I received one of those unsolicited emails that I nearly deleted without opening yesterday. Something made me open it, I’m not sure what, but I’m really glad I did. Because I found this terrific game that you can download free and print on your home computer. The game board is a little flimsy on printer paper; however, you could glue it onto cardboard.

It is called “Welcome to Stump Your Family!” It's a fun downloadable board game, free of charge, from “The Clean Home Journal,” a free e-magazine from "SC Johnson, A Family Company.” Their advertisement for the game says,

“Where you discover just how well you know the people closest to you, and vice versa! Along the way you'll win and lose "chores," tackle tough cleaning problems, and even weather household disasters!”

Ok, so the game pieces all have pictures of SC Johnson products on them, and every chore you’re assigned to do in the game involves using a SC Johnson product. For example, one chore game piece in the game says, “The garbage can stinks! Clear the air. Oust Air Sanitizer. However, try to overlook the obvious advertising ploy here, and instead look at the very valuable “Stump?” game pieces.

If you’ve ever tried to get personal information from an older child, especially one that may have just moved into your home, you know it can be almost impossible. One of the tricks is to try not to personalize the conversation. Therapists will have the child draw pictures, and then have the child tell how the picture feels. Alternatively, they will play therapeutic board games with the child in therapy hoping to glean insight into the child's psyche.

This is why I like the game so much; it’s the game asking the questions, not you so it keeps it impersonal. Some of the questions are great conversation starters that could lead to getting some really good information and great bonding time. Not only that, you can get your house cleaned in the process.

Here are some examples from the Stump pieces. “What’s your favorite book?” “What’s the last thing you ate today?” “What’s the name of your best friend?” “What is the one thing you would take with you on a desert Island?”

There are several game pieces left intentionally blank so you can fill in your own questions. This allows you to personalize your game to fit your family situation.

Then there are the Goody Bag pieces and some of those are blank too. The ones that are filled in are some great reward ideas, which typically come in handy when trying to modify behavior.

They have “Your favorite dessert.” If you are dealing with a child who isn’t big on affection you may appreciate the game piece in the Goody bag that awards “One kiss, one hug.” “Control of the TV remote for one hour,” may just give your child that sense of power and control he or she sometimes seek.

I get a catalog periodically full of theraputic games you can order to have play with children. Those games can be quite expensive and some require you to be a licensed therapist before you can order them. Another reason why I thought this was worth your time to look at.

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