When your children cheat at games....

[Othersideofthechannel]

what do you do?

Whenever we play a dice game eg Snakes and Ladders, DD likes to roll the dice where I can't see it and then (unless she's unbelievably lucky ) fix the dice.

If it's just me and her, I turn a blind eye. Just wondering what other people do in this case?

(If another child is playing, I insist on the dice being rolled where everyone can see.)

I never let mine cheat. Ever. BUT I did make sure that they didn't always lose, particularly in games where being a grown up means that you will win every time.

In a game of chance like Snakes and Ladders I would just play normally, unless a child was having a spectacular run of bad luck, then I would manipulate the last game to let them win.

But you have to be very careful they don't realize you're letting them win - it's not hard - kids are pretty dim!

It's a delicate balance isn't it!

I enjoy playing games with my children and watching how they figure out problems and giving them little hints to improve their tactics. But at the same time, like any parent, I have lots of work to do, and I don't get up and go and do my jobs in between my goes. That would be plain rude. So I don't see why I should sit there waiting for them to go back to concentrating on the game when they have clearly got interested in something else.

Good grief ds (5 years old) "cheats " regularly at sankes and ladders but that is because he has really only recently understood properly how to count and move the pieces appropriately. I don't see it as cheating he just doesn't have the concentration to play the rules properly, Until very recently he didn't have the ability to even understand the rules properly.

I often let him win at draughts for instance as he has recently learned the moves but of course doen't see far enough ahead to play effectively.

Then again I have always dislikds board and card games so I jusst let him do what he wants to make the game fun and easy for both of us.

He seems to play things like top trumps and simple board games with friends and loses reasonably graciously (for a 5 year old anyway)

I have never let DD aged 6 cheat, although she still tries. I do cheat to let her win if I've beaten her in the previous game.

Bumblingbovine, I didn't mean if they are getting wrong because they are still learning. I wouldn't consider that cheating.