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Fun Activities for Kids - Out in The Garden

By Ivana Katz

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 11Jul2010 Word count: 868 Viewed: 323 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

To get your kids away from the TV and electronic games, you may need to provide them with a few ideas on games they can play. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Leaf Warriors
Age suitability: 10+
You will need: a roll of tape

This is a fantastic way of encouraging your moping older child out into the garden to do a little autumnal gardening! Firstly they will need to collect some dry fallen leaves from the grass. Carefully wrap some tape, sticky side outwards, around heads, wrists, thighs and ankles. Remind participants that this is only to be played with an adult's permission. Providing your fallen leaves are dry enough, they will stick onto the tape when pressed onto it. Once they have transformed themselves into autumn leaf warriors, they can perform a stamping, shaking tribal dance to instil fear in their audience!

Worm Farm
Age suitability: 8+
You will need: a plastic container, soil, vegetation, worms!

Put soil into a deep plastic container and then decorate - maybe an upturned pot for a house and stones for a playground. A transparent container will allow a good view of the worms at work. Add some leaves or grass for food. When the farm is ready for inhabitants, dig up the wrigglers.

Clapping Rhymes
Age suitability: 5+

Clapping games are popular in the playground with younger children and will transfer easily to your back garden too. Here are some rhyme ideas: - One clapper asks the questions and the other answers with responses that rhyme (in time with the clapping). Invent your own answers as you improve and remember to clap slowly, in order allow yourself time to think! Both clappers chant and perform the actions at the end... "What's your name? / Rhys McGuire and I'm looking for fame / Where do you live? / In a sieve / What do you eat? / Veg and meat / Up, down, turn around / Hands together, hands on the ground. - For this next rhyme, clap for the first two lines, then perform 4 kung fu air punches for the Hoo-Haas. You should end the rhyme by snapping as if you were a crocodile, holding your nose and jumping backwards... "Down on the banks of the Cronky Cranky / Where bullfrogs leap from bank to banky / With a Hoo! Haa! Hoo! Haa! / A little crocodlillo and a splish splash splosh! "

Over The Jumps
Age suitability: 9+
You will need: a number of children and a large, open space

Create your very own Grand National or 500 Guineas by leapfrogging in the garden. The main requirement here is for all racers to come up with a suitably silly horse's name - Cheeky Monkey or Cauliflower Symphony. Decide who is jumping first. Everyone else becomes a human hedge. Bend over and hold your ankles to make an easy-ish jump, or your thighs for a greater challenge. Position yourself in front of a puddle to act as the Grand National favourite, Beacher's Brook. The horse that completes a course of ten jumps without falling over wins. Carefully does it!

Skipping Rhyme Ideas Skippers jump to, "Apple crumble, Lemon tart / Tell me the name of my sweetheart / A, B, C..." and so on. The letter that you stumble on is the initial letter of your true love's name! Once you have decided upon your Prince Charming, you can find out whether you will marry them, have a fancy car or even live in a palace by asking the question then skipping to the words: " Yes / No / Maybe so " and seeing where you end up!

You can enjoy group skipping with your whole family with the following traditional rhyme. You'll need a long rope, held at either end with one skipper standing in the middle. Start by gently rocking the rope for the skipper to leap over, chanting, "Bluebells / Cockleshells / Eevy / Ivy / Over " When you reach the word "over", swing the rope the whole way round and continue while you call out: "My mother sent me to the store / And this is what she sent me for / Salt! Mustard! Vinegar! Pepper! " Repeat the list, getting faster, and see how long the skipper can stay in.

For advanced skippers, try running into a continuously turning rope and perform the actions given in the rhyme while you skip. "Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around / Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground / Teddy bear, teddy bear, brush your hair / Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers / Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach for the sky / Teddy bear, teddy bear say goodbye " Run out as you wave and let the next skipper run in for their turn.

Racing Snails
Age suitability: 7+
You will need: to be able to ride a bike and a bike to ride!

On your bikes... Get set... Go! Sounds like a normal cycling race, although in this competition the aim is to pedal as slowly as possible to an agreed finishing post. Riders must aim to keep moving at all times, albeit at a wobbly, sluggish pace. Feet are allowed to touch the ground momentarily, but the referee should watch out for sneaky loitering. The winner is the slowest to cross the line. With any luck, they'll realise that finishing last isn't necessarily a bad thing!

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