It’s a Saturday afternoon, and your little boy is bouncing off the walls. Channel his excess energy with a few age-appropriate games. Whether your son likes racing cars, drawing or playing dress-up, entertain (and educate) him with these 12 supercharged games for boys (these ideas are fun for girls too!).
Toddler Games
- Pour It Out
Your toddler should now have the fine motor skills to pour contents out of a container, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). If he can’t keep his hands off your glass of water, play a pouring game with safer materials instead. Fill two cups with something soft and squishy, such as cut-up sponges. Race your tot to see who can pour the items out, and then put them back in, quicker!
- Keep It Up
Blow up a balloon and head outside with two rackets, suggests Jamie Reimer, Iowa mom of three boys and creator of the children’s activities blog Hands On: As We Grow. Make your own child-safe rackets by taping a paper plate to a ruler or plastic spoon (to hold for the handle). See how long your little one can go without letting the balloon touch the ground.
- Color Hunt
Make a list your little guy can read for himself! Draw blocks of colors on a sheet of paper, and ask him to find three items of each color around the house.
- Everyday Object Play
Don’t toss empty toilet-paper tubes, cardboard boxes and other spare parts that you have sitting around. Certified child life specialist Shani Thornton suggests giving them to your tot so he can build with them. “When they are given the opportunity to create with loose parts, their level of play can deepen.”Try these Fun Activities to Do with Toddlers.
Preschool Adventures
- Tallest Tower
By the preschool stage, your child is learning how to take turns, according to the AAP. Reinforce this vital social skill by building something together. Construct a block tower, each of you taking turns to add one block at a time. Occupational therapist and child development specialist Anne Zachry notes that toys such as blocks encourage fine motor development and “playing with these toys promotes social interaction, encourages pretend play and fosters creativity.” See how tall you can make your tower, and try to beat your record next time.
- Kitchen Sack Sort
Use games for boys as an opportunity to teach your little eater about food groups. You each get one bag of groceries to sort into fruits, veggies, grains and more. Set the egg timer to up the ante.
- Go Fish
Your child now has the coordination to use child-safe scissors, according to the AAP, so have him help you cut out and decorate paper fish and attach paper clips to each one. Glue a magnet to a piece of yarn, and tie the other end to a stick. Go fishing with magnetism!
- Dress for the Weather
Mittens, sunglasses, flip-flops — which go together? Have a race to see who can put together an outfit for each season first.
Elementary Options
- Silly Sayings
Creative problem solving is a hallmark of the early elementary years, according to PBS Parents. Celebrate this stage with a puzzle that requires your child to arrange patterns using words. Write dozens of words on index cards (one per card). Include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositions in equal numbers. Challenge your child to put the pieces together into grammatically correct sentences. See who can make the funniest phrase.
- Get Artsy
Cindy Ingram, art educator and creator of the blog Art Curator for Kids, suggests playing a complete-the-picture game. Print out a photo of a character from your kid’s favorite TV show, and cut a square out of it. Glue the square to a blank piece of paper, and let your son draw what he thinks the rest should look like.
- Nature-Photo Scavenger Hunt
Write a list that includes all things creepy, crawly and natural. Split your grade-school guy and his pals into search teams, and send them out to the backyard. Photograph the finds on your smartphone — avoid touching bugs that can bite.
- Car Countdown
5-4-3-2-1! Make a racing mat out of cardboard, and write the numbers one through five at one end. Place one toy car on each number, lifting the board to race the cars downhill. Ask which number won and why before experimenting with different sizes and shapes of cars to see what changes.
Want more game ideas? Try these 8 Active Games for Kids.
Erica Loop is a freelance parenting writer and educator with an MS in child development. She blogs about kids’ arts and activities at Mini Monets and Mommies.
