Hobbies And Interests
Scavenger Hunt
This game works best with teams made up of 2 or 3 kids each. Give each team an identical list of items to find, and set a time limit. Send everybody out into the area to locate the items. The winning team is the one that returns with the most items from the list before the time expires. Check the slumber party link in the resources section of this article for some ideas.
List cheap, fairly common items such as an unused cotton swab, a bobby pin, an empty soda can, etc. You can also use objects from nature, such as a certain colored flower or shaped stone. The items should be relatively easy to find. In a neighborhood search, teams go from house to house requesting items. A neighborhood search needs to include rules such as never enter any house, backyard or garage and team members must stay together. If sending teams on a house-to-house search is not practical, hide items around the yard and let the children search there.
Box of Questions
Crack open the Slumber Party Box of Questions to get the conversation flowing. The commercial version of this game (see the link below) is geared toward girls, but you can easily make a similar game on your own. Work with your child ahead of time to create questions that won’t make anybody squirm too hard. Ask questions such as “If your life had a theme song, what would it be?” and “If you could live in a video game for a week, which one would it be?” You can also include silly things like “Say something your teacher would say” or “What would your cat say right now if it could talk?” Make it fun and try to include questions that everyone can relate to. Write each question on a separate card. Decorate a shoe box and fill it with the question cards. Let the kids take turns picking a card and answering the question on it.
Pictionary
Called “the game of quick draw,” Pictionary is played by two teams of players who alternately strive to guess words which must be sketched out by one member of the team. The race is on as teams try to guess the word before the timer runs out. Successful teams get to advance a token around the Pictionary game board, but unsuccessful teams must try again. A great party icebreaker, this game will get everyone talking and laughing in short order. You can purchase Pictionary anywhere board games are sold.