The next time you are faced with a long car ride or wait, these boredom-busting ideas will save the day:
What’s Changed? One player covers his eyes while something is changed either in the room or on another player (a player’s baseball cap could be turned around, the part in his hair could be switched to the other side, etc.) The player who is “it” must guess what’s different. Mom’s Pocketbook The first player says, “Mom’s pocketbook is so heavy because it holds … an airplane” (or any object that begins with the letter A). The next person repeats the first player’s word and adds a second object that begins with the letter B. Continue through the alphabet until no one can remember the whole list – or Mom’s pocketbook breaks! Link Up The first player says a word. The next player must think of a word that begins with the last letter of the first player’s word, and so on. For example, if player one says “cat”, player two might say “turtle.” Words can only be used once.
Clowning Around One player is “it” and tries to make the others laugh. No touching allowed! Whoever laughs first loses – and becomes “it”. Balancing Act Challenge your children to balance vertical objects (combs, twigs, spoons, etc.) on their fingertips. Players compete against themselves to increase their balancing time and, of course, beat yours.
Nonsense Numbers Substitute a silly word for a number, such as “zap” for four. Players then count off to 100, making the appropriate substitutions (14 becomes “zapteen”, 44 becomes “zapty-zap,” etc.) In the next round, select an additional number to replace with a silly word. Continue this way until counting is full of nonsense.
Follow Me The first player performs a simple act, such as snapping his fingers. The next player repeats that movement and adds his own. Play continues until no one can remember all the moves in sequence.
