Hobbies And Interests
Outdoor Games
Outdoor games provide plenty of opportunities for pairing participants. A wheelbarrow race requires one child to become the wheelbarrow, with her hands on the ground, while the other child is the driver, holding the wheelbarrow&'s feet like handles. The wheelbarrow must walk on her hands while the driver guides her across the finish line. A sack race is another competition requiring pairs. Each person places one leg inside a large sack or burlap bag--such as an empty feed bag--and keeps one leg out. Each member of the pair holds the bag up with one hand. As they race other pairs toward the finish they must coordinate their legs inside the bag to move quickly.
Mix and Match
Organize the mix and match game outdoors or inside, depending on the weather. Fill two laundry baskets with adult-sized clothing. One contains men&'s clothes, including shoes, socks, pants, shirts, and hats. The other basket has women&'s wear with socks or tights, shoes, skirts, tops, and hats. If there are boys and girls playing, have them form boy-girl pairs. Otherwise, let guests pair up as they wish. As each couple is "up," team members race the clock to each put on a complete set of clothing over what they already have on. Boys put on women&'s clothes, and girls put on the men&'s. When both partners are fully dressed, they clasp hands and run to the finish line. You can act as the timekeeper, or have the waiting couples count out loud for each pair, then record the times. The fastest pair gets the prize.
Two on Two Mini Basketball
You only need a driveway basketball hoop and enough kids to form several teams of pairs to play two on two mini basketball. Match up players of varied heights and abilities to make the tournament as challenging as possible for everybody. Once players are paired off, have participants decide on the rules of the game. Some of the most fun games are created on the spot by the kids who are playing, notes the Creative Kids at Home website. Ask each pair to select a team name. Write each of these on a big chalkboard. Start the play with the first two pairs, allowing a set time period such as 8 minutes per game. Indicate the winning pair on your board by putting a star beside the team&'s name. Once all pairs have played, create a second round of play by matching teams with stars beside their names. Continue with a third round and so on until one team is declared the tournament champion. You can adapt the two on two tournament format to other sports, too, like soccer or hockey.