Relationship Development

Currently, our Home and Family Life program at K-State Research and Extension-Sedgwick County focuses on two aspects of relationships: Stepfamilies and Bonding.

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Bonding Thru Board Games is a research-based program with the goal of teaching family life interactions and bonding via playing board games.

Want to try a few board games on your own?

The Family Life & Resources Department has an extensive list of suggested board games for you to try. Take a few minutes, release some stress and strengthen your relationships.

KSRE Bonding thru Board Games joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Playing board games staves off isolation by encouraging face to face interaction and offering a momentary escape from stressful daily situations. Board games are a fun way to take a mental break.

If you are new to Bonding thru Board Games or would like a refresher, please watch the Bonding thru Board Games workshop video.

Virtual Board Games

Pengoloo: 2-4players Age:4+ Duration: 10-15 min

Virtual Bilingual Pengoloo

CHECK OUT OUR 2024 BONDING THRU BOARD GAMES SCHEDULE and BROCHURES below!

2024 Brochure: English Spanish

2023 Schedule: English Spanish

Bonding Thru Board Games: Developing the Six Traits of Strong Families Around the World

Fact Sheets: English Spanish

This teaching helps the family unit strengthen the six characteristics of strong families by:

Connecting and fostering in a scaffolding manner the six qualities that strong, successful families around the world exhibit: enjoyable time together; appreciation and affection for each other; positive communication; spiritual well-being (values, beliefs, life skills); successful management of stress and crisis; and commitment to each other.

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Bonding Thru Board Games: Developing Soft Skills Needed at Home, School and the Workplace

Fact Sheets: English Spanish

There are five critical skills most likely to increase the odds of success across all outcomes and which employers expect employees to have: Social and Communication Skills; Executive Function/Higher-Order of Thinking Skills (including problem solving, critical thinking, and decision-making); Intrapersonal Skills of Self-Control and Positive Self-Concept.

Delivered as:

In the community
- A 1-1/2 to 2-hour program is available for groups in the community. You provide the volunteers to teach the games; we will train them!
- An hour workshop
- An hour workshop with a 1-1/2 hour event
In the classroom
- We provide the Leader's Guide, Palm Cards, and Evaluation to implement in your lesson plan.

Contact: lizb@ksu.edu

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because

we stop playing” - George Bernard Shaw

Sedgwick County Extension sponsors board game events (2024 Schedule) where you can participate and strengthen your family relationships. It is also a good opportunity to test different games without having to purchase them. If you would like to have this program in your group, school, etc., contact us at lizb@ksu.edu.

Stepfamily Education

Nearly half of all marriages consist of remarriage for one or both partners. It is estimated that 1 in 3 children will spend time in a stepfamily household. Partners forming stepfamilies expect joy, peace, and happiness that may have been lost in previous relationships. Because children look at the world differently than adults, they may view the stepfamily in other ways. Did you know...

Children, ages 9 to 15, may have the hardest time adapting to a new family situation.
It can take four years or more for a step-family to develop into what feels like a family.
It can take 18 to 24 months for children to be friendly to a new step-parent.

Learning to handle new relationships in a positive way enables the step-family to move toward the happiness that the partners are seeking. Step-families must work at understanding, being flexible, and developing a style of their own.

Workshop: Stepping Stones for Stepfamilies - A home study program is available to you, so you can work through it at your own pace. There are six two-hour presentations available for group study.