Sockball Basketball
Materials: socks, laundry basket or plastic bucket or box, painters tape (optional)
How to Play:
-
Roll up a minimum of three socks or three pairs of socks into balls
(for easy retrieval, give each child a different set of colored sockballs) - Place a laundry basket in a child-proof, safe place
- Have the child(ren) back away from the basket to a challenging distance
- Have the kids take turns in trying to toss a sockball into the basket
- Move older kids further away from the basket
-
Optional: use painters tape to create 1, 2, & "3-point" lines and have
each child attempt one shot behind each of the lines
Sockball Bocce
Materials: socks, stuffed animal or book or throw pillow, painters tape
How to Play:
- Roll up socks into balls (different colors will help kids easily identify their sockballs)
- Lay down a target - like a stuffed animal, book or throw pillow - in a child-proof, safe area
- Tape a line on the floor at a challenging distance away from the target
- Take turns trying to toss a sockball as close to the target as possible
- The person with the closest toss can have everyone else complete a fun challenge
(like turning around and around for 20 seconds while singing a silly song or flapping their arms)
Obstacle Course
Materials: sofa cushions, cardboard strips, color construction paper, pillows, blankets, towels,
foam noodles, stable chairs, dog/cat beds, painters tape, shoe laces
How to Play:
- As a family, create an obstacle course with whatever child-safe materials are available
- For younger kids, keep the course simple and expand the course as their confidence grows
- Have young kids imitate an animal (I.e. tiger) while navigating the course
-
Challenge older kids to negotiate the course while balancing a book on their heads
Freeze Dance
Materials: any music-playing device, lively songs the family enjoys, and a safe area to dance
How to Play:
- Everyone dances whenever music is playing
- Everyone must come to a complete stop whenever the music stops
- Anyone who is still moving when the music stops is “out” and must sit out for the rest of the song
-
The last person dancing is the winner
Balloon Tennis
Materials: balloon(s), painters tape or a long string or several old bath towels
How to Play:
- Blow up a balloon
- Create a boundary line using painters tape, a long string, or several bath towels
- Line up kids and adults on either side of the line
- The balloon may only be struck once before it must cross over the line
- The balloon may not be carried or caught or blown
- The player or team who cannot hit the balloon across the line before it lands on their side loses the point
- Optional: have the kids stay seated while playing
-
Optional: have younger kids count how many times they can bump
the balloon up into the air before it touches the ground
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
Materials: whatever is available throughout the house, timer or stopwatch
How to Play:
- Choose a letter and give everyone 3 minutes to collect as many items they can find that start with the chosen letter
- For younger kids, walk together throughout the room or house and collect items that start with the chosen letter
- The entire family creates a story using as many collected items as possible
Bubble Stomp
Materials: bubble wrap, safe area to play
How to Play:
- Lay out bubble wrap and stomp, stomp, stomp until all the bubbles have burst
- Optional: if the bubble wraps are exhausted, have the kids try to flatten foam noodles with their feet
