20 Fun, Indoor Activities for Bored Kids

Used with Permission by Amanda Formaro http://www.familycorner.com/leisure-time/20-fun-indoor-activities-for-bored-kids.html

When it's raining, snowing, or just plain too cold to play outside, your household can fall victim to the "I'm Bored Blues."  With a little creativity and imagination, you can turn the tables and find fun things to do without running to the store or turning on the television. Keep this list of ideas handy, or write each idea on a slip of paper and put them in a hat. The next time the kids are bored, let them draw a slip of paper from a hat to decide which activity to do first!

1) Plate of Bubbles - All you need for this fun activity is a small plate, a plastic drinking straw, dish washing liquid and tap water. Place two drops (that's all you need!) of dish washing liquid in the center of a plate. Carefully run tap water onto plate, pointing water over the dish soap to create some foam or bubbles. Carefully place the plate on a flat, sturdy surface, such as the kitchen table, and have your child point his straw into the water. To create bubbles, blow gently and slowly into the sudsy water. Not too fast, it won't work! Slow and steady will create huge bubbles!

2) Animal Jumble - This works best with 3 or more children, but can certainly be adapted for 2 kids. Assign each child a "secret" animal part, the child choosing the animal. Have them draw their part on white or construction paper. The idea is that each child does not know what the others are drawing. For example, have Bobby draw the head (maybe he chose a dog), Cindy draws the legs (she chose an elephant), and so on. When they are all finished drawing, have them cut out their parts and tape the animal together. Have fun choosing a name for their animal. You may be the first to discover the "Dog-aphant-monk-iraffe!"

3) Cartoon Strip - Many parents will remember this from their own childhood! You will need a pad of paper and something to draw with. At the bottom of the pad, starting from the left, draw a stick figure, a box car, cartoon dog, anything you want to put into motion. On the next page, draw the figure again with a slightly different pose and a positioned a little bit to the right of the page before. Repeat this process on each page until you reach the right side of the pad. Now fan the pages with your thumb to watch your character move across the page!

4) Coffee Can Stilts - Turn 2 coffee cans upside down so that the plastic lids are on the bottom. Poke a hole on each both sides of each can using a screwdriver (parental supervision is recommended). Use rope, bailing twine, or several strands of yarn braided together for strength and thread through one hole. Thread the other end of the rope through the hole on the other side and tie off inside the can. Be sure that the rope is long enough so that when your child stands on the cans, the rope is high enough for them to hold in their hands comfortably without hunching over.

5) Cookie Cutter Glitters - Pull out the construction paper, glue, glitter, stickers and cookie cutters. Kids can trace around the cookie cutter shapes, spread glue over the shape and decorate with glitter and stickers. This can be a messy craft, so be prepared with a disposable table cloth and garbage can for scraps. Using a vacuum with a hose attachment is a much easier method of cleaning up glitter than a broom.

6) Feely Box - Use any box that closes or has a lid, a shoebox is ideal. Cut a hole in the side of the box large enough for a child's hand to fit inside. Place an object inside the box and see if they can guess what it is. If they can't guess right away, let them ask questions or provide them with clues until they figure it out.

7) Hide the Object - Using any ordinary object (stuffed animal, vitamin bottle, drinking cup, etc), play this fun hide and seek game with your children. Simply have your child hide their eyes, then place the object somewhere in plain view (on the fireplace mantel, on top of the TV, near the front door, etc) and then have them look for it. Another idea is to use objects relating to a particular theme each day. For example, if your Kindergartner is focusing on the letter "A" that week, use objects that begin with "A" (apple, alligator [stuffed of course!], etc) You can adjust this game for older kids by hiding the object a little deeper. You might place the vitamin bottle halfway behind the picture of Grandma, or maybe tucked halfway down the side of the couch.

8) Writing Box - If your house has kids, you need one of these. You can find shoe box sized plastic containers with lids from your local dollar store. Stock the box with crayons, markers, colored pencils, small plain paper pads, stickers, stencils, a pencil sharpener and an eraser. This box should be kept stocked so that when needed, everything will be at your fingertips. Explain to children that this is a "special" writing box and that everything that comes out, must go back in for the next time they want to get creative.

9) Picnic Indoors - Pack a basket with paper plates, utensils and cups. Make sandwiches, pack fresh fruit, pretzels, a thermos of juice, and yogurt for dessert. Spread a blanket on the living room floor and serve a picnic lunch indoors! Add to the fun by dressing in summer clothes or beach attire. Be sure to wear your sunglasses and your sunscreen!

10) Paper Bag Puppets - The easiest form of this requires only a paper lunch bag and crayons or markers. Simply draw on a face and you have a puppet! To make the characters more elaborate, decorate with yarn for hair, buttons for eyes, and glitter for cheeks. Ribbon can be added to the hair or made into a bow tie for the "neck." Draw on eyelashes and lips with colorful markers.

11) Collages - Save old magazines and catalogs and store them in a cabinet just for this purpose. Have the kids cut out pictures and paste them onto a piece of cardboard or construction paper. You can let them cut out whatever they want, or assign each child a letter of the alphabet or a theme to go by for a more challenging project. Keep a trash can close by for the scraps and be sure to keep a stock of glue sticks on hand!

12) Coloring Pasta - Place a handful of dry, uncooked pasta, such as ziti, rotini or farfelle, into a plastic zipper baggie. Add a tablespoon of white vinegar and 2-3 drops of food coloring. Close the baggie and have the kids shake the bag until the pasta is completely colored. Spread out onto a paper plate or paper towel and allow to dry. Use several baggies to create different colors. Once the pasta is dry, kids can use yarn to string together pieces to make necklaces and bracelets, or glue them to paper plates or construction paper to create a work of art.

13) Shadowboxes - Paint the inside of a shoe box with black or dark blue poster or acrylic paint. If you don't have any paint handy, you can glue black construction paper inside the box. Using white crayons or stickers, create a nighttime scene with stars and the moon on the black background. You can use small plastic toys to create a scene inside your shadowbox, or make your own with construction paper and glue. Cut out small pictures from coloring books and color and adhere to your scene. Hang a spaceship or shooting star with a piece of string and glue.

14) Indoor Hopscotch - If you have a cement basement floor, use chalk to draw out a hopscotch board. When you are finished playing, the chalk will wash off with a mop and warm water.

15) Family Memory Game - Play a family memory game with your kids by asking questions like "What is Grandpa's first name?" and "Who is married to Aunt Tammy?" Look through old photo albums and see if kids can guess who is who in each picture.

16) Hot Beanie - This variation of the old favorite "Hot Potato" uses a beanie type toy. Have everyone sit in a circle and toss the beanie from one person to another, never knowing where it's going to end up.

17) Name That Tune - Hum tunes from popular songs and see who can guess it first. Whoever guesses correctly becomes the next "hummer."

18) Create a Story - You can do this out loud or have kids write their entries on paper. Someone starts the story with "Once upon a time there lived a...", that person chooses the character and setting (princess in a far away land). The next child tells the next part of the story, and so on around the room, the story changing with each new addition.

19) Never Ending Adjectives - Ask your child to point out an object, then takes turns coming up with adjectives for that object. For example, you may say "a ball," your child would say "a big ball." The game might continue with "a big round ball,"  "a big round bouncing ball,"  "a big round bouncing white ball," and end with "a big round bouncing white beach ball."

20) Sardines (Reverse Hide-n-Seek) - One child is the hider, everyone else is a seeker. The hider hides while the seekers seek. However, when a seeker finds the hider, instead of pointing him out, he joins him in the hiding place. Soon, the children will all be stuffed in one place, like a box of sardines! The first child to find the hider gets to hide next.

A Game for Car Trips: Whoops and Ahhh Moments

Parenting Insight You Can Use Now

by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN -www.biblicalparenting.org - Used by permission

Here’s an interesting and enjoyable game that can be played to demonstrate for kids what honoring speech is all about. You may choose to play this game on a car trip or when spending time together at home on an afternoon. The game is the "Whoops" and "Ahhh" Game. Playing it can be a lot of fun and it helps you recognize common forms of speech that aren’t very honoring. Choose a few hours when you'll all be together interacting.

Announce the beginning of the game and explain how it's played. "We will look for five types of dishonoring speech: arguing, boasting, whining/complaining, talking too much, and being bossy. Anyone who hears dishonoring speech from children or adults says "Whoops!" Everyone then tries to identify which type of dishonoring speech they heard. The family then works together to offer honoring suggestions.

When Bill says, "Aren't we there yet," in that whiny voice, his sister, Karen might say "Whoops!" You can identify that as whining and suggest that Bill ask his question in a more honoring way.

At the same time everyone is on the lookout for honoring speech that includes praise, gratefulness, compliments, and affirmation. If Karen says, "Thanks Dad, for taking us on this trip." Dad can say, "Ahhh."

To keep it fun, you might occasionally say something dishonoring on purpose to earn a "Whoops!" You might say, "I sure am a good driver." This will earn you a "Whoops!" for boasting followed by an interesting discussion of your alternatives.

Be sure to set an end time to the game. Although the evaluation can be helpful for a time, too much analysis can get irritating and loses its fun.

By the way, if you try this game, let us know how it went. We enjoy the responses from these tips and like to hear what things work best.

This parenting tip comes from the Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes curriculum. Whether it's a road trip to your favorite vacation spot, or just runs back and forth to the town pool or ball field, summer time often means more time in the van. Turn your car-time into honor-time with the Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes Audio Series. Click here to learn more.

175 Things to Do Together as a Family

 A Valuable Resource for This Summer and All Year 'Round!

This is not "homework, ladies, but very soon as summer vacation begins for your children, many of you will hear these dreaded words echoing through your home, "Mom!  I'm bored!  There isn't anything to do!"   If you're like most families, you sometimes run out of creative activities to do together as a family, so here are a few ideas. I enjoyed making this list, thinking back to the many fun times we had together as a couple and with our three children. We haven't done every single one of these activities through the years, but almost. Your family may already have a head start on this list!

Many of these activities are appropriate for couples before children, with children of all ages including teens, and even after you have an empty nest.  Babysitters, take note of some activities you might be able to use with the children under your care, with their parents' permission, of course.  Although quite a few are good ideas for singles while dating, married couples will be able to draw from this list for ideas of date nights as well.  Many ideas are for families with small children, but would also be fantastic activities for grandparents to use with their grandchildren during a Grandparents' Day!  It might be fun for your family to go down the list together and check the activities you have already done, and then to find some new ones to do together. Now when your children say, "Mom, I'm bored!  What can I do?" ~ you will have this valuable resource!

175 THINGS TO DO TOGETHER AS A FAMILY

by Lois Breneman, Copyright 2003

Close your eyes and try to remember the most fun your family has ever had. Now tell me, was your family busy doing something together or were you all gathered around the television set? With the ever increasing demands of school, career and church, Christian families need to relearn how to be together and have fun. When your children are grown, they will remember the special times of family togetherness. Great memories have to be created. A little effort and imagination will fill your family's free time and enrich the lives of those you love most. Here are some simple, inexpensive (or free!) activities that can be enjoyed by almost everyone. Turn off the tube and tune in to family fun.

1. Take a bicycle trip.
2. Make homemade ice cream or visit an ice cream parlor.
3. Bake a double batch of cookies and deliver one to a needy family.
4. Visit an airport and watch the planes take off and land, or go to a lake and watch the boats, while you have a picnic.
5. Go on a breakfast picnic.
6. Go to a park and hike or climb trees.
7. Make popcorn, maybe even caramel corn.
8. Enjoy the snow together by building a snowman, snow bears, a huge turtle or other animals, making a snow fort or throwing snowballs. How about making snow ice cream?
9. Go swimming or water skiing.
10. Plan a scavenger hunt for outside. Or plan one for in the house using every letter of the alphabet.
11. Bake plain sugar cookies and let each member of the family take part in decorating them.
12. Make playdough and sculpt objects or people (even from Bible stories).
13. Read a good book aloud. (C.S. Lewis' "Tales of Narnia" appeals to children and adults alike.
14. Look through photo albums or view family slides, movies, or videos.
15. Play miniature golf or croquet.
16. Make a tape recording of the most recent news and send it to a close friend or relative whom you seldom see.
17. Make a "birthday flag" for the next upcoming birthday.
18. Go fishing.
19. Play a board game that all can enjoy---Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble.
20. Work on a jigsaw puzzle.
21. Go roller skating or ice skating.
22. Make family silhouettes. Use a slide projector or a bright lamp to project the head profile on a blank wall. Hold paper against the wall and trace the silhouette. Cut out and glue it on a contrasting sheet of paper or poster board.
23. Have a candy treasure hunt.
24. Work on a crossword puzzle.
25. Play "Start a Story." One person starts the story and talks for three minutes (use timer). The next person must continue the story, and so on. After going around the family circle two or three times, the youngest child gets to end the tale.
26. Provide old magazines, scissors and glue. Pick a theme for your collage (families, God's creations, things to be thankful for, etc.).  Everyone cuts out pictures and glues them onto a large piece of paper or poster board.
27. Go to the flea market or bright and early one Saturday morning visit 10 garage sales and see who can come home with the best bargain for a dollar.
28. Sing favorite choruses, hymns or nursery rhymes around the piano or guitar. You could even use a tape or CD to follow along.
29. Make plaster of Paris hand prints. Put name, year and age on the back.
30. Make a family banner. The banner should be made of felt or the flag fabric found in fabric stores. Decorate with pictures that illustrate interests of family members.
31. Go to the zoo.
32. Go bowling.
33. Make your own homemade pizza. Add mushrooms, peppers, onions, black olives and crushed pineapple to the pizza sauce and cheese.
34. Invite another family over for a game of charades or "Guesstures."
35. Listen to recordings of your favorite music.
36. One sunny Saturday morning, get out the gardening tools and find someone (a shut-in, perhaps) who could use some free yard work. Everyone can pitch in and help.
37. Make a collage using seeds, rice, cereal, old buttons and sewing scraps.
38. Catch fireflies together, put them in a jar and watch them light up. Let them go.
39. Do needlework: cross-stitch, crewel, candle wicking, rug-hooking, smocking.
40. String popcorn and place on a tree for the birds.
41. Write the words and music to a chorus together.
42. Make puppets out of lunch bags, old socks, felt, wooden clothespins. Put on a puppet show.
43. Have a bonfire outdoors or in your fireplace and roast hot dogs and marshmallows.
44. Go to your nearest hospital and look at the babies in the maternity nursery. (Visiting hours only).
45. Visit a shut-in or an elderly friend or relative in a nursing home.
46. Pick wildflowers and press some of them to save.
47. Read a Psalm together. Then write a psalm of praise for your own family.
48. Play "I think you're nice because..." Someone thinks of a quality he likes in the person who's "it." Other family members try to guess by asking, "Does it begin with an "A?" and so forth.
49. Listen to a tape of a Bible story. You can tape good stories from Christian radio stations. 50..Share prayer requests that affect and concern the whole family, then pray about them.
50. Make a mobile. Gather special treasures (shells, nature objects, hollow, decorated eggs, valentines). Tie thread or yarn of varying lengths to the end of each and attach to a hanger.
51. Ask your children about their greatest fear, and talk about them.
52. Encourage little ones to color a picture to send to grandparents.
53. Make a list together of all the things in your house that use electricity. You might do this when you lose power sometime.
54. Build a village using blocks, Lincoln logs or Legos. Get out the matchbox cars!
55. Enjoy a shopping trip for something little, but fun---a jar of bubbles, stickers, paper dolls, a matchbox car.
56. Play "20 Questions." One person chooses a Bible character or object to be guessed. The other members of the family take turns guessing what the secret object or person might be. No more than 20 questions can be asked and each one must be able to be answered with a simple yes or no. Whoever guesses first becomes "It" for the next round. Good for car trips too.
57. Visit a farm. Milk a cow, help to feed the animals. Take pictures.
58. Play badminton, volleyball, tennis, Frisbee, yard darts or ping pong.
59. Take the kids on a tour of where Dad works.
60. Play hide-and-seek (inside or outside).
61. Play "Bible Verse Scramble." One person chooses a favorite Bible verse and writes each word on a separate piece of paper. Scramble the order of the words and challenge each member of the family to see who can put it together the fastest. It could be one the family has memorized together.
62. Go camping in the backyard. Cook breakfast on the grill.
63. Draw a family tree on paper and complete it as a family. Add old photographs if available.
64. Go jogging or take a walk together.
65. Give each person a large piece of paper and take turns tracing the outlines of their bodies on it. Color in the outlines to look like you.
66. Using white shelf paper or the inside of brown grocery bags, design your own wrapping paper with crayons, magic markers or paints--even potato prints.
67. Go to the library. Check out books, records, tapes and art reproductions. Check out books showing how to make crafts with children.
68. Gather a variety of leaves and identify them.
69. Write a letter to a missionary family. Your children could write to a missionary's child his own age.
70. If you have a computer, create a family newspaper. Each child can write a story, Dad and Mom can write a column, and an older child or parent can edit and type. Send copies to the grandparents.
71. Make candy or caramel apples.
72. Fly a kite!
73. Jump rope.
74. Take pictures of all the houses in your neighborhood, then arrange the houses on a large poster board and identify the people living in the houses. Write their addresses and phone numbers at each house too.
75. Visit a friend.
76. Dig out a flower bed and give each family member his own "plot." Plant seeds, bedding plants, vegetables or bulbs and watch God's creations grow!
77. Read favorite poems aloud.
78. Put together a scrapbook describing a favorite vacation or any special event (pictures, writing, souvenirs).
79. Rake up a big pile of leaves to jump and play in. If it's warm outside, turn on the water sprinkler and run through it.
80. Write and act out a play centered on a specific holiday, a Bible story or a character quality. Mom, Dad or one child could be the production manager.
81. Pick apples and make apple sauce together.
82. Gather seashells. Mount and identify.
83. Make snowflakes out of lightweight white paper and hang from the ceiling with thread.
84. Create a traveling friendship basket. Fill an inexpensive basket with baked goodies, crafts, coupons, and so forth. Pass it on to a friend. Leave a note in the basket, directing it to be passed on (within the week) to someone else who could use some cheer.
85. Go to a ball game or play one---football, kickball, softball, baseball, basketball, soccer.
86. Finger paint on glazed paper (shelf paper, freezer paper) with chocolate pudding.
87. Go sledding.
88. Go skiing.
89. Take a trip to an amusement park, a museum or a planetarium.
90. Use fabric crayons to design individual T-shirts.
91. Set a Bible verse to a familiar tune and learn both the verse and song as a family.
92. Write and record an interview with a Bible character.
93. Build a tree house or fort.
94. Go horseback riding.
95. Write and illustrate a short story about an imaginary animal.
96. Build a robot out of empty boxes of all shapes and sizes. oatmeal and salt boxes work well.
97. Work together on a model kit.
98. Work on a stamp collection together.
99. Play with sand toys and trucks in a sandbox.
100. Using construction paper, write out and illustrate favorite proverbs. Join the pages to make a book.
101. Collect rocks, mount and identify, using books from the library.
102. Catch butterflies with a butterfly net.
103. Collect insects and mount with straight pins on a foam board.
104. Identify the insects using books from the library.
105. Go bird watching. Learn to identify various birds. Learn to identify them just by hearing them also. Make a bird book together.
106. Build a birdhouse and read about how to attract birds to your yard.
107. Tell your children how you first met and some of the things you did together before you married.
108. Plan and cook a meal together, where you invite the grandparents or other family or friends.
109. Play leapfrog.
110. Play jacks.
111. Have a water balloon toss.
112. Learn about safety together.
113. Have a fire drill. Discuss what to do in case of a fire.
114. Read jokes to each other.
115. Have Grandma and Grandpa tell how they met and how life was for them as children. Have them tell about their favorite toys and how they compare with today's toys.
116. Make "smores" in the fireplace or outdoors.
117. Get a book out of the library about science experiments. Do them and try to think up an application to life.
118. Learn to juggle.
119. Learn to use a yoyo.
120. Carve an animal out of a bar of Ivory soap.
121. Do origami, using books from the library.
122. Make your own card to send to grandparents.
123. Make a simple pinwheel and make it blow in the wind.
124. Make thumbprint animals. Make cards, using thumbprints.
125. Sail toy boats in a stream.
126. Wear old tennis shoes and go wading in a stream.
127. Make an inside tent, using sheets or blankets over a card table.
128. Visit an orchard and see how apple cider is made.
129. Watch a parade together.
130. Feed ducks at a duck pond.
131. Visit an antique shop with grandparents, and listen to their stories of how it was when they were growing up. Have them explain how the various antiques were used.
132. See what you can buy at a dollar store, where everything is $1.
133. Visit a fire station.
134. Go to the city market together some Saturday morning.
135. Whistle with a blade of grass between your thumbs.
136. Make banana splits together.
137. Make homemade vegetable soup together.
138. Make a Birthday cake for Jesus.
139. Make hand shadows on the wall look like various animals. Make them talk to each other.
140. Catch frogs at a pond.
141. Clean the house together.
142. Make a playhouse out of several big boxes. Decorate.
143. Share miles of smiles by making and washing doll clothes with your girls.
144. Make a water slide, using garbage bags cut to lay out flat. Place on a bank or hill, run a slow stream of water down the hill with a hose, and slide!
145. Using a big box of odds and ends and some art supplies, see what each person can create.
146. Go on a photography walk. Take pictures of each person, against a backdrop of flowers or nice scenery.
147. Take a ride on a bus, train or subway.
148. Call your local newspaper. Ask for a tour of the layout area and printing press.
149. Go to the tallest building in your area and see what landmarks you can spot.
150. Have a taffy pull.
151. Buy herb plants at the market and grow an herb garden together. Learn how to use the herbs in cooking, potpourri and decorations.
152. Draw roads in your driveway with chalk, designating your house, a school, church, hospital, railroad tracks, train station, etc. Ride tricycles and Big Wheels all around the town.
153. Have your children draw beautiful colored pictures on your driveway with colored chalk. It will wash off with the next good rain.
154. Paint your house with big paint brushes and a bucket of water.
155. Buy dress-up clothes at yard sales or Goodwill and have fun.
156. Make yeast bread together - or sticky buns.
157. Line up the kitchen chairs, one behind the other, and form a "train," and go on a trip somewhere.
158. Play "Follow the Leader."
159. Make an airplane instrument panel out of a large box. Glue on lids of all sizes and colors for the control buttons.
160. Play "Simon Says."
161. Play hop scotch.
162. Cover empty salt boxes with colored contact paper and use for building.
163. Make a walkie talkie, using two empty juice cans with string between them (15-20').
164. Make a long list of opposites and make a game out of it.
165. Make a long list of homonyms and make a game out of it.
166. Make a long list of synonyms and make a game out of it.
167. Watch bean seeds sprout in a jar with two wet paper towels and a little water.
168. Grow an indoor garden of carrot, onion, sweet potato sprouts, by cutting off part of the vegetables with sprouts, and putting them in a dish of shallow water.
169. Make an ant farm together.
170. Have a blindfolded sniffing game, using various items in custard cups or on small plates. Use such things as an onion, cinnamon, vanilla, soap, rubbing alcohol, bleach, chocolate, an orange, banana, cheese, toothpaste, garlic, etc.
171. Make drums out of oatmeal boxes, kazoos out of combs and waxed paper and cymbals out of lids. Then put them into action!
172. Make rock creatures by finding small smooth rocks, then gluing and painting them to look like animals.
173. Make a train out of shoe boxes. Paint and decorate.
174. Play grocery store, using cans and boxes from the kitchen.
175. Last but not least, go to Sunday school and church together each Sunday.

Parenting Tip: A Game to Raise the Awareness Level

March 28, 2011

Here’s an interesting and enjoyable game that can be played over several hours or a few days. You may choose to play this game on a car trip or when hanging out at home together on a Saturday afternoon. The game is the "Whoops" and "Ahhh" Game. Playing it can be a lot of fun and it helps you recognize common forms of speech that aren’t very honoring. Choose a few hours when you'll all be together interacting.

Announce the beginning of the game and explain how it's played. "We will look for five types of dishonoring speech: arguing, boasting, whining/complaining, talking too much, and being bossy. Anyone who hears dishonoring speech from children or adults says "Whoops!" Everyone then tries to guess which type of dishonoring speech they heard. The family then works together to offer honoring suggestions.

When Bill says, "Aren't we there yet," in that whiny voice, his sister, Karen might say "Whoops!" You can identify that as whining and suggest that Bill ask his question in a more honoring way.

At the same time everyone is on the lookout for honoring speech that includes praise, gratefulness, compliments, and affirmation. If Karen says, "Thanks Dad, for taking us on this trip." Dad can say, "Ahhh."

To keep it fun, you might occasionally say something dishonoring on purpose to earn a "Whoops!" You might say, "I sure am a good driver." This will earn you a "Whoops!" for boasting followed by an interesting discussion of your alternatives.

Be sure to set an end time to the game. Although the evaluation can be helpful for a time, too much analysis can get irritating and loses its fun.

By the way, if you try this game, let us know how it went. We enjoy the responses from these tips and like to hear what things work best.

What are some ways you've been able to teach honoring speech in your family? Click here to tell us about it.
This tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

If this tip was sent to you by a friend and you'd like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.  Used by permission

Fun with Words

Start with a four letter word, such as "lamp."  Change just one letter in the same order, and see how far you can go!  You cannot add letters or use foreign languages.  This is fun to do alone or with one or more people.  Try it as a family.  Fun!  As you can see, it's hard to stop! 

Example:

lamp, damp, camp, came, case, cast, last, fast, fest, west, nest, best, bust, dust, must, mast, mass, mess, mews, news, sews, sets, bets, lets, pets, vets, wets, wits, with, wish, fish, dish ... 

This would be a great game for road trips.  It can be played alone as well.  If you have to wait at the doctor's office or in the carpool line, you could write out your own list.

Fun and Fast Art Ideas / Games Kids Play

Copyright 2005 Deborah Shelton - All rights reserved - Used by permission

http://fiveminuteparent.com/

When boredom strikes, introduce these fun and fast art activities to get their creative juices flowing:

"Circle Art"
Materials: paper, pencil
On a sheet of paper, draw a picture using only circles -- no straight lines or other shapes. Everything in the paper should be drawn with a series of circles. It's actually harder than it sounds. Give it a try! The results are often hilarious!

"Dot Art"
Materials: paper, pencil
Draw a random series of dots on a sheet of paper. Connect the dots to create a unique picture. Give your picture a title.

"No-Peeking Pictures"
Materials: pencil, paper
Choose an object to draw (a tree, a car, a stuffed animal, etc.). Draw the object while looking at it, but not looking at the paper while drawing. Keep your eyes on the object.

"Chalky Salt"
Materials: bowls, salt, colored sidewalk chalk
Instead of buying bags of colored sand for projects, make your own with salt and chalk. Pour a handful of salt into separate bowls -- one for each color. Rub the salt with colored chalk until the salt turns the same color.

"Color Folds"
Materials: white paper, crayons
Fold a sheet of white paper several times in different directions. Unfold the paper to reveal the unusual shapes. Use a crayon to outline each shape on the folds. Fill in the shapes with different colors.

--Deborah Shelton is the author of 'The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones'. Visit Deborah online at:  www.fiveminuteparent.com/

GAMES KIDS PLAY

http://www.gameskidsplay.net/

        Moms, if you want to help your children have real fun like we used to have as kids, before the days of computers, use this link to bring fun memories.  The games shown here will certainly keep your kids occupied for hours this summer!  This site gives rules and "how to play" information for hundreds of games, many of which you have probably enjoyed playing yourself as a child.  Remember good old fashioned games like Tag, Kick the Can, Annie Annie Over? You'll find Four Square, Duck Duck Goose Goose, car games,  jump rope games, clapping rhymes and games, chasing games, ball games, jacks, thumb wrestling, marbles, 

mental games, sensing games, strength games, international games, and the list continues on and on!

        With most of these games, your kids will be having fun, as well as exercising.  Most of these games are appropriate for "Family Fun Night" and many are perfect for youth groups, reunions, and birthday parties.  You can even find some that are lots of fun with adults.