When school is out on the weekends, during the summer or during spring break, turn off the television and invite some friends over to play. Some kids may whine or seem bored if they can't rely on electronics, so encourage them by suggesting some easy games. Once they begin to enjoy themselves, they might even begin to come up with their own ideas for having fun.
Outside Games for Two Kids
If your child has a friend over or has one sibling, send them both outside if the weather is nice. While two children will not have all of the options that a large group of kids have, they can still enjoy games such as hopscotch, jump roping or a game of catch. Set up an obstacle course for them and let them race in the backyard. Give them a frisbee to throw or a soccer ball to kick around. If it is hot out or if the kids would rather not run around, challenge them to each find five or ten interesting nature objects. Give them a box of craft supplies, such as paint, glitter, glue and googly eyes, and see who can come up with the most interesting creation.
Games for a Group of Kids
When your children have a group of neighborhood friends over, or when they are hosting a birthday party, it is a good idea to have a list of games to suggest in case they get bored. Think of old favorites from your own childhood, such as TV tag, hide and seek and baseball. If you have a croquet set, bring out the mallets and show the kids how to play.Encourage them to make good use out of your basketball hoop, volleyball net or badminton set. Hold races, such as sack races, three-legged races and relay races. Provide them with balloons and a water spigot and suggest a game of water-balloon catch on a hot day.
Winter Games
In the winter, kids may gravitate towards the living room with its television set and video games, but there is plenty of fun to be had outside in the elements. Invite some friends over, bundle them up and let them go sledding. Help them to make forts out of "blocks" of snow. Show them how to make snowballs, and instead of an old-fashioned snowball fight, have them work cooperatively to aim at a tree, snowman or other target. Show them how to make snow angels or an igloo. Give them squirt bottles filled with food-colored water and let them have a snow painting contest.
Indoor Games
When it is too hot, cold or rainy to play outside, your children and their friends can still avoid defaulting to watching a movie by playing some indoor games. Turn on the radio and have a dance contest. Keep some hula hoops and jump ropes handy, move the furniture out of the way and see who can keep the momentum going the longest. Pull out board games such as Candy Land, Scrabble, Chutes and Ladders or Sorry. Set them up with a big box of craft supplies and let them make a mess in the kitchen. Later on, set a timer and have a clean-up race to get the table and floor back in order.
