Easy Games for Kids to Play at Home

Feather Touch

• This easy game enforces tactile perception skills by using soft objects found around the home. Help the kids gather soft items such as craft feathers, cotton balls, plushy toys and bits of fabric. Have two kids sit opposite from each other and blindfold one of them. The non-blindfolded kid chooses an object and brushes it as gently as he can against the blindfolded kid's cheek. The object of the game is for the blindfolded child to guess what the object is based solely on how it feels against her cheek. If she guesses correctly, the kids switch roles.

Marbles

• This classic game is normally setup outside by using chalk to draw a circle on the ground but it can easily be adapted for indoor play. Just get a length of string and lay it on the floor in the shape of a circle. If the kids are supplying their own marbles, let them decide whether to play for keeps or just for fun. If you're supplying the marbles, feel free to set your own rules. Once the rules have been decided, each player places four marbles inside the circle. Decide who is going first. The object of the game is to use your remaining marbles to knock the other marbles out of the circle. When a player succeeds in knocking a marble out of the circle, they collect it and take another turn. The player with the most marbles at the end of the game wins.

Air Ball

• This exciting game develops reflexes and acts as a breathing exercise. All you need to play this game is a table, a ping pong ball and a pad and pen for keeping score. The game requires at least two players but can be played by as many people as you can fit around the table. Mentally divide the table into equal territories for each player--for two players, each gets half the table, for four players, each gets one side and so on. The object of the game is to blow the ball off of the table on an opposing player's territory; players may not touch the ball while it is in play. A point is given to the player who failed to defend his territory. For small groups, the game ends when a player reaches 10 points. For large groups, use a timer set to 10 minutes per game. At the end of each game, the player with the least amount of points wins. This game can be especially fun to play as a tournament.

Find the Fours

• This fast-paced game helps children learn to scan for information and develop speed reading skills using colored markers and the sports or stocks pages from the daily newspaper. You will also need a timer or stopwatch for this game. Give each child a colored marker and a sports or stocks page. The object of the game is to find as many fours as you can in the time allotted. Instruct the children to mark the fours and call out, "Four score," or "Four," as they find them. Set the timer to five minutes and let them begin. When the time is up, the player with the most fours wins. You can also reuse each sheet by having them find different numbers. Just be sure to have the kids choose a different colored marker each time to make keeping score easier.