The “When I Grow Up” Game

• April 10, 2013  |
• by The Family Cooks

Whether you’ve just met or have known each other for years, there are few better ways to learn something new about the person sitting next to you than finding out what they are passionate about right now. 

This is one of the many reasons we love playing “When I Grow Up.” Go around the table and have each person say what they want to be when they grow up and why. The answers are likely to surprise you! Sure, you knew that your daughter loves dinosaurs but it’s a treat when she answers “paleontologist” because she learned all about them in school last week.  

Adults – this game isn’t just for kids! It’s a treat when your 30-something cousin, who is well established in his career, states that he wants to be a professional tennis player when he grows up. Imagine the shock when your down-to-earth sister admits that she wants to be a fighter pilot. Imagine everyone’s reaction when you tell them you want to be a race-car driver. For while a career may not be feasible, it’s a wonderful opportunity to encourage your loved ones to take those tennis or flying lessons they’ve been contemplating.

Play “When I Grow Up” often because as everyone’s interests change, so too will their answers. Your cousin who wanted to be a professional tennis player a month ago? Now he wants to be a National Geographic photographer. Your paleontologist daughter just discovered Shakespeare’s sonnets and now she wants to be a poet.

Try it at your dinner table tonight and encourage everyone to let their imaginations run wild! Then sit back and enjoy the amazing, creative answers that pour out!