This is a great list and it is so unbelievably sad that you had to put it together. As a grandmother of 14 we grew along w our kids and played along w them. Sad that this generation will have little to no idea of these magical years
We are in a veritable Golden Age of board games, with more great games than ever before, many of them so much better than the old standbys we grew up with and know.
At Board Game Geek, the most popular board game site, here is the list for its ranking of Children’s Games:
There really are some amazing games out there you may not have heard about, and these lists are a great way to explore what’s new, popular, and unfamilar. Enjoy!
my grand girls are elementary school age, but they always know that gramma and grampas house is for pillow forts, rough housing and painting and running out to the woods.... like all in the same few hours. they are always peppy and enthusiastic, so we keep up!!
All kids need for entertainment is for parents to butt out and allow them to play. Rough and tumble comes naturally to kids. What is not natural is constant surveillance. Note: also true of adults. "Careful, you'll hurt yourself" is the most overused phrase in the English language, and most unhelpful. Not even kids like to be hurt: pain is our best teacher.
Those of us in Michigan entering the gray, cold winter months appreciate this list! Thank you. Ginny Yurich @ 1000 Hours Outside has some great ideas, books, and motivators for keeping kids away from screens and active during the winter months, too (also from Michigan!).
Parents who want to keep their kids off screens must themselves be off screens. Kids want to be with their parents / siblings / etc. The list is great, but the executive summary is Put Down Your Phone.
If you happen to have a National Park near you, I would also recommend checking out their Junior Ranger Program which are great in-park activities that support kids and families in exploring our National parks. https://www.nps.gov/kids/parks-with-junior-ranger-programs.htm
You are the best for making this list. I feel very seen!! It’s great for my six-year-old. I also have a 13 and 11-year-old who won’t do any of this except bowling and baking and the occasional museum. I’ve been trying to make my own 13 and 11-year-old list. It’s VERY short, but I welcome more ideas!
1. Give them money and tell them to walk to the corner store with a friend to buy something that isn’t soda or candy.
2. Drop them at the mall
3. Pottery paint shop
4. Laser quest
5. Bribe them to go hiking by telling them you will allow them to have a sleepover later
6. Housework (folding laundry is screen free and takes a long time)
7. Have them teach their younger sibling, dance routines.
- using a book to anchor a week's activities. I know this requires a little more planning, but it's a great way to let kids link a book to the rest of the world. Eat a food mentioned in the book; do an activity the main character does, etc. This activity grows with them & their reading ability.
- Finding parent friends who are committed to the cause will also really help.
Yes, in the cold dark winter of Vermont our 4 children stay outside, and yes we put them to bed sooner. When we lived in cities we did the same. Perhaps the author might change the suggestion that a child use YouTube (even for yoga, even YouTube Kids). YouTube is social media and the algorithms consistently direct children to harmful content. YouTube is being sued by attorneys general offices for online harms. https://arkansasag.gov/news_releases/attorney-general-griffin-announces-lawsuit-against-google-youtube-and-parent-company-alphabet/ If parents want their children to do yoga, our children for years have used yoga cards as a solo activity or with friends Yoga Pretzels: 50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids & Grownups. Our children also read books and crochet. Headlamps, meals outside and independence outdoors is indeed healthy. Yes! to the yearly goal of at least 1000 hours outside. Once screens are gone, they will actually forget about them entirely. It works.
Have a 5 and a 7 year old granddaughter. One of their favorite activities is to play in a nearby stream and explore brushy areas. They always come back with "supplies" - twigs, nuts, acorns, leaves, etc. for creating objects similar to David Bird's becorns https://www.davidmbird.com/ . For inside activity, they create a variety of objects with cardboard using Makedo tools. https://www.make.do/.
This is a great list and it is so unbelievably sad that you had to put it together. As a grandmother of 14 we grew along w our kids and played along w them. Sad that this generation will have little to no idea of these magical years
❤Make a viral ROCK VIDEO❤
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL2ofTW7JrA
❤be a Queen❤fan❤
We are in a veritable Golden Age of board games, with more great games than ever before, many of them so much better than the old standbys we grew up with and know.
At Board Game Geek, the most popular board game site, here is the list for its ranking of Children’s Games:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamecategory/1041/childrens-game/linkeditems/boardgamecategory?pageid=1&sort=rank
And here is the link for Family Games, those suitable for older children and adults, by ranking:
https://boardgamegeek.com/familygames/browse/boardgame
There really are some amazing games out there you may not have heard about, and these lists are a great way to explore what’s new, popular, and unfamilar. Enjoy!
my grand girls are elementary school age, but they always know that gramma and grampas house is for pillow forts, rough housing and painting and running out to the woods.... like all in the same few hours. they are always peppy and enthusiastic, so we keep up!!
All kids need for entertainment is for parents to butt out and allow them to play. Rough and tumble comes naturally to kids. What is not natural is constant surveillance. Note: also true of adults. "Careful, you'll hurt yourself" is the most overused phrase in the English language, and most unhelpful. Not even kids like to be hurt: pain is our best teacher.
Those of us in Michigan entering the gray, cold winter months appreciate this list! Thank you. Ginny Yurich @ 1000 Hours Outside has some great ideas, books, and motivators for keeping kids away from screens and active during the winter months, too (also from Michigan!).
Live this list and perfect timing to help select Christmas gifts and before the dark winter afternoon arrives.
Parents who want to keep their kids off screens must themselves be off screens. Kids want to be with their parents / siblings / etc. The list is great, but the executive summary is Put Down Your Phone.
If you happen to have a National Park near you, I would also recommend checking out their Junior Ranger Program which are great in-park activities that support kids and families in exploring our National parks. https://www.nps.gov/kids/parks-with-junior-ranger-programs.htm
Fantastic list! So helpful to give parents tangible and practical ideas!
This might be for kids but it’s also for adults. As it gets darker, I notice myself being more and more pulled to cozy up and just watch TV.
Glad puzzles made it on the list! Personally I’ve been having SO much fun with magic puzzles this year.
"My toddler once saw a video of Irish step dancing and the rest is history"
Now I really, really want to see a video of what happened next!
Perhaps consider asking the boomer generation what they did as children during playtime.
You are the best for making this list. I feel very seen!! It’s great for my six-year-old. I also have a 13 and 11-year-old who won’t do any of this except bowling and baking and the occasional museum. I’ve been trying to make my own 13 and 11-year-old list. It’s VERY short, but I welcome more ideas!
1. Give them money and tell them to walk to the corner store with a friend to buy something that isn’t soda or candy.
2. Drop them at the mall
3. Pottery paint shop
4. Laser quest
5. Bribe them to go hiking by telling them you will allow them to have a sleepover later
6. Housework (folding laundry is screen free and takes a long time)
7. Have them teach their younger sibling, dance routines.
Mine are 13 & 16 now, but I can add a couple ideas from "back when."
- using flashlights to make shadows (up close to draw silhouettes, inside) or farther away to loom large and distorted as an outside activity
- sign up for ISS alerts & watch the space station go by. https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/signup.cfm
- indoor picnics
- using a book to anchor a week's activities. I know this requires a little more planning, but it's a great way to let kids link a book to the rest of the world. Eat a food mentioned in the book; do an activity the main character does, etc. This activity grows with them & their reading ability.
- Finding parent friends who are committed to the cause will also really help.
Yes, in the cold dark winter of Vermont our 4 children stay outside, and yes we put them to bed sooner. When we lived in cities we did the same. Perhaps the author might change the suggestion that a child use YouTube (even for yoga, even YouTube Kids). YouTube is social media and the algorithms consistently direct children to harmful content. YouTube is being sued by attorneys general offices for online harms. https://arkansasag.gov/news_releases/attorney-general-griffin-announces-lawsuit-against-google-youtube-and-parent-company-alphabet/ If parents want their children to do yoga, our children for years have used yoga cards as a solo activity or with friends Yoga Pretzels: 50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids & Grownups. Our children also read books and crochet. Headlamps, meals outside and independence outdoors is indeed healthy. Yes! to the yearly goal of at least 1000 hours outside. Once screens are gone, they will actually forget about them entirely. It works.
Have a 5 and a 7 year old granddaughter. One of their favorite activities is to play in a nearby stream and explore brushy areas. They always come back with "supplies" - twigs, nuts, acorns, leaves, etc. for creating objects similar to David Bird's becorns https://www.davidmbird.com/ . For inside activity, they create a variety of objects with cardboard using Makedo tools. https://www.make.do/.