Simon Says

This is the old, tested and tried game...Its a game which always works. It works if you have one kid or a group of kids. And it works for younger and older kids. For younger ones it can also work as a learning game. You can try things like Simon Says 'touch your toes', Simon says 'count till ten' and don't forget to throw in the occasional 'Andy says'. This way you can test if they are listening to you attentively or not and forces them to listen carefully. For slightly older kids try something a bit harder...Try playing the whole game faster (ie give the instructions a bit faster).

Egg And Spoon Race

This is when you have a group of kids at your place. Give each one a plastic spoon and a plastic egg. If you haven't got a plastic egg use around 10 dried beans or a small potato. Get them to move from one end of the backyard to the other with the plastic egg on the spoon (and the aim is to not let the egg fall from the spoon).

Make a number

This is an excellent game to teach kids addition. Give them some marbles (may be around 40). If you dont have marbles give them some dried beans. Get them to make a number in all the ways they can (using the marbles/beans). Example: For number 5 they have to place 3 and 2 marbles in one group, 2 and 3 in one group, 4 and 1 in one group AND 1 and 4 in one group.

What about "car wash"

Get the kids to help you to wash the car. Give them their own bucket and sponge. They love it !!! Sometimes they do a better job than the adults...

Teddy Bear Picnic

Pack some lunch in a lunch box. Place the lunch box, water bottle and some dessert in a basket. Take a mat. And dont forget the teddy bear. My daughter always packs a plate and a spoon for the teddy bear too. Spread the mat in the backyard. And if you can play some music then go on and do that (not too loud or it might annoy your neighbours). Enjoy the picnic.

Hopscotch

All that you need for this activity is a piece of chalk...Kids love to hop and skip. They can spend hours in the backyard playing hopscotch. May be you can also join them for a game or two. Hop and skip and have fun...

Magnifying Glass

'Magnifying Glasses' are wonderful. They are not expensive and the kids love it. Just give one to your child and let the child explore. Send the child to the garden and there are heaps of things in the garden that looks different under a magnifying glass. Turn them into mini scientists...

Balloon People

Blow up a few balloons...Give the kids some markers, tape and stickers. They can make faces on the balloons. Do the same for a few more different balloons (may be different colours). You end up with a balloon family. May be encourage the kids to make a play using the balloon family. Its creativity at work.

Singing and Dancing

This activity is more fun if parents get involved. If your children are between 1 and 5, then its an ideal activity for kids. Sit next to you child and sing the nursery rhymes...Clap and stand up and dance. Kids love it. Its so simple but is heaps of fun and a great bonding time.

Sort The Coins

We have a coin basket in our house. This is where all the loose change goes. The 5 cents, 10 cents, dollar, two dollars and sometimes currencies from different countries are all in the basket. Once in a while we play the game "sort the coins". I put the basket in front of my 5 year old daughter and ask her to sort the coins. All the 5 cents in one pile, 10 cents in an other and so on...She loves it. And lets not forget the learning that comes with this activity. I must confess though - 'learning' is not main criteria here. This activity is time consuming that means it keeps my daughter busy for a longer time and that means peace of mind for me for a longer time. And thats why I love this activity (and the 'earning' part feels good) !!!!!