All Ages Together:
Mad-Libs
There are many books of Mad-Libs available in stores and online. If your family cannot handle printer’s ink, you can write your own. Or take a fairy tale and add blanks such as this:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful ____(noun)_______ . They lived in a ____(adjective)_________ forest with their pet ____(noun)______ . One day they put on their ____(color) riding hoods and _____ (verb)_____ to their grandmother’s ___ (noun)_____.
Silly Sentences
Kind of like Madlibs only simpler after the cards are done. Have your oldest child write different nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs index cards (one word on each card) and label them on the back side. Put in piles. Shuffle. Then pick one of each. It may end up something like: Darth Vader ate a happy frog. Sometimes the kids ended up laughing hysterically.
Simon Says with the youngest child in charge.
If you have internet—online quizzes. They have everything from TV show quizzes to Bible quizzes to character quizzes—“Which Lord of the Rings character are you?” (etc.) It’s a computer thing yet can promote fun interactions between the kids.
Have the kids make video clips (act out stories like fairy tales, veggie tales, or their favorite books or movies—either real acting or using paper finger puppets: It could even be the kids act out a story while the oldest reads it aloud, sing, tell jokes, tell or read stories, do goofy stuff like making faces, do magic tricks). When they have a lot of clips, put them together into a DVD for Grandparents’ Christmas.
Have them make their own bingo cards and play for rocks, feathers, or other wilderness finds.
Secret bag: Take turns filling with stuff, others reach in and guess what the stuff is (with rules like no dog doo LOL).
Take photos of anything and everything (One of our kids’ favorites was lots of selfies with goofy faces).
Younger children:
Try a combination of something audio (music, audio book) and something sensory (pan of dry rice with plastic jewels hidden, playdough, etc.)
Pour out a good amount of Elmer’s glue on glass or metal (pie pan), add drops of food coloring, let them drag a toothpick through, stir it up, etc. Can let dry and peel off for a weird “blob.” Of course can add rocks or whatever. Good “paperweight” for grandpa for Christmas 😀
Sticker art on Dad 😊 (only on clothes, not on skin or hair unless Dad doesn’t mind)
Digital art (last I checked, the Fresh Paint app was free)
Pound golf tees into foam blocks/old/defunct foam coolers
Match-box cars
Ask them “How do you ________” (make brownies, shop for groceries, cook supper, find a rock, etc. ) and type up their answers. Can be adorable. One of ours wrote:
How to Make Flat Bread, by Sarah, age 6
You push it flat and then sprinkle sugar and flour on. And then you put salt on, and then you put chocolate chips on, and then you melt it for 3 hours. And then you flip it back and forth. And then you take it out and put it on a plate and cut it into ¾. And then you chop onions and put ‘em on and then put it back in to the ¾. And then you take it out put muffins on it, and then you eat it with your friends.
Older Children:
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The dot game, Hangman, Yahtzee (keep score on regular paper), and 20 questions
Chopped, like the TV show—they get a couple secret ingredients and have to make lunch
Crafting, paper piecing, knitting, crochet, origami, beading—can make gifts for others, tiny quilts for Legos, etc.
Mixed-up Game: make up their own game with random game pieces (at least that’s how our RV ended up) OR rocks, marbles, grass, etc.
Learn magic tricks or card tricks (probably will need the internet or a good book for these)
Black Hills Picture Books Edgemont, SD 57735
