Message: Every vote is equal.

How to play:

1. Choose a ballot topic: Family night: board game, movie, or read aloud? Next vacation: hitting the beach in Door County, zipping down water slides at the Dells or a staycation in downtown Chicago?
2. Create ballots with more-or less-options than family members to avoid a tie.
3. Discuss the pros and cons of each idea. Lobbying is encouraged.
4. Allow everyone to fill out his or her ballot privately and drop it into the ballot box (any box with a slot cut in the top).
5. Count the votes.

Parents of younger children may want to split their votes, so that two kids who vote together can win. But with older kids, it's important for everyone to vote their conscience, says Gagne. "The value is in teaching them that you'll vote the way they'd like if they can convince you it's the better choice," she says.