Put Play in a Bag (And See What Comes Out)

Dara is the mom who wakes up at 3am with a great idea for the blog.  She called saying, “I came up an idea, but I’ll have to deliver it in person.”  How much fun is that?  The suspense killed me!  A play surprise.  For me?  Turns out it was a surprise Play Challenge.  It came in a brown paper bag. Here are the rules:

1. All items must be used. (2 cones, 4 bean bags, 1 piece of chalk, 1 ball, 1 small hourglass timer)
2. Game must be played outdoors.
3. You need to create a name for your game.
4. Have fun family time!

These are the items:

We came up with 4 games. Each family member ended up running a game.  I’m not going to tell you how we designed our games – so we don’t influence your creativity. However, I will tell you the names of our games so you may get a taste of the fun we had:

1. Le Obstacle Course (8 year old)
2. The Bean Sprout (5 year old)
3. Le Challenge (Dad)
4. Bullseye Bowling (Mom)

Do It Yourself

Anyone can do this challenge.  Allow for creativity and resist putting an adult stamp on the kids ideas.

• Put ANY items in a bag and see what your kids will do with it!
• Have them create play challenges for each other.
• Make bags for your friend’s families and pass the challenge on.
• Use it at a birthday party and follow the theme.
• Issue the challenge at a picnic or camping using nature items for nature play.

Take advantage of items you already have. Play needn’t be complicated or expensive.