Playing with kids is fun; it is a stress-relief activity that we indulge in keeping our bodies healthy without even realizing the value and impact it has on us. Kids have a short attention span, are sometimes restless, and get bored quickly.
As parents, we can all understand that children sometimes have a lot of energy which needs to be tapped for healthy activities, if not, this is a recipe for havoc and inevitable disaster. Children need games that are both fulfilling to the body and fun to play.
Here are 7 Top Fun Games you can indulge your kids in:
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Puzzles and Word Games
Word games and puzzles are great for children as they help in the development of skills needed for reading, spelling and writing. These types of games have a keen focus on sounds and letters. By indulging kids in word games, you help them nurture the skills needed for a problem solver even in other areas of study.
They include games such as Crosswords found in kid’s magazines. Solving puzzles nurtures a child’s problem-solving skills by exercising their creative and cognitive muscles. Design a home-made puzzle by following the below steps:
- Have your kids draw a picture on a Manila paper.
- Use a marker pen to outline puzzle pieces drawn directly on their drawing.
- Cut out the pieces with a pair of scissors.
- Mix the pieces up and get kids to solve them.
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Hide and Seek
No list of outdoor and indoor games would be complete without mentioning Hide and Seek. Children are thrilled by hiding and finding, which is crucial in this game. The perfect idea in this game is that one person covers his/her eyes and counts aloud while the other players involved get to hide.
After the player involved finishes counting, he/she begins searching for the other players. The last player to be found becomes the next “it”. There are different variations to this game, including timing and number count by the “it”. Nonetheless, it is a fun game to engage kids in.
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Treasure Hunt
Children are intrigued by the thrill of finding hidden pieces, and they will be more thrilled when there’s a reward at the end. As a parent, write clues on some pieces of paper – get creative at this point.
Place the first clue in an area where it is easy to find, like under their pillow. Leave as many clues as you can inside or outside the house, forming a trail to the final piece. At every stage of each clue discovery, leave candies or coins that serve as a reward for each discovery.
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Freeze Dance!
Make a list of your kid’s favorite music and pump up the volume on any musical device. Be in charge of the music. Ask the kids to dance until the music comes to a stop. When the music stops, the players involved must freeze in the positions they find themselves in – even if they were lying on the floor.
Anyone caught moving after the music stops steps out of the game. The activity continues until only one player is left, the winner. Any number of players can play the game. To make the activity more exciting and challenging, ask the kids to freeze in various acts: shapes, animals, letters or even mimic someone’s pose.
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The Balance Beam
Kids love walking in straight lines whenever they get a chance. It is considered an effortless activity and can be great for toddlers and kids to help them improve their skills in balancing. You will have to follow the following guidelines for a good game:
What You Need:
- Colored masking tape
- Large Flat Floor Area to Play
- How to Play
- Stick various colored masking tapes tape on the floor.
- Ask the kids to take a turn walking one-foot-over-the-other in a straight line of tape.
- To make the game challenging, the player needs to walk only on the marked tape. If he/she stumbles and falls off the marked area, he/she is out of the game.
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Building
Building a house or a tower can be an engaging activity for kids. This activity can be in the form of card towers, building using available books, or using pillows and chair cushions will be ideal for this activity.
Challenge kids by asking them to build high towers, whoever builds the best gets a reward.
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Card Games
Card games are ideal for kids to nurture their logical reasoning, number identification and color. Use a stack of cards and play simple games like spoons, trash, or memory cards. Learn how to play a new card game, read rummy 500 rules and invite friends over for a fun night of games and socializing.
Remember the adage: All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.
