it! You will have fun decorating the game board, and you will build skills and enjoy plotting new ways to win!

You'll need:

• a piece of white poster board • crayons, markers, colored pencils, or paints • a pencil • a black marker • two sets of four similar markers (coins, beans, buttons, etc.)

What to do:

1. If possible, print out these directions. Read them through with your child before you begin.
2. With your child, gather everything you’ll need.
3. On the white poster board, let your child draw a large circle. It will be the center of a star design.
4. On the circle, draw eight cone-shaped points, set equally around the circle. The figure will resemble a cartoon of the sun or a star.
5. Together with your child, decorate the star with as much color as you wish, outlining the points and the circle in black marker.
6. How to play:
7. Each player gets a set of four similar markers.
8. Players take turns choosing a point upon which to place one of their markers.
9. Every point should have a marker sitting on it.
10. Determine who will go first.
11. Player 1 moves one of his markers to the center of the circle.
12. Player 2 moves one of her markers to the empty point…be careful…players can only move to a free point if it is beside the point that they’re on. Only one marker can be on a point at any time. The marker in the middle can be moved to a point, and the markers on points can move to the middle if it is free!
13. Players continue to move markers from point to point or center to point, until a player cannot move a marker.
14. The winner is the player who successfully prevents his opponent from being able to move.
15. Variation:
16. In order to play with more people, create more game boards and play at the same time. Whoever wins first, is the ultimate winner! Then, the winners can play each other, and the losers can also play each other. The player who wins the most, is star of the day!

Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.

• What is the object of this game?
• Why do you think this game is called Star of the Day?
• What did you learn from this game?