Anna's version of Go Fish

A few weeks ago we bought Anna a set of Curious George card games. The set came with three packs, one to play Go Fish, one to play a version of Rummy, and one to play a version of Old Maid. She can play an easy version of each of these games and has enjoyed playing them quite a bit. Just like the books that Anna "reads"* and the puzzles that she does**, she has also created her own way of playing with these cards. She pulls out her favorite cards from each deck then asks you if you want to play Go Fish. She then leads you through a number of steps involving choosing cards, trading cards, and making "matches" (none of the cards in her set of favorites actually match). At the end both you and her count your cards and a winner is determined. It's so cute to watch her creating her own rules. It's cute to realize that from her perspective the rules to this game make just as much sense as the games we have taught her.

* Anna spends a lot of time "reading" her books. In some instances, she has learned the story almost exactly and she retells it almost word for word. In most instances, however, books contains elements of a many stories she has recently heard. For instance, in the most recent reading of Curious George and the Parade, there was a birthday party in the middle of the parade!

** Anna loves doing puzzles. However, sometimes, she chooses a favorite part of a puzzle and only does that part. She might do this favorite part 3 or 4 times in a row. Then she might take the pieces from the favorite part, put them in the lid of the box and carry them someplace else. This can be a little difficult for me to keep track of, but I find it cute. When it gets to be a little too much is when she starts taking her favorite pieces from multiple puzzles and putting them in the same box and carting them around - like up to her room for a picnic - ahhh, this level of entropy can be a little too much for me to handle.