- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- moms today articles
- moms today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Beat Boredom
Creative Summer Games By Julia Rosien
Use an old favorite like the backward race, sack race, human wheelbarrow race or three-legged race. Or hold a shout race and have the kids shout as they run. The one who makes it to the finish line first and still shouting, wins. Instead of a water balloon toss, try feathers or raw eggs.
Boot Hockey with a beach ball is a favorite of the Williamson family. Play it on the grass with rain boots on. Frisbee Golf gets cheers from the kids too. Have the kids throw their Frisbees at markers on trees or fences. If they miss, they take their next shot from the place where their Frisbee landed.
Scavenger Hunt Give each team a list of things to find and a time limit. Include some things the children will be able to easily find as well as some they will have to create. For example: one wet towel, five small stones, three dandelions, eight homemade cookies and four red rubber bands. Give points for creativity.
At the end of the day everyone gets a prize. Be creative and think up some unusual bests: most goosebumps, ate the most watermelon, made the biggest splashes.
When Penny Martin's two boys, ages 4 and 6, whine "I'm bored," she reaches back into her memory of the childhood games she played on the family farm with her siblings and cousins. Card games build math and memory skills. Crazy Eights, Rummy, War and Solitaire top their list. She also plays marbles with her children to develop fine motor skills.