Looking at the weather reports today, many of you seem to be mired in snow and rain. I guess our friend Puxatony Phil might have been right and winter will last a few more weeks.
Before you become too disheartened with being stuck inside, I suggest you take a page from sunnier days and Throw A Grandmacents Spring Fling– an afternoon chockfull of games that you can create without even a trip to the store, from things you’ve got hiding in your cabinets. It’s time for summer fun in the dead of winter!
Really get everyone excited by giving them an official invitation! Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, you can theme this Fling full of hearts and flowers. If you can afford to splurge a bit, set your indoor temperature around 80 degrees and have everyone wear t-shirts, swimsuits and flip-flops.
Nothing chases the blues away like a trip to the amusement park. Bring the fun home with easy do-it-yourself versions of some boardwalk favorites.
Ring the Bottle
Cluster some empty bottles (the size does not matter, they can vary) together in a shoe box or Tupperware container, grab some bangle bracelets, and give everyone a chance to Ring the Bottle. If you have older grandchildren, you can also sneak in some learning by tape numbers to the tops of each bottle and for each round, give kids a number target. They’ll need to add, subtract, or multiply the numbers on the bottles they “ring” to determine if they’ve won!
Baseball/Basketball Free Throw
Set up empty garbage bins, tape a line on the floor with masking tape, and let kids try their hand at Free Throw.
Spin the Wheel
Remember spin the bottle from your high school days? A carnival twist using an empty bottle and some numbers written on post-its placed in a circle. Or you can make the post-it’s notes prize certificates for hugs or favorite things, like thirty minutes of extra video games or two extra bedtime stories.
Sack Races
Some clean pillow cases and a finish line is all you need to help your grandchild hop his way into history. Two footed jumping is fun and a necessary developmental skill for younger children, sack races are a super way to work on this.
Pluck a Duck
Fill your bathtub with water and float a few bathtoys (think rubber duckies). Place a mark on the bottom of a couple of the floating toys, then the “winner” picks the one with the dot.
Winner Take All
Don’t forget to print out carnival tickets redeemable for future prizes, whether it’s a physical prize like a toy, or an event like a pizza party or trip to the movies.
Related articles
- 366 days of play (halituli.com)
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