Go ashore, sailors!

A fun out-of-doors game to release some of the kids' energy

ADDED June 24, 2008

 

Tell the kids that they are now sailors. (They can certainly be sailors on a pirate ship, if that will increase their interest.)

Show them one part of the yard, which will be their ship. Show them another part of the yard which is the shore. (Ideally, the ship and the shore should be far away from each other.)

Show them a couple other things they'll need to know: how a sea captain salutes and how a mermaid swims (for this, the kids should lie down on the grass and "swim.") One more thing: sometimes on a ship at sea, there are cannon balls being shot from time to time, and when that happens, everybody will definitely want to duck.

Now the motley group of young sailors will need some direction from you. Have the kids stand on the ship and then call out, "All the sailors go to shore!" The kids, of course, have to run from the ship to the shore. As they move, call out, "Salute the captain" or "Swim like a mermaid!" The kids need to react accordingly. When they reach shore, it's time to go back to the ship. Call out, "Cannonball" or "Mermaid!" You get the idea.

This game is fun, it's tiring (in a good way), and it can help show your kids the difference between ship shape and landlubbers. Ahoy!

ages 3-12, good for a group, may rile them up, no 'props' needed, not good for a restaurant or public place, summer activity,

Zee-Papers Please?

A rowdy, running, screaming and chasing game.

ADDED May 21, 2008

This game started one night when I came home and my daughter took a parking stub that was hanging out of my back pocket and would not give it back. I really did not need the scrap of paper -- it was destined for the lint trap in the dryer. Since she would not give it back, I did what anybody would do, I started chasing her around the house while doing my best impersonation of an Eastern European Intelligence officer asking repeatedly, ”Where are ZEEEEE Papers?”

From that point on the game of “Zee Papers” was born. It is a rowdy, running, screaming and chasing game, but it is really fun.

All you need are Zee Papers and a few people to play. One of the kids will get Zee Papers and hide them. When I ask where are “Zee Papers,” they will say, “ I don’t know” or “He has them.”  Then I will tickle and chase whoever knows where Zee Papers are until they crack and tell me where they are hidden. Once I find Zee Papers, I’ll make it very easy for the kids to steal them away from me again and again. They love the chasing and hiding part of the game as much as I do.

Try it indoors or outside. Kids just love spending time with their parents. And Zee Papers is a perfect opportunity. So I ask you, “Where are ZEEEEEEE Papers?”

ages 3-12, may rile them up, no 'props' needed, not good for a restaurant or public place, verbal activity,

The gate is open, the gate is closed

Release some of the kids' energy, and have fun doing it.

ADDED April 28, 2008

This requires a piece of furniture in the center of a room (as opposed to one pushed up against the wall.) A dining table would work, or a sofa, or an armchair.

Sit a few feet from the furniture, and stretch out your arm straight in front of you. Tell your kids, “the gate is closed.”

Now bend your arm at the elbow, so that your hand is pointing towards the ceiling. Show them, “the gate is open.”

Leave the “gate” open, and start the game. Have your kids run around the item of furniture. (If you’re more comfortable moving this game outside, by all means do so.) The first couple times the kids pass by, announce, “The gate is open.”

Now make it interesting: as a child nears, lower your arm and say, “The gate is closed.” The kids stop, and have to wait until the gate opens, before resuming their running.

My kids especially like it when they think they’ve passed through the open gate, but it comes ‘crashing down’ and grabs them suddenly. I can see their excitement and curiosity—will they make it by, or will they get grabbed by the gate?

This activity is a favorite in our house.

good at home, may rile them up, not good for a restaurant or public place, see our disclaimer, summer activity,

Animal Hospital

Exciting Emergency Room style entertainment for kids.

ADDED April 21, 2008

My kids love their stuffed animals and every now and then one (or all) of them get hurt and need some special care. Setting up your own little ER is fun and can provide hours of entertainment.

 

First set up the hospital area. Make sure it is stocked with, a few band-aids to use for cuts, a roll of toilet paper to use for bandaging. You can even use an empty TP roll as a cast and popsicle sticks are great for splints. And don’t forget a baggie with a cube of ice for bumps and bruises.

 

Now that you are all stocked and ready for customers ask your kids to gather five or six of their stuffed animals and get to work.

 

Don't forget to ask your kids how the animals got hurt and what you can do to fix it. Or let them be the doctors and stand back as they diagnose and repair their injured friends.

 

For me the best part of this activity is hearing how the stuffed animals got hurt. I had no idea their stuffed animals are involved in so many dangerous activities. Have fun and send us some photos of bandaged stuffed animals.

Good for bathtime, good for a group, good for home, not good for a restaurant or public place, verbal activity,

Uh Oh, Here Comes A Pillow

You know that this way of entertaining kids was thought up by a Dad

ADDED April 16, 2008

A little odd, maybe, but definitely fun.

Have your kid lie down, facing up. Take a sofa pillow--or one off a bed--and announce, "Uh oh, here comes a pillow." Gently throw the pillow onto your child. And repeat.

My kids like this quite a bit. The seem excited and curious to see whether I'll throw the pillow onto their faces or their stomachs. (I promise, I throw very gently. No one requires a helmet for this game--and no one gets hurt.)

When a kid is covered with a few pillows, I say, "Okay, now I have to sit down," and I apply light pressure to the pile of pillows. Sometimes my kids pretend to be an article of furniture, and other times they indignantly proclaim that they are children, and that I should find a more suitable seating arrangement.

good for home, may rile them up, not good for a restaurant or public place, see our disclaimer,

Running low on kisses

Really, who needs an excuse to kiss a child?

ADDED March 25, 2008

Often on a lazy Saturday I like to play this game with my kids, they will be playing outside and I will call them over, look them up and down, feign concern and say, “ You look like you are running a little low on kisses, Let me fill you up”. Then I will grab them and kiss them non-stop while they wiggle and try to get away. After a few seconds I’ll let them continue with what they were doing. A few minutes later I will call them over again and begin my charade all over.

Once they are “wise” to my antics, I resort to chasing and kissing them and that too is fun. This game also works well with adults, I like to play it with my Beautiful Wife but she does not like the chasing part as much as the kids do.

may rile them up, not good for a restaurant or public place,

Stretch Out Your Hands As Wide As They Go

ADDED March 20, 2008

Sometimes you sense your kid is at loose ends and has a lot of (potentially dangerous) 'undirected energy.' This type of situation, if left unchecked, leads to an episode of crayon drawing on the wall, throwing food, or otherwise being a pill.

This simple "repeat after me" game, with accompanying gestures, is good for diverting the kids for a few minutes.

Tell your child these words, and add some rhythm to your voice. (If you've ever done a group 'cheer' at a high school pep rally, that type of rhythm will probably work well for you here.)

Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And clap, clap, clap, clap.
Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. [wiggle your fingers]

As you say the words, show your children the gestures. And have them move their arms as they repeat after you.

The next bit is:

Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And swim, swim, swim.
[pretend to swim by doing strokes in the air]
Stretch out your hands as wide as they go
And drive the car, drive the car, drive the car.
[energetically jerk an invisible steering wheel]
Honk, honk, honk!
[pretend to shove the horn on the steering wheel]

Young kids seem to really enjoy this activity. Let's just hope it doesn't put them on the path to a future hobby of Jazzercise.

good for home, good for the car, not good for a restaurant or public place,