How
do you keep your kids busy when they have long summer holidays? Can you
keep amused a large group of kids? What
about noisy activities for boisterous, bored kids? Card
games, party
games, quiet
activities, indoor
games, thinking
games, energetic
activities and outdoor
activities - we have them all!
We are discussing a few games
which will keep
your kids engaged and smiling throughout the summer and despite of getting
bored, your kids will be learning
something with fun.
Don't Get Caught in the Web
Select an area that has too many
obstacles, may be tables, chairs, cupboards, sofas, doors and other objects. Set up the gaming area by tying a string throughout the area. Tie the string in the way so
that there are only a few ways to get through the string web. For this the
string can be attached with doors, under tables, across chairs, windows but nothing that would be knocked over like metal vases, lamp shades, and can cause injury to the participants or valuable
equipment which might make loss if broken. Now call the players to come into
the area and they must get through from one side to another without touching
the string web. This way kids will be amused and will do physical and brain work to get through the web without touching the strings.
This game requires the use of index
cards, a large drawing
area or dry
erase board, a stopwatch and erasable markers.
Start by writing clues
on the index
cards. Then divide the kids into two teams. Delegate a player on the first
team as the player who will draw
and have him or her pick a card.
The word on the card
tells what the child has to draw,
for example, a cat,
a bat, a hut, a rat
or anything what kids and draw
easily. Set a time limit, such as two or three minutes, and start the
stopwatch. The child draws
while his/her teammates try to guess what he or she is drawing.
If the team guesses what is being drawn
correctly, the team is awarded a point. Continue until each player has had
a chance
to draw. And set some gift
for the winning team. This way kids will enjoy the game.
To play the guessing
game, you will need flash
cards, glue,
magazines, newspaper, old books
and a box. Go through the magazines, newspapers, old
books and cut out simple objects like clouds,
dogs,
cats
or anything else that you find. With the help of glue
paste the pictures
to the Flash
cards. Place the cards
in the box and shake the box to mix them all. Ask a kid to come and pick out a card
from the box. Then say him to explain what the object is without actually
naming the object. The other players have one minute time to figure out what
object the kid is talking about. Continue until you have used all of the
selected pictures.
Then make points according to the right guesses
made by the kids, the kid who has made most right guesses
is the winner. In other way this game could be played with the pictures of some great scientists, inventors, political figures, actors, freedom fighters etc., and other kids have to guess the name of the figure. While the kid who is acting about the figure is not allowed to speak the name of the person in the card picked by him or her.
This is a real fun game for kids. You can
begin by looking around the house and selecting objects to use as targets, for
example, empty cereal boxes, empty
plastic bottles, empty coke cans, and toilet paper tubes. Give each player items to hit the
targets with, such as soft
balls or rolled-up socks. Use chairs
or tables to set up the objects. Use a belt or mark a line with chalk
to create a throwing line on the floor at least 10 feet away from the target. Now ask kids to come one by one and hit the target. Assign a point value for hitting each
object and keep score throughout the game. The first child who hits the maximum
objects with maximum points is the winner.
For this game, you will need the
pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle. Give each child approximately the same number of pieces. You may
also divide the group into teams. Challenge the children to put the puzzle
together. This task will require communication and collaboration. After the
activity, ask the group to discuss how they got started, what problems they
faced and how they overcame the problems. Ask them to give examples of situations
where better communication or cooperation could have given better results. This
game enhances team spirit and skills in the kids.
This is a very entertaining and fun
game for kids that can keep them active while they are kept indoors in hot
summer days. In order to play this game, one child is selected to pretend that
he is an animal.
For instance, he can hop around like a kangaroo
or slither around on the floor like a snake,
or climb on something like a monkey.
You should encourage the kids to be creative while playing this game. If a
child correctly guesses the animal,
he is able to take the next turn at mimicking an animal.
This game surely brings loads of laughter in the kids.
For playing this game first of all place some
chairs
in the middle of your living room. You need to place a number of chairs
that is one less than the number of kids participating in the game. Keep a
music system on a table
a little far from the kids and the chairs
placed. Then play the kids' favorite music, and ask them to walk around the chairs
in a circle. Tell them prior to start of the game that when music will be
stopped they need to sit on the chair
quickly, and only one child on one chair.
The child who does not have a chair
is out of the game. Take one chair away and start the music again. Repeat this
process until one child and one chair
are left. That child is the winner of the game. Encourage the kids to dance and
have fun as they walk around the chairs.
This way kids will find this game much more entertaining and fun filled.
Board Games
There are dozens of different
types of board games for kids in different ages which can entertain kids for
hours when it's time to play inside and hot outside. Some board games need strategy
and skill, whereas others rely on the roll of the dice to decide how the game
goes. Checkers, a
classic board game where kids move small, colored pieces around a checkered
board in order to collect their opponents pieces, is one example of an
easy-to-learn board game. Other examples are, chess,
ludo or the
game of snake and
ladder. This keeps kids engaged, entertain and safe in summer time.
Safety Tips
Establishing safety rules before
you play active indoor games reduces the chances of injuries or broken items in
your home. Practice walking instead of running and remind the kids to watch the
pace if they start moving too fast. Create a safe zone for the game play
without any breakable items in the area. Move breakable items or heavy items
which can cause injury out of the way before the game if necessary.
Making reading pleasurable is a fundamental
way to encourage
learning, promoting literacy
and inspire your child to read. Cool reading
games for kids help make reading
a fun, interactive experience and can motivate reluctant readers to get tangled
with books. Reading
games work by creating an atmosphere of fun and enthusiasm, giving
opportunities for child-directed instruction, and facilitating the requirements
of English
language learners and struggling readers learning beside their peers. Using
reading
games, in addition to having regular reading times, reinforces learning.
And the long summer holidays are best time to keep kids engaged, entertained,
and learn something interesting and new. Following are few Reading
Games which can help you keep your kids engaged and have fun while learning
in the summer holidays.
Hangman
This classic word-game is easy to
play, endlessly variable and appeals to all ages. Your child can play it online
at educational sites. Or it also can be played with pen
and paper, though, making it an excellent game to play while traveling or in a
waiting room. Play with one or several people, with one person picking a word
and the others trying to fill in the correct letters.
The one who first fills the correct
word is the winner. This way kids will learn
language as well as they will improve their vocabulary.
An all time favorite of both kids
and adults, word
search puzzles are great reading and learning tool for the reason that they
need very close reading and train kids' eyes to seek out word
patterns. With the game of word
search kids also develop attention and promote visual recall. Word
searches or word
puzzles are also readily available in books,
magazines, newspapers etc., for on-the-go.
Crossword
puzzles are best game for the kids because this game can boost their brain.
Practically anyone can strengthen their mind
power just by doing crossword
puzzles every day. One can only strengthen his or her brain
power by exercising it. The more of these crossword
puzzles that a child complete the much more his or her intelligence will
strengthen with time. The child’s vocabulary,
concentration, and memory can all benefit by simply working on some crossword
puzzles on a daily basis. Researchers have proved that the task of solving
puzzles can help to better the kid’s brain. The kids can develop their
vocabulary
by doing crossword
puzzles by understanding and bringing in practice far more
words. This assists him or her to know a lot more
words and to understand them when they have to use them. This is a
marvelous activity to have, to improve
one’s vocabulary
and conversation
skills.
Sudoku
Kids sudoku puzzles are a great brain
building activity for children of all ages. Not only does sudoku motivate the
use of logic and problem solving skills, it also develops brain power and
introduces basic math
skills to children of a very young age. The focus needed by children to
solve mental
puzzles such as sudoku contributes to the development of their concentration,
patience and attention span. Kids also gain great satisfaction by finishing a puzzle
on their own, which can lead to better confidence in their mathematical
and educational life (which, obviously, means a convenient and more enjoyable
time while learning).
To make the summer
holidays of kid’s amusing,
informative
and full of fun allschoolstuff.com
has introduced an entirely new
range of products including books
which will keep kids engaged and enjoy their summer
holidays with tons of fun.
Wow awesome post!!! These games will do best for my cousins who are going to enjoy their vacation this time. Thanks for the post.. Update the games so that we can have more options..
ReplyDeleteAwesome.....whole bundle of fun that too inside the home...thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat !!! Where from you guys bring in so nice ideas for kids? Very Nicely written posts. Thank you very much Allschoolstuff blog. Do you own some schools also? I am a teacher working in J&K, wanna switch over to Delhi, I would like to work with your school. And please put option to subscribe your blogs, so that I can get regular updates direct in my mail. Thanks again for this nice post.
ReplyDeleteVery nice blog. Good work allschoolstuff. Yes How can I subscribe to your blog's update?
ReplyDelete