Have some fun and get moving with an old fashion game of “Follow the Leader”. Include the whole family and be sure that everyone has a turn as the leader.  Crawl across the queen size bed in the master bedroom, do a somersault across the living room floor, try to fit under the dining room table, have fun with it, use your imagination!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Balance, Imagination

Playing Hide and Seek in the house isn’t always the easiest game for you family to play in the house due to the lack of good hiding places (especially for Mom and Dad). So instead of Dad trying to fit under his bed why not fit your favorite stuffed animal or teddy bear in his place. There are a million places that a teddy can fit that a person (big or little) cannot. So all hiders grab your teddy and when the finder starts to count, go hide your teddy in the best place you can find and make it back to home base, or the starting point, before the finder is done counting.

Now it is the finder’s turn to find the hidden players (teddies)! The hiders can give the finder some help with clues or hint if the finder is moving in the right direction (if they are hot or cold). The  owner of the first teddy found gets to be the next finder.

This game is best suited for kids a little older in age, but could be arranged for family members of all ages. Toddlers can always team up with a big brother or sister or Mom and Dad.

Developmental Benefits:
Development of counting skills, teamwork and co-operation, imagination, and strategy.

You will need a balloon and something to represent a net, a skipping rope stretched out in the middle of the floor works well. Next pick your teams, teams can be as small as one player per team, to as big as including the whole family. Create rules that increase in difficulty as the average age of family members rise.  Don’t let the balloon touch the ground or go out of bounds

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, team work, hand – eye coordination

You will need an object small enough to be carried easily but big enough to be held easily in untraditional ways, a tennis ball or rolled up pair of socks, will work. Next you will need a container to drop your object into. Start with a leader, perhaps the youngest, and the leader gets to decide how the remainder of the players must carry and the drop the ball into the container. For example the ball may have to be tucked under your chin and dropped successfully into the container without using your hands. If a player misses then they get a letter starting with “D” and continuing with “R”,”O”, and “P” until they spell the word “DROP” at that point they are out of the game. Take turns being the leader and use your imagination to create the most interesting and difficult ways to “DROP” the ball.

Developmental Benefits:
Fine Motor Skills, Listening, Memory, Patience

Select one player to start the game; the remainder of the players sits on the floor in the shape of a circle. The starting player walks around the exterior of the circle gently touching the top of the seated players heads while saying the word “duck”. Eventually they will pick their “goose” by saying the word “goose” while touching the head of one of the seated players. This player must jump up and run in the opposite direction of the first player to see who can make it back to the seat that the “goose” just left, the fastest. The player last to reach the seat starts the game all over by naming the seated players “ducks” until he/she chooses the “goose”

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening,

Choose one player to be the first Mr. Wolf this player stands at one end of the playing area. The remainder of the players line up at the opposite end of the playing area at the start line. Once all of the players are ready, the line of players ask in unison, “What time is it Mr. Wolf?”. “Mr. Wolf” in turn replies with a time. For each hour Mr. Wolf quotes the players take a step closer to Mr. Wolf. 9 o’clock would equal 9 steps. As the players get closer to Mr. Wolf, when asked the time, Mr. Wolf will say “LUNCH TIME” and the players will turn around quickly and try to make it back to the starting line before “ Mr. Wolf” catches them. The first player caught starts the next game as “Mr. Wolf”

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Counting

This is a wonderful workout for both your body and your mind. A great game to play around a campfire too. Everyone sit in a circle. The first story teller starts the game by saying and gesturing one short line of a story. For example, “Once upon a time…” while pointing at their watch. The next player repeats any and all lines of the story said before them then adds their own line including a gesture, of course. See how long you can keep the story going without forgetting any lines or gesture

Developmental Benefits:
Fine and Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Creativity, Imagination, and Memory

This is a great game to play when it is time to do some winding down. What you will need are, paper and something to draw with. Each player start with there own piece of paper. First draw only the head and neck of your monster, without letting the other players see. When everyone is finished creating the head of their monsters, fold down the top of the sheets of paper to cover the monsters head leaving only the neck exposed. Now pass your sheet of paper to the player to your right. Add to the monster you have received by adding the upper body to the exposed neck without looking at the covered head. Fold the sheet of paper again to cover up your addition and pass it on. Continue this process until every part of your family monsters have been created. Completely unfold the papers to reveal your creations.

Developmental Benefits:
Fine Motor Skills, Creativity

Is your imagination ready? Ok lets go camping! Start by creating your imaginary car of truck. Next, work together to pack all of the items needed for your camping trick. This is not to say that you drag out every supply, most of these items will only exist in everyone’s imagination. Get the kids to suggest what to bring, let them think about what they think you will need. Go through the motions of everything from the ride there to preparing the site to collecting the wood for the campfire. Since imagination has no limits, neither does this camping trip.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Problem solving, Imagination.

You will need a ball of any shape or size and some wide-open space. Any number of people can play. Position yourselves in a circle so that everyone is fairly close together to start. Start tossing a ball from one player to the next, as the ball is caught, the catching player will say one letter of the alphabet, starting with “a” and continuing consecutively until the letter “z” is reached. If the ball is dropped then the reciting of the alphabet must start at the beginning again with “a”. The object of the game is to try to have enough successful catches in a row to say the entire alphabet. Once that goal has been reached then the players can spread out further from each other to increase the difficulty and try again.
A refreshing alternative for this game on a hot day is to switch up the ball for a water balloon.
Also, for older players it may be fun to say a word, animal, or object beginning with the corresponding letter when the ball is caught

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, team work, hand – eye coordination, listening skills

One family member is chosen to be the leader or “Simon”, Their job is to instruct the rest of the family through actions and task of their choosing using the phrase “Simon says….”. If the leader does not say this phrase, first then the players should not do the action. The leader will try to trick the players into doing the action by saying the phrase with actions repeatedly then unexpectedly fallowed by and action without the phrase. If a player is tricked into doing the action then they could be asked to sit down, the last remaining player would be able to be the next leader

Developmental Benefits:
Gross and fine motor skills, listening

First thing you will need to arm yourself with will be a nice selection of nursery rimes or songs for children. If you are in short supply, a good place to look is at your local library or on the internet. Together with your little ones work on the songs to create actions. This is a great way to quickly get out their giggles and get them up and moving. The more these songs are practiced, favorites will be chosen and new songs or actions can be substituted

Developmental Benefits:
Gross and fine motor skills, coordination, memory

This game is most certainly best played outside. A family member is chosen to be the first sculptor. The sculptor swings around the soon-to-be statues (under adult supervision). Just before the sculptor lets go they call out an object or animal they would like their statue to take the shape of. Once the sculptor lets go of the statue, the statue must come to a rest in the shape of the chosen object or animal and stay in that shape until all of the statues have been created. When the sculptor is finished creating their works of art they get to choose their favorite, the one chosen gets to be the next sculptor

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, creativity, balance, and patience.

Starting with an equal number of players get together into pairs. Each pair starts the game standing face to face with their arms by their sides and straight faces. The object of the game is to duplicate as closely as possible your partner’s movements. So as soon as one player moves the second player must do the same as closely as possible in timing so that it appears that their partner is looking into a mirror. The best way to start off is to make each movements smooth and slow and as each player gets better at moving in unison increase the speed and see how long the mirrored image will last

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, team work, and cooperation

The first thing you will need is your very own Hop Scotch coarse. Masking tape on your indoor floor or chalk on your driveway or sidewalk always work well.  Next you will need a small stone or marker of some kind for each player (not too round so it doesn’t roll off of the course). One at a time each player will toss their marker onto the number one, hop over the number one on one foot and continue to hop the remainder of the course to the number eight, turn around and hop back to the number two. Bend over on one foot and pick up your marker and hop the remainder of the course until you are out. Continue on until all of the players have taken their turn then proceed to toss the markers to the next number, hopping on all squares except the one with the marker and picking your marker up on the way back.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross motor skills, balance and coordination

You will need a hat of any shape or size and a deck of playing cards. Place the hat in the center of your circle of players and pass out to each player an equal number of cards. Each player will have a turn to throw a card into the hat, if they succeed then they go again if they miss then the next player to their left will have a turn. Once each player has gone once the player with the most cards will get to start the next round. Adjust the distance between the players and the hat to suit your group of player’s ability.

Developmental Benefits:
Hand eye coordination, patience

You will need some bubble solution and a destination. The object of Cosmic Bubbles is to get a bubble as close as possible where you want it to go by only using your breath to blow up away from the ground or other obstacles and in the right direction. First thing you will need to do is to set out your course of travel starting with where the bubbles will be blown and ending with where you want them to go, which could be as general as one side of the yard, close to a tree, or as exact as in a bucket. Start the bubble creation (one person blow the bubbles) the remainder of the players spread out and pick your Cosmic Bubble and blow it in the direction you want it to go. The player who gets their bubble closest to the destination of choice without letting it pop wins.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills,

Reacting

When reading assign specific actions to words used often in the book. When you read these words act out the actions you assigned to them.

This will help ensure the kids are paying attention to the story.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Imagination, Memory and listening

Create a Back yard Kit

Create a Back Yard Kit for you kids. Include things like:
-Balls
-Shuttle cock and net
-Frisbee
-Bean bags
-Skipping Rope
And any thing else you can think of. Keep it handy so that when the kids are bored they can find something to do.

Developmental Benefits:
Imagination, Gross Motor Skills, Hand- eye coordination

Octopus

The game is similar to Dodge Ball except once you are hit; you sit down on the spot where you are. For this spot, you can throw the ball, or touch other people. Once you touch someone they must also sit down

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, team work, hand – eye coordination

Cat and Mouse

Divide the group into two, one group will be cats the other will be mice. The mice will have strings attached to their pants. The object of the game is for the cats to catch the mice, and once they are caught they become the cats. The last mouse standing wins

Developmental Benefits:
Motor skills, Memory, Patients, Team work, coordination

The Great Escape

Divide the group into robbers, cops and guards.

The cops are responsible for chasing the robbers and putting them in jail. Once in jail the guards must guard the robbers. And the robbers are to try and escape, until all of the robbers are in jail.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, imagination, team work

The 3 Step Game

Start with a giant chessboard on the ground, or a large grid. The player’s start at the corners and on each turn can only take 3 steps. To adjoining squares. The objective is to land on an other persons square to catch them. The last person on the board wins

Mother May I?

Chose a “Mother” who is to stand with their back facing the group. The rest of the group will line up and “Mother” Will ask each of them to take steps toward her. (Ex. Grace take one giant and 3 baby steps) The steps must be taken correctly and in the correct order or the child must start again. The first one to touch “Mother” becomes the new “Mother”

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Coordination, memory, Patients

Murder Mystery

Have everyone sit in a circle. Chose a detective, and have them leave the room while a murderer is chosen. Once the murderer is chosen have the detective come back into the room. The murderer will wink at their victims and then the victim must lie down. The detective must try and find out who the murderer is.

Developmental Benefits:
Problem Solving, Listening, Creativity, Imagination, and Memory

Telephone

Start by sitting in a circle, or in a line. Have one person make up a message and whisper it in the ear of the person next to them. Passage the message along the line until the last person gets it. Then have them say the message out load. The message will probably not be the same as when it started.

Developmental Benefits:
Listening, Imagination, Creativity, memory

Out Loud

Chose a category such as food, or names.
You will need a ball or a beanbag, stand in a circle and toss the ball to each other. When each person catches the ball they must yell out a word, or item that relates to the category you chose at the beginning, in the order of the alphabet. You cannot repeat the same word twice. For example the category is animals the first person says anteater the second says bumblebee and so on.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, hand – eye coordination, listening skills, and memory.

Balloon War

Form groups and give each group an equal number of balloons. Each team should assign members to guard the balloons. Also choose two people to be snatchers. The remaining team members build forts to protect the balloons while the snatchers are stealing balloons from the other teams. The winner is the team who manages to have the most balloons after a set amount of time.

Developmental Benefits:
Listening skills, motor skills, creativity and imagination, problem solving.

Balloon Hoppers

Set up: Four teams in four corners with their plastic bag and balloons in the middle, jumbled up.

Rules: Divide everyone up into teams and decide who from each team will be the bag holder (so everyone gets a turn in the fun, alternate bag holders each round). After that, assign each team a color balloon. Now, make up a funny way to get the balloons into the bag, for example, "You have to bounce the balloon onto your head until you get to the bag." Then, start the music.

Everyone will run to the center (except the bag holder) and pick up one of their team's color balloon and do the silly action until they get to their team's corner. The bag holder puts it in the bag. If a kid drops a balloon and it touches the ground, they have to go to the middle and start over. After a few songs (two or three is easiest), stop the music and tell the bag holder for each team to count how many balloons are in the bag. The team that has the most balloons wins.

Developmental Benefits:
Listening skills, motor skills, creativity and imagination,

Creepy Crawlies

A guessing game where you guess what kind of insect you are!

Divide into teams of 3 and have players face each other in a triangle. On the back of each players chair stick a paper with the picture or name of an insect. Allow each player to view the insects on the chairs of the player facing him/her. Players then ask yes/no questions to each other to guess what kind of insect they are. For example, ' Does it have 6 legs?' 'No' etc. First team of three to guess all the insects’ wins!

Developmental Benefits:
Listening skills, motor skills, creativity and imagination, memory

Doctor Dodge Ball

Divide the group into two teams. Each team must choose a person to be the doctor. Both doctors must wear something to distinguish them as doctors such as a hunting vest or a bright jacket. There are no out of bounds in this game. There should be at least one ball for every 3 players. Someone says 'go' and each team tries to get the other teams players out by throwing the balls at them. If you are hit you must remain where you are. The doctors can move around the playing field and heal people by simply touching them.

If you are healed you are back in the game and can continue moving. Doctors can be permanently removed from the game by being hit by a ball. Once a doctor is out he/she can't be healed. The game continues until all players are out and one team wins. .

Valid throws:
1. Outs cannot be made by deflection shots or shots which bounce off one person and hit another.
2. Outs cannot be made by grounders or balls, which bounce off the ground and then hit a person.
3. Outs cannot be made by simply touching a ball to someone like in baseball. They must be thrown at least a one-foot distance to be valid.
4. You cannot get your own teammate out.

Developmental Benefits:
Motor skills, memory, problem solving

Freeze Tag

First the players must define a playing area such as a yard or any space with set boundaries. There is no home base in this game. Choose a person to be "it" or the tagger. Once the game begins the group scatters and the tagger chases all people trying to tag them. When a person is tagged, they are frozen in place where they were tagged and should spread their legs. They can be unfrozen by having any player who is still not frozen crawl between their legs. If a player is tagged while crawling between a players legs, they are frozen and should stand up and spread their legs. If players step out of bounds they can be "called" by the tagger and must step back in bounds and are frozen in that place.

The game continues until all the players are frozen. Then the last person to be frozen is the tagger for the next game.

Developmental Benefits:
Motor skills

Lemonade

Divide the group into two teams. Determine a playing area in the shape of a rectangle. Decide on two safety lines, one on each end of the rectangle. One is the safety line for team A and the other for team B. Team A are the actors and team B are the guessers. The actors decide on a geographical location (a country) and a related occupation (painter, policeman, baker etc.). Dialogue between A and B goes like this and can be yelled:  

A: Here we come. 
B: Where from?  
A: From another land  
B: What's your name?  
A: Lemonade.  
B: What's your trade?  
A: Goes like this.  

At this point group A acts out their occupation. Group B is given 3 tries to guess. If the guess is correct, group A must run to their safety line without being touched by a group B player. If all 3 guesses are wrong group B must run to their safety line without being touched by a group A player. Any player touched must switch teams.

Developmental Benefits:
Motor skills, memory, listening, problem solving

Red Light Green Light

This game is best played outside or in a large room. The group should determine a start line and a finish line. One person is chosen as the "traffic cop". The rest of the players form a line at the start line about 15 to 20 feet away from the "cop" who is at the finished line and who has his back turned away from the group. The "cop" then says "green light" and the group slowly (or quickly) moves forward. At any time the cop can say "red light" and turn around. If he sees anyone still moving, they are out and the game continues. It is important that the "cop" say "red light" BEFORE they turn around to give the players a second to react. The last player not spied moving gets to be the "cop". Or if one of the players reaches the traffic cop and touches them, they get to be the next traffic cop.

Sometimes with little kids it is better to have them go back to the start line if they get caught instead of being out

Developmental Benefits:
Motor skills, memory, listening, problem solving

The Number Hunt

Leader gets to find a good central place from which to direct the action.

Stretch it out first. Oldest family member can lead the group through a couple warm up exercises.

Send the gang out to count the number of light-switches in the house. Ready, Set, GO!

Once all return, compare results – You can keep sending them out to get the right answer!

And, keep the game going:
-How many doorknobs are there?
-What about windows/ reflections of you?
-Towels?
-Hinges?

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Counting/ Math, Memory

The Texture Hunt

Leader gets to find a good central place from which to direct the action. Similar to the number hunt, you send players out to seek out things in the house. This time, perhaps better for younger family member, send them looking for textures- things that feel differently. Ready, Set, GO!

Prompts-
-What kinds of textures do you find in a bedroom versus a garage?

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Memory

The Shoe Scramble

Pick a nice open spot in your house where you have a carpet to sit on and around.

From that starting block- on the word “go” everyone races to go and find as many shoes as possible. They can only bring one of each pair. Your can put a timer on that if needed. They all get piled in the middle of the floor in a big messy heap.

Youngest member starts first and closes their eyes, reaches in and picks out one pair. They then pass that pair to the person on their right who must find the match by running through the house.

Point System:
Find the match- 1 point
Fit them on your feet – 1 extra point.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Counting/ Math, Memory

Spy Academy

This game can be played anywhere, anytime! Best of all – if you can get your little ones to play along, you can actually go about getting some grown up stuff done at the same time! (Dare I Say- Multi-task?)

There is a secret Spy Academy that all kids can join. But they must practice their spy skills on a daily basis to earn their Special Society Badge. As Mum, Dad, Sister, Pet, (you fill in the blanks) goes about their chores here, you have to practice spying on them, and follow them about, but don’t let them know you’re there. Sort of like Scooby-Doo.

Adaptations:
This fun story will encourage make belief play when kids otherwise resort to TV to keep their imaginations going. Encouraging them to be the activity will open their eyes to a whole new way of playing. Think of what their favorite TV shows are, and then create that world around you and put yourselves in the action. For some kids, maybe they are Spiderman, and you are the villain they are spying on. Or, perhaps they are the princess spying on the prince.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Imagination

The Mystery Pillow Case

A variation of an old favorite, this one has some extra cardio added. Start at a central point in the house. The youngest starts first. Send them out with a pillowcase to enter the mystery room. They get to bring back 2 things from that room in the pillowcase. Bring that back to the others, who then have to reach in and feel the objects. If he or she can guess what the mystery room was, it’s their turn to go out and select items from a mystery room. If not, it’s still the first goers’ turn to try another go.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Memory

Balloon Toss

Blowing on the balloons for this is half the fun- and exhaustion.

Make yourselves a start line that all players can stand along at the same time. Each player can blow up his or her balloon now and prepare for play.

Stretch it out first. Oldest family member can lead the group through a couple warm up exercises.

Now, On go- players throw their balloon as far as possible. Throwing a balloon is much harder than you think. After some practice rounds, set yourselves some targets to determine the ultimate champion.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Find your seat at the stadium

Pretend you have Olympic Tickets and make your players guess what row your seats are in. Start marching up the steps to your seats. Each step counts as a row.

Those Olympic stadiums are huge, and it may be many many steps before they get there.

Other players get to guess the row number. This sort of plays like a Stair Master Charade Game!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Tickle Wrestling

Much like the wrestlers- two at a time, face to face, in an acceptable open space. 
On GO- each player attempts to make other one laugh with a tickle. You can have family rounds and then a final gold medal round for the top ticklers.

Depending on age- a point system can be introduced to make it more or less challenging.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Floor Routine

This combines gymnastics with obstacle courses to make an easy family room work out.

Set up a mini obstacle course with age appropriate barriers. For toddlers, pillows are challenging enough to walk or crawl over, but for bigger kids, bring in some dinning room chairs.

Leave some floor room for such elements as summersaults, push ups and jumping jacks.

Fastest Time gets….to go again!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Sock Ball

To start off- everyone must go and get 1 pairs of their socks rolled in a ball. 

Meet back at the neutral zone - a central place in the house. From there, each player tries to get his or her socks into his or her own room. Only one catch- Only one person can leave at a time from the neutral zone. Anyone can remove the sock from anyone’s room and take their point away. Whoever is left with a point in their room at the end of the pre-determined game time wins that round!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Strategy

Fly South and Build a castle

Pretend all that white gleaming snow is pure white sand and build yourself a beach area. Snow sculpts even better than sand and with a little food colouring and water, you can even make it coloured sand! Have a seat on the beach and build the iciest sand castle yet!

If you get too warm, have a splash fight in the waves!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Creativity

The Early Dark

Take advantage of early dark nights and go outside and have a campfire. The fire will warm you right up, and you can enjoy a dark night fire, hot chocolate and marshmallows all before bath time at 6:30 pm.

For a magical experience, bring out some tealites and make a walkway of twinkling lights to follow.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Seek and Hide

Hide and Seek takes on a whole new meaning outside in the bright snow. If your landscape is fairly flat – this is a great excuse for some snow forts to hide behind.

Sometimes all kids need is the structure of Hide and Seek to remember that running around outside- even in the snow- is a whole lot of fun.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Creativity

Tree Huggers

Kids are fascinated by the changing seasons and mother nature’s cycles of life. Trees are a perfect representation of the change in our environment almost on a daily basis.

Find your family a tree. A special tree that you watch, admire and talk about as your tree. Then make a point of visiting that tree daily (or what is feasible). Make sure it’s far enough away to require a little exercise getting there, but close enough that you can go often. If it’s really close, you can make a point of hugging it twice a day!

This activity will give you an easy way of fitting in a regular exercise you can routinely do- while making it part of childhood’s natural exploration

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Comprehension

Snow Crafts

The art of collaging should not be kept for summer alone.  In winter, finding neat nature items to make a picture out of is a little more challenging, making it a bit more of a work out.

Best idea is to make a model. Create a masterpiece out of items in your backyard or at a local park. Then set out with your children to find these things and make their own personal snow craft.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Creativity

Tupper ware challenge

That Tupperware drawer is a mess. Time to dump it all out and start anew.  Take out all your lids and bottoms and spread them about the main floor. On the go- Send the players out to find matching bottoms and lids. But, they can only have 1 of each in their hands at a time. Once they have a match- they can bring it back and put it in the door.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Coordination

Dish Rag Cook Off

This one plays while you cook dinner and play in the kitchen area. Each family member gets a dish rag sticking out the back of their pants or back pocket, hanging down like a flag. The object of the game is to get flags from the other players and attach them to yourself.

Watch the Antics go on as you all try to go about your evening business , but keep your eyes all around you- when you least expect it- your flag is at risk!

Whoever makes it to bedtime with the most flags, gets an extra story!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Dust Bunny Hop

Dusting is a great activity for your kids! Give them a small bucket with a small amount of water, a clean sponge and they are off- this makes their day! Your mean, you want me to wipe this wet sponge all over everything?- Game On!

You can vary this fun by adding music. And making them hop about the house from place to place.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Bubble Mop

Once you’ve gotten the house dusted, get into the mopping action with the bubbles. Make some bubble mixture and provide everyone with wands, and strings to make bubbles all over the house. Once you’ve created a magical bubble world, you will have a great base of sudsy water on the floor for mopping. Get out the old mop and clean it up – fun as can be!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Silly Dusters

Dusting is a great activity for your kids!  When dry dusting is required, arm the troops with feather dusters or swiffers and play the silly duster game!

One persons stays central in the room and calls out body parts: “Right Arm!” and the others members have to dust the surfaces with that body part. This gets pretty silly when you use your toes or your nose!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Wheel Barrow Parade

The oldest picnic game in the book- Wheelbarrow races. Except, to get the kids in the spirit, your wheelbarrows are going on parade! They need to be decorated and loud with music. So- pick out the fun-est looking wheelbarrow costumes and  when the parade starts, get them singing the parade route through!

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Coordination

Tree Fort- in my bedroom!

In your Children’s bedroom or whatever the best spot of your house might be- break all your rules and build an indoor fort! Gather, blankets, pillows and soft furniture into the job site and get into the construction. Once you’ve exerted all your energy setting up the ultimate clubhouse, enjoy the fruits of your labour, and have a quiet read inside with flashlights.  When all the fun is done- you can enjoy demolition too! The insurance company wont mind.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening

Floor Soccer

Just like soccer, you’ll need a ball (any ball), and some goals. But in this game, we can only crawl around and roll the ball. Even if it’s only 2 on 2, those rules make it a challenging work out to score points!

Adjust the play area and the rules to the age requirements.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Coordination

Freeze Dance

An old classic- this game only requires one thing – Rhythm and laughter. Play music or hum a tune and have everyone groove it down. When it stops (as set out by one player), everyone must freeze. After a few practice rounds, players get eliminated for moving. Since the emphasis is on moving, ousted players have to keep moving until the end, hoping to distract the others from their frozen states.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Coordination

You are the news anchor at the front desk and you’ve just gone by camera to see your star reporter on location. As the News anchor you will prompt your little reporter with the story he is telling and acting out.

“I see you are being invaded by giant ants as tall as buildings! Do you have to run from them? Tell me what is happening!”

Your little reporter will love getting into the news action and will soon make up his own stories to act out.

Developmental Benefits:
Gross Motor Skills, Listening, Comprehension