Push Bowl - Never Heard of It?

Yesterday saw the birth of a new game in our house 

 PUSH BOWL

It's very easy to play, you only need two things - two plastic bowls.

We happened to have two bowls sitting on the table because we'd eaten some yummy pods. (They are so addictive) My Little Angel and Cameron were playing with the bowls  and eventually they got turned over.

I'm not sure who pushed the first bowl, I was out of the room but when I returned Cameron, My Little Angel and my friend were busily playing PUSH BOWL with huge grins on their faces and a fair amount of oohhss, aahhss and giggles.

Push Bowls is very simple, Everyone sits in their seats at the kitchen table and you turn the plastic bowl upside down. Then you push the bowl to the next person around the table at the same time as the other bowl is being pushed to you. Intitally the game was being played by three but I joined in and made it four.

You're probably wondering why I am telling you about Push Bowl. Fair enough. It's quite simple, Cameron couldn't have done this last week. Push Bowl has rules and patterns and we even made it harder by reversing the order and Cameron didn't miss a beat, he kept up and joined in like everyone else. He even got cheeky and delayed his pushes to trick people. We increased the speed and he made it faster.

Someone eventually spun their bowl and then the game changed again - Twist Push Bowl. Surely Cameron couldn't do this, you have to twist you wrist and flick the bowl at the same time with one hand. He did it! Up to then he had been pushing with two hands.

Such a simple little fun game shows the changes happening in Cameron's brain at the moment. He understood turn taking, He understood the routine, even when it was changed. His fine motor skills were able to flick, push and spin. He tracked both bowls at the same time, he knew what he was doing and what was about to happen with hands ready to catch as he pushed the previous bowl. He enjoyed the social context and he had fun.

This game also shows how we as a family have learnt to appreciate the little things in life. This was just a little thing in the scheme of life, the universe and everything but we have learnt to appreciate the little things and be grateful for the little achievements.

Next time you have nothing to do and two empty plastic bowls give Push Bowl a try and revisit your inner child - it was fun!