Some of these games have everything to do with physical dexterity while others only require a vivid imagination. Certain games may be messy and almost all of the games need some parental supervision. They are even more fun when parents join in. Though written in recipe form, no game is set in stone. Let your child mix in his or her imagination; the variations they come up with are the best part of the games.

Indoors - ages 3 to 10

Treasure Hunt

This game will need someone with basic artistic talent to draw shapes of household items.

• 5 to 10 Small squares of paper or photographs of objects in your house
• 1 or 2 Crayons, pencils or pens
• masking tape or sticky dough (optional for sticking clues)
• 1 or more children
• a prize (cookies, popsicle, party favor)

On each square of paper, the artist draws a different household item to be used as clues; for example: the refrigerator, a couch, a lamp, a carrot, a bathtub, the dog's dish.

After the drawings are finished, the artist keeps only one of the pictures and hides the rest on, behind, inside, or under the other items that were drawn but making sure the items do not match the drawings. Say if a couch, a lamp, and a refrigerator were drawn, the paper with the couch drawn on it could be hidden under the dog dish, the drawn lamp could be hidden under a couch cushion, and under the couch cushion is the picture of the refrigerator.

When all drawings are hidden, the artist gives the picture that he did not hide, to the child; in the example, it would be the dog dish drawing. The child looks at the picture and hopefully can tell that it is a dog dish and the search is on to get the rest of the drawings. Every picture the child finds, leads him to the next drawing. When all drawings are found, he wins.

Guess What

• a paper grocery bag or shoe box
• scissors
• small items or toys that are safe for your child to handle and will fit into either the box or the bag (a sock, a crayon, a game piece, a spoon, a cracker )
• 1 or more children

Cut a hole into the side of the bag or the shoe box. The hole needs to be big enough for your child's hand to fit through. Place a small item or two into the bag or box then close it. Have your child put their hand into the hole, feel the item and guess what it is.

Bored Game

• a large poster board
• washable markers
• small items of your child's choice for game pieces (ex; pennies, macaronis, buttons)
• dice, cards or a spinner
• 2 or more children (any more than 4 children may require another board)

Draw a playing field such as a curvy road, covering most of the board in twists and crossovers, starting at one corner and ending in the opposite corner. Your child sets the premise or the story to get from one end to the other, this includes the rules for turns, the win, the safe spaces, etc. He or she might add bonuses like a pond of ice that lets the player's piece slide from one spot to a farther spot in one turn, or barriers like fallen trees or bullies that means losing a turn. Or perhaps a maze with obstacles and helpful items like boulders and ladders.

Musical Stories

• a radio tuned to a classical music station or a CD with classical or instrumental music
• 1 or more children
• quiet time

This game has no winners but is entertainment nonetheless. It may be played in your house or car. You may be surprised with what your children's imagination brings to it, and you may be surprised what your own imagination can come up with. Turn your radio to a station that plays classical or instrumental music only, or pop in a CD. Have your children listen to one piece while you make comments how that instrument or beat makes you think of running, or maybe flying, maybe even a farmer gathering eggs. With the next piece, ask one of your children to describe the story that the music might be playing. There is no wrong or right. For one child it could be superheroes fighting a villain; for another child it could be a horse race.

Spider Web- indoors or outside

• one skein of yarn for the basic game; two skeins of different colors for a more involved game
• scissors
• different sized items such as books, clothing, boxes, bags, toys
• 2 or more children

This game calls for physical dexterity and needs parental supervision, especially for younger children. The parent sets the playing field by placing the different items around the house or yard then stringing the yarn and attaching it to furniture, doorknobs and other steadfast structures in the house -trees, bushes and fences if played outside.

Cross the lines over each other and make high and low levels, leaving spaces to move through, under and over. The player(s) then make their way through the web and gather the items. The one with the most items without falling into the web wins. Use two different colored yarns to designate going over or going under. (hint: let the players learn on their own that it is good strategy to go for a bag or box first so that carrying items is easier). When the game is over, simply cut the yarn in spots and pull it in.

Outdoors - ages 5 to 12 multiplayer

Paper plate golf

• at least 3 paper plates of different sizes for each player (any soft disc shaped material may be used like lids from margarine bowls )
• crayons or markers
• a yard or a park
• markers like stones, blocks or baskets -9 in all
• score paper

Each player personalizes their own plates or discs with the crayons or markers. While the players are doing that, the parent places the markers in strategic places around the yard, with at least 15 feet between each. Try to make the distance between containers as varied as possible.

Start the game 15 feet from the first container and let the youngest player go first. That player throws one of their plates Frisbee style towards the targeted container. Each player gets a turn. Then the youngest starts where their disc landed and tries again to get his or her disc as close to the container as they can. Everyone takes as many turns as they need to land one of their discs on or in the marker. Different sized discs are used for their own traits of flying straight or curved, or flying long distances or short ones.

Keep a tally on how many turns it took for each player to land on the marker. After they have landed on all nine markers, the one with the lowest tally wins.

Ribbon Tag

This is a good game to play at a child's party.

• 5 different colored ribbons at least 3ft long for each child playing the game
• 3 or more children
• a whistle
• a yard to run in

Each player tucks the end of five different colored ribbons in the back waist of their pants or shorts. When every player has them ready, a parent blows the whistle to start the game. The players then have to chase each other and grab ribbons from other children and tuck them with their own ribbons. The player with ten ribbons wins the game. An alternate way of winning is to get five ribbons of the same color.

Pie Fight

You say, "Are you serious?" I say, "Yes!"

This game is very messy but oh so much fun. Make sure the players wear a shirt or bathing suit that you will not mind washing right after the game.

• paper plates
• whipped cream (may be bought in powdered form and whipped with water)
• construction paper cut into paper plate sized circles, two for each player
• duct tape or another very sticky tape
• 4 or more children
• a yard to run in
• a hose with running water
• towels

For each player, tape a construction paper circle on his or her chest and back. Place a big dollop of whipped cream on a lot of paper plates. Hand one full plate to each child then have the children form a large circle. When you give the signal to start, all the players chase each other and throw the pies at each other, trying to hit the construction paper targets. When a player gets whipped cream on both their targets, they are out of the game. The winner is the one left with no whipped cream on at least one of their targets. Clean up is easy and fun when you wash down the contestants and the yard with the hose.

Let the Games Begin

Parental supervision is needed for safety, not so much for refereeing or making rules. Letting the children learn strategies on their own without telling them the shoulds and the musts is a wonderful interactive lesson for both parents and children.