Practical Parenting Ideas

Fun, plain and simple

There’s a lot of talk going on about the spiritual and emotional value of simplifying your life. And that’s all to the good. Why not begin by simplifying the toys your kids play with? My dad was the best at coming up with games from available household items. If we complained we were bored, Dad would often devise an impromptu game or contest. Some of my favorites:

• Toss pennies in a bucket of water. For really young kids, the combination of handling real money and splashing it in water is irresistible. Have the kids stand back three feet or more and see how many pennies they can toss in. Let them keep all that land in the water. (This makes a great game at birthday parties, by the way.) A variation is tossing playing cards in a hat–but skip the water.
• Marble shooting gallery. Remove the lid off a shoebox and turn it open-side down. Cut varying size "doorways" in the shoebox where it meets the ground. Give varying point amounts to the different sized openings. Shoot marbles and keep score of how many go in.
• This is one that comes down from my grandfather. Set up a miniature golf course either inside or outside your house. Use as many obstacles as you can. The kids will spend more time setting it up than playing it, but it’s creative, problem-solving fun.
• Here’s one my brother Pat and I came up with one bored afternoon. Spatula hockey. All that’s needed is two plastic spatulas, a Ping-Pong ball (use those old ones that are already cracked; it won’t matter), and two goals. Doorways make good goals. Each person sits in front of his or her goal about 12 to 15 feet apart. Play hockey.

While these games are admittedly low-tech and low on special effects, they rank high in fun, creativity, and camaraderie. What low-cost games have you and your kids come up with?

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