Hobbies And Interests
Sleeping Lions
Have the kids lie down on the floor and pretend to be lions who are asleep in the sun. They should keep as still and quiet as possible. Play some soothing music to quieten things down. Choose one child to be the hunter, or play the role yourself. The hunter moves among the sleeping lions and tries to make them move by telling a joke or pulling a face to make them laugh. If a child moves he is out of the game and can join the hunters.
What's in the Sock?
Prepare this game in advance when you are expecting a lively gathering. Collect 10 brightly colored socks and place a small object in the toe of each one. Have familiar items such as a coin, a spoon, a toy car, a paper clip, a Lego piece, a pencil sharpener, a marble, a playing card, a pen lid and a wrapped candy. Label each sock from 1 to 10. Give each child a pencil and a piece of paper and have her guess what is inside each sock by feeling it and writing down her answer on the paper. When everyone has finished, reveal each object in turn and add up the number of correct guesses to find a winner.
The Minute Game
Have the children stand in a circle with an adult or group leader in the center holding a stopwatch. The aim of the game is for the children to guess when a minute has passed. Start the stopwatch and ask the children to sit down when they think a minute is up and see who can get the closest. Some will simply sit down when others do, and some will take the challenge quite seriously. The kids may want to play several rounds to see if they can estimate the time more accurately. Either way, they will be standing still and keeping calm.
The Memory Game
Have everyone sit down quietly in a circle and place a tray of small objects on the floor in the center of the circle. There should be about 10 to 20 items on the tray, depending on the age of the children -- teens will memorize more. They can be any commonplace items from around the home, such as a spool of thread, a pen, a fork, a toothbrush or a bottle top. Give the children one minute to stare at the items and try to memorize them, then cover the tray or take it away. Have the children write down on pieces of paper all the items they can remember. After five minutes, uncover the tray and add up their scores. The child who memorized most items wins.