

But for the second game, I had made a mistake.

Letting each kid win on each of their games. Since this was their first time playing, I used the first game as a practice run. I would be one and the kids would be the other and we would take turns putting our marks on the grid until someone got three-in-a-row. I instructed them that there were two players, one who would assume the role of circle (O) and the other ex (X).

This morning when my kids asked me to play a game of chutes and ladders - a game that’s a little too complex for them and we all end up getting frustrated a few minutes into the game - I redirected to teaching them the game of tic-tac-toe since we had crayons and paper sitting in front of us.
