by Ian Loft

Created on: January 12, 2007   Last Updated: April 12, 2007

So you have a house full of kids and want to entertain them - day or night! Here are some ideas that are not only low-cost, but will give you hours of fun and laughter. I have tried and modified the selection below for use with my group of cub-scouts (8 11 year old boys and girls) and I can assure you they will work.

1. Mystery Balloons.

All you need are balloons, a pen, some paper and a coin. Tear the paper into small strips and write down the most ridiculous activity you can think of such as: Sing the national anthem while hopping on one foot and holding your nose, or try to balance a pencil on the tip of your nose, try and lick your own elbow whatever you can think of that looks really silly. (Oh - and by-the-way - I am fairly sure most of you have just tried to lick your own elbow, it can't be done so stop wasting time and keep on reading!)

To play this game, you roll up your little activities and put them inside the balloons. Break your group into pairs then one pair at a time come to the centre of your group. You toss the coin to decide who blows up and bursts the balloon to retrieve the activity, and who does the activity. It works even better if the parents are involved.

2. Sock Wrestling

Shoes and socks are removed and you need to pair everyone up. Trust me on this size does not matter. The aim is to try and remove the sock of your partner without loosing your own. One small catch you are not allowed off your hands and knees. You are also not allowed to try and hold onto your own sock, the idea is to try and evade the opposition and steal their sock.

The bigger kids are often outclassed by the smaller and faster kids so it does not really matter that you have a range of different builds, boys or girls, this game is a great leveller.

3. Twister with a Twist

This is great in hot weather - you can hose them down afterward. An old game but good fun irrespective of age, I put a bit of a challenge in mine when I ran what we call a messy' night. On this night, parents are warned their children are going to become really messed up and will need a change of clothes before jumping in the car to go home.

My variation to twister is to play the game after preparing the mat with a little vegetable oil. Even the kids had tears in their eyes because they were laughing so hard. I did this activity towards the end of a night and was surprised when some parents decided to have a go. (Not as surprised as the kids)

4. Drawing Challenge

Put a detailed drawing in another room. The kids have to go and look at the picture then return to the kitchen and try to replicate the picture. I used a pirate's map that I had drawn up on a basic computer graphics program. Make it a bit of a challenge and offer a small prize for the best effort.

I am not a huge fan of computer programs however I have discovered one that well and truly deserves a mention. "Sing Star" entertains for many hours and it is not a mindless video game that will turn your children into zombies.

There are many great books and resources available from where you can draw ideas to entertain kids. Look for those likely to generate laughter, exercise creativity and generally entertain. The secret is to put yourself into the mind of a child all of us were children once, it is not that hard to remember how to have fun.

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