family fun
Mommy & Me DIY Outdoor Game
I love my kids. But I don’t always love playing with them. Their idea of a “game” is jumping on me, throwing things in the house, or chasing each other around the kitchen until one of them smacks into a cabinet. It’s all fun and games until some gets a black eye!
I’m always on the look out for family games and activities that we can do safely, preferably outside, using mostly stuff we have around, and that can entertain my active 4-year-old and curious 14-month-old. Inspired by a handful of Mommy and Me classes Kate and I used to do, I set up an obstacle course/set of activities for Kate and Michael to run through right in the back yard.
Mommy and Me DIY Outdoor Game
Supplies
- Chalk to draw a hopscotch board (Use a homemade chalk recipe or pick up a variety pack of chalk)
- 2 Pool noodles
- 2 Hula Hoop
- 1 large plastic ball
- 1 Jump rope
- 3 Sand pails
- 3 small balls (around the size of a tennis ball)
Instructions
After you gather your supplies, it's time to set up your circuit. The concept is they move through each of the activities and then, go back through and do it again. And again! And again! Until they are tired out! And the best part is, I can kind of mosey along side, pointing the way through the course.
Circuit Ideas
- Hopscotch
- Jump over pool noodles
- Spin the hula hoop in a circle and jump in when it lands
- Jump rope 5 time
- Throw and catch the ball 5 times
- Toss the small balls into each bucket
- Repeat!
My four-year-old is all about it, counting the reps and moving through the obstacles. And my 14-month-old loves it because he toddles behind after us, mostly moving around all the objects but being entertained nonetheless.
If you had older kids, you could make teams and create two circuits and see which team makes it through the fastest. Or you could have the kids take turns and use a stop watch to see who moved through the circuit the fastest, keeping track with a chalk score board. You could even do this as a family and have family members each take one piece of the circuit and tag the next person in line to do the next circuit.
And with older kids, you can make this much more complicated, changing the course to meet everyone's skill level.
Possibilities are endless. Summer whining is abated, at least for a little while.
Have you ever done anything like this with your kids? What other pieces of the circuit could you come up with? Maybe a DIY ring toss?
Sarah Bagley is a wife, mother, and owner of a garbage-eating coonhound. She love getting up early, the color orange, and strong coffee. When she’s not chasing her toddler, she’s blogging (www.sarahrosemary.com), freelance writing, and teaching group fitness classes.
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