What Are Some Fun Games to Play in Your Basement When It's Dark?

Marco Polo

• Many children have played this game in the water, but playing it in the dark can be somewhat scary and adds a new twist. The rules are the same as in the water; the person who is "it" yells "Marco," while the others answer "Polo." The object of the game is for the "it" person to tag someone yelling "Polo," but in the dark, the "Polo" group must be careful not to run into the "it" person, tagging themselves! Whoever is caught -- or runs into -- the "it" person is "it" next.

Shadow Puppets

• Set up a flashlight on the ground about two feet from an empty wall. One person at a time stands off to the side of the flashlight and creates shadow puppets by bending their hands and fingers in front of the flashlight to create an animal.

  To create a shadow puppet rabbit, make a loose fist with one hand and hold the middle and index fingers up to make the peace sign.

  To create a shadow puppet dog, place the palms of the hands together. Spread the pinky finger pair away from the rest of the fingers, creating a dog jaw line. Bend one index finger to create the dog's eye and again use the thumbs as the ears.

Guess the Object

• In the dark, many people have trouble seeing. They can become nervous and excited touching objects without being able to see them first. This game can either be creepy or fun, depending on the age range of the people playing. For young children, find soft objects like their favorite blanket, a teddy bear or some smelly soaps. For the older children or around Halloween, get a bowl of cold spaghetti and tell the children it's worms, or peeled grapes, saying they're eyeballs.

Flashlight Scavenger Hunt

• Make up a list of 10 or so items around the house like the kitchen sink sponge and a parent's hairbrush -- items that the children have a vague idea where they might be stored, like the kitchen sponge will be near the kitchen sink. Using only a flashlight in the dark makes the game fun and more challenging.

Flashlight Tag

• This game is only good for a large house or the outdoors. Pick a "base" or safe no-tag area. One person is "it" and waits at the base while the others in the group hide. After counting to 20 or so, the "it" person begins looking for hiders. Hiders are allowed to move around from one good hiding place to another until the "it" person spots them with their flashlight and calls out there name. Once spotted, that person is it. Players are "safe" when they make it back to base without being spotted.