Old Fashioned Easy To Make Games To Play Inside & Out
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Old Fashioned Easy To Make Games To Play Inside & Out
Play and exploration are an important part of childhood. Indoor and outdoor play gives children the chance to strengthen fine & gross motor muscles, take risks, exercise, socialise, develop logical thinking and spacial awareness, appreciate nature, and so much more!
By Holly Grattan
Play and exploration are an important part of childhood. Indoor and outdoor play gives children the chance to strengthen fine & gross motor muscles, take risks, exercise, socialize, develop logical thinking and spacial awareness, appreciate nature, and so much more!
TIC TAC TOE
Tic Tac Toe is a brilliant game for all ages. We found an old tree stump in the garden which gave us the idea for this project. We sanded and varnished it. We went hunting for pebbles in Cagnes Sur Mer and used art pens to colour 5 pebbles like ladybirds and 5 like Bees. This is such a fun family DIY project!
APOTHECARY SHOP
Apothecary is a game I learned from my grandmother. We spent hours in the garden collecting different leaves, twigs, petals, buds and making little piles on a large tray. We then sold our items, using play money, in little paper bags to friends and family who used to pop round for a cup of tea. Through this game I learnt to calculate how much change to give.
FAIRY GARDEN
Create your very own enchanted miniature fairy garden. A fairy garden is a magical activity to play indoors and out. Children can have hours of fun, expanding their imaginations playing with different characters and decorating the garden with pebbles, twigs, leaves, moss, trinkets & toys. Don't forget to sprinkle on a little bit of fairy dust and make a wish!
TIN CAN ALLEY
With some empty tins and some creativity, you can make your own Tin Can alley. Stack the tins and see how many you can knock over with a ball or bean bag.
RING TOSS
Take some old bottles, number & paint them. Find or make some hoops. Throw the hoops and try to get them over the bottles. Add up the numbers. The player with the most points wins.
BOTTLE BOWLING
Traditional skittles is easy to recreate at home with a few plastic bottles from your recycling bin and a ball. Decorate them or paint them if you like. Set them up and see how many you can knock down. Brilliant for developing hand-eye coordination skills.
BEANBAG TOSS
You don't need anything elaborate to play this game a bucket or some baskets and a few beanbags is enough. Make it more difficult by standing further back. Introduce challenges and prizes to make it more exciting.
MUD PIE KITCHEN
Making mud pies is a brilliant sensory play activity. Children will have hours of fun pretending to bake cakes, developing magical potions, and stirring up sticky, gloopy items they find in the garden or in your pantry. Although messy play, this is achievable indoors with a groundsheet to protect floors.
MARBLE RACE
In Italy, beach marble rallies are a hugely popular tradition. Make your own track using dirt or sand. If playing indoors use a large tray. Add obstacles to make it more challenging or competitive. You can either make an incline to roll the marbles or children can flick them to see who's marble wins.
