Battle of the Oranges:
Divide the kids into pairs. They will battle one pair at a time. Each warrior is armed with a tablespoon on which an orange is placed. At the "go" signal, they will try to knock the opponent's orange off the spoon, using only the one hand which hold the spoon and orange. The winner is the one left with their orange on
the spoon!
Clothes Pins in the Bottle:
Place a milk bottle (or other jar with a small opening) on the ground or floor. Let each kid try dropping ten clothespins into the bottle. See who can make the best score. Note: Yes, you can still buy clothespins in the supply section of most grocery stores .
Blow-ball
A large dining room table is perfect for this game. You will need a ping pong ball. Divide the children into teams. Each team takes an end of the table. The ball is placed at the center of the table. Both teams blow the ball with all their might, trying to blow it off the table at the end of belonging to the opposing team.
Brownie Eating Contest
You will need:
One homemade frosted brownie for each kid
Paper plates
The kids kneel on the floor in a circle, with their hand behind their backs. A paper plate with a brownie is placed on the floor in front of them. On signal, they lean forward and eat the pie as quickly as
possible. The first one to finish their brownie and pick the plate up with their teeth is the winner. You can also have a special prize for the kid with the messiest face. Be sure to take pictures!
Gummy Bear Hide and Seek
You will need:
Paper plates
One Gummy Bear for each kid
Corn flakes
Hide one gummy bear in a mound of corn flakes. Have the kids stand in front of table with their arms tied behind them and the plate in front of them with the cereal. On the signal each player tries to dig the gummy bear out with their teeth. The first player to lift their head with the candy between their teeth is the winner.
Gather the Candy
You will need:
wrapped small candy such as sour balls, Tootsie Rolls, Jolly Rancher type candies orbutterscotch pieces.
toothpicks
Spread the candy around in a large circle marked out on the floor, or a clean plastic tablecloth. Each player is given two toothpicks and a small paper bag. On signal, the players try to lift, chopstick style, as many pieces of candy into their bag as they can. When all the candy is gathered, the one with the most wins. The kids keep their candy, but the winner receives a small prize.
- Build Your Own Games, Crafts and Activities
Bubble Mania -
**TIP- When making your own bubble solution add a teaspoon of glycerine or cooking oil to your water and detergent mix as it makes the bubbles stronger.
You can build large bubble makers out of old tires for the bubble solution holder and a hula hoop that fits inside the tire on a pulley system. This is awesome. Or a rectangular trough type of base to hold the solution with a rod srung up on both ends that fits into the trough and strung up with a pulley system.
*** Also, if you live in a region of the country where it freezes in the winter, try going outside on a calm day and blowing your bubbles. Awesome. ***
Make a Miniature Theater -
Scaled-down theatres were all the rage in Victorian times, and today they still provide the perfect platform for children to act out their games of make-believe. To create your own, all you need is a shoebox and some card. Discard the lid and cut several backdrops from sturdy card. Use old photographs or pictures from magazines to set different scenes. Draw several characters, cut out and attach to a long strip of card. By cutting slits in the side of the shoebox, children can move their characters around on the 'stage'. You can download some great toy theatre kits from www.peopleplayuk.org.uk
Chang Your Hum-drum Routine - Get up early and dance barefoot on a dewy lawn; stay up late and camp out under the stars; go on a 'midnight' walk with candles in jam jars; or pretend you're in the grips of a power cut and spend the whole evening without electricity. It might sound a little eccentric, but being spontaneous and suggesting the unexpected is the perfect way to boost flagging imaginations.
SPIN PAINTING
Buy an inexpensive salad spinner or find a used one. Add some paper plates and a few bottles of tempera paint. After your child opens the gift, show him or her how to make a spin painting by putting a paper plate on the bottom of the spinner, adding a few tablespoons of different colors of paint, and giving it all a good spin.
TILE PRINTS
Buy a few 12" X 12" squares of 1" X 1" or 2" X 2" plain white ceramic tile squares from any flooring or home improvement store. Leave them joined by the backing material that holds them together. Add a child's paintbrush, a few bottles of tempera paint, and a pad of paper. After your child opens the tile print gift package, show him/her how to create tile prints. First, place paints in a muffin tin or on any palette, and ask your child to paint each small tile square, mixing colors as he or she paints. Next, press a blank piece of paper on top of the tiles, and peel it back carefully to uncover repeated prints in a pattern of squares, each with different colors and designs. Wash the tiles and use them over and over. This works great with fabric paint to create tile prints on cloth placemats, potholders, T-shirts and more.
AN INDOOR SANDBOX AKA THE SCOOP, SHOVEL, AND POUR KIT
Fill a large plastic storage box (28 gallons or larger) with: birdseed, sand, rice, packing peanuts, or dried beans. Add: colorful ladles, scoops, cups, funnels, spoons, shovels, pails, pitchers, plastic measuring cups, measuring spoons, pots and pans, pie tins, animals, cars, or anything with which to scoop, shovel, pour, and play in the "sandbox."
AN EXPLORER KIT
Buy a colorful plastic bucket and fill it with tools for exploring the great outdoors: magnifying glass, tweezers, specimen jars, bags, etc. Add some inexpensive rubber boots in your child's size for exploring in the rain and mud too. Consider adding an "explorer hat," which could be an old or new hat of any kind, to complete this adventuresome kit.
BATHTIME FUN
Collect bathtime items and toys and put them in a mesh bag: fun soaps, shaving cream, and a shaver without a blade for pretending in the tub, goggles or a diving mask to wash hair tear-free, a doll with hair to shampoo, bubbles to blow, boats, sponges, and of course, a rubber ducky or two.
PLAY DOUGH KIT
Make your own superior play dough with the easy recipe below, then locate some tools that your child can use to mold, cut, shape, and play with the dough: a small rolling pin (you an make one by cutting a 1" diameter dowel to a length of about 7" and sanding the edges), colorful plastic (not sharp) cookie cutters, a wooden mallet, a dull pie-fluting tool, straws, plastic hair rollers, garlic press, etc.
SUPERIOR PLAY DOUGH RECIPE
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons oil
Food coloring
Directions:
• Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
• Add food coloring to boiling water and mix with oil.
• Combine the flour mixture and the water mixture.
• Knead the dough until it cools.
• Store in a covered airtight container or zip-lock bag.
Mancala - You can make your own version using an old, clean egg carton and your own markers, such as pebbles, pennies, or other small bits. For rules go to: http://boardgames.about.com/cs/mancala/ht/play_mancala.htm
BLOCKS
Make homemade blocks from: sponges, diaper wipe boxes, cereal boxes, milk cartons with the tops folded flat, grocery bags filled with crushed newspaper and taped shut, tissue boxes, scraps of wood with the edges and surfaces sanded smooth. Cover with contact paper or decorate them as you like.
TUBES AND BALLS
Collect colorful scarves, a wrapping paper or other long, cardboard tube with diameter of about 3 or four inches, and lightweight balls (Ping-Pong, foam, whiffle) and toy cars that are small enough to fit inside the tube, but big enough to not be a choking hazard. Cover the tube with colorful contact paper. To play Tubes and Balls, tie the tube at an angle to your stairway banister or the side of a clothesbasket with the scarves, and then have your child put the balls and cars in the top of the tube and watch them come out the other end. This is a real pleaser for the youngest kids.
PONGS AND TONGS
Buy a bunch of colorful Ping-Pong balls, and a pair of salad tongs that little hands can manage. After your child opens the Pongs and Tongs game, show him or her how to play by putting the balls in a bowl of water and then picking them up with the tongs. It's a little like bobbing for apples.
MAKE BELIEVE PLAY BOX
Collect old clothes and accessories from friends, relatives, garage sales, or your own closets, and put them in a large storage box: purses, briefcases, hats, ties, scarves, jewelry, clothes, shoes, boots, billfolds, etc. Or consider collecting props around a certain theme. For example, if your child is interested in the post office, collect what he or she needs to play pretend post office: a mail bag (any type of cloth bag that you can put over your shoulder will do), paper, envelopes, play stamps, play money, a box with which to create a mailbox, etc.
Skittles and Throwing Games
There are many variations of skittles which is a simple and fun outdoors game that can be set up and packed up quickly and gives your kids good ball practice.
Home made skittles are really easy to make, you just need to save your used drink bottles for a couple of weeks. Wash 6-12 of them and fill them halfway with sand or fine stones. Great practice for their ball, and counting skills (to see who's the winner!).
 On a hot day the game can be played with water in the bottles and a wet sponge as the 'ball'. Make sure the wet sponge gets dipped into a bucket of water after each turn. This way everyone will be dripping wet by the end!
A variation on this game is to draw a circle with chalk and put the skittles inside the circle. The aim of the game is to see how many skittles can be knocked out of the circle.
Another throwing game uses a large box, from a tv or similar with different shaped holes cut into it. Place a brick in the bottom of the box so it doesn't fall over and your kids can practice their aim by throwing small beanbags or balls into different holes. A variation on this game can be done with chalk on a brick wall. Can also draw them a target like in archery so that they get different scores depending on how close they get to a bullseye.
Ring Toss – In teams or in groups of 2, toss rings onto stakes in the ground. Use plastic diving rings or canning lids as the rings and wooden dowels, sticks or PVC pipe as the stakes. Make each stake worth a certain number of points (pre-determined by color or distance).
Outdoor Bowling – Looking for fun outdoor bowling games to be a part of your outdoor lawn games? Make your own! Fill 2-liter soda bottles with water or sand. The more full the bottles, the heavier they are and the harder the game. Adjust accordingly. Use a rubber playground ball as the bowling ball. Make the “lane” as short or long as needed based on the age and ability of the players.
For more game ideas visit: http://familyfun.go.com/games/indoor-outdoor-games/specialfeature/cabin-fever-games/
*****This one is really cool and could be adapted to many ideas!!! homemade fridge & freezer magnetic checkers boardgame
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Washers:
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Washers is another fun game similar to Horseshoes, in which individuals or teams compete against one another in an effort to be the first to reach a winning score of 11, 17 or 21 points. The game consists of two washer pits located opposite one another. Players stand at one pit and throw washers toward the other pit. When you get a washer in the pit you score a point.
There are many variations of the game out there. I have seen people pitching washers into coffee cans, wooden boxes, and even into shoes. The most common washer pits are constructed from wood and have a slanted surface with one to three holes in them. The closest hole is worth 1 point, the middle hole is worth 3 points, and the furthest hole is worth five 5 points. This version of the game is played two-on-two but can also be played one-on-one. The first person or team to get to 21 wins.
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Cornhole:
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The game is called many things; Some call it corn toss, some call it the bean bag game, but whatever you call it, it's alot of fun.
Cornhole is played with two teams, made up of one person or two, who toss bean bags at slanted wooden ramps with a hole in them. You get one point for a bag that lands on the ramp and three points for a bag that goes through the hole. Players take turns throwing the bags and compete for points. The winner is the first person or team to get to 21.
The cornhole game is sometimes called Corn Toss, Bean Bag Toss or Soft Horseshoes. Cornhole is similar to horseshoes except that you use wooden boxes, cornhole platforms and corn bags, instead of horseshoes and metal stakes. A cornhole platform is an angled rectangular wooden or plastic box with a hole. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags (4 per player) at the platform until someone scores 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, one on the platform scores 1 point and a bag on the ground scores 0 points. You’re ready to play with just two platforms and 8 bags. American Cornhole Association (ACA) sanctioned bags are 6” x 6” square and made of soft duck canvas material and filled with pliable high quality feed corn. Unofficial bags could also be made from dry beans, rice or popcorn seeds. For official rules, including single, double and tournament play, sample tournament brackets and other cornhole resources, check the ACA webpage at www.playcornhole.org.
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For those of you who are handy, make your own versions of these GIANT games:
Giant Pick Up Sticks
Each game contains 30 wooden sticks 90cm in length.
Putt Putt Pool
This great unique game combines the best of pool and golf in one exciting game. Play the game of pool with the coloured golf balls and using a putter instead of cue!
16 golf balls,2-way putter, 6 high-impact, easy-retrieve pockets, 6 side and end rails, ball rack.
Play area: 1.4m x 2.8m.
For 1 or more players.
Giant Chinese Checkers
The object of the game is to place one player’s pieces in the corner opposite their starting position by moving them through jumps over opponents’ pieces. Includes 45 soft, 17cm high, 12cm across, cone-shaped nylon “pieces”, 15 each in red, yellow, and blue and a durable 2m x 2m vinyl mat.
Suitable to play 2-3 players on the hop-across version of Chinese checkers.
For more information on Chinese Checkers, visit Wikipedia.
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Ladder Ball: 
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Ladder Ball is a homemade game. It is played similar to horseshoes, washers, or lawn darts and is a ton of fun.
The game is played with 2 or more players or teams. Each player has 3 bolos. A bolo is constructed with 2 golf balls attached together by a nylon rope. The object of the game is to wrap your bolos around the rungs of the ladder. The ladder is vertical and consists of 3 horizontal rungs. Each rung is worth a number of points and the games is played to exactly 21. Below you will find a link to our plans for the game as well as the "un-official" rules.
Ladder Ball Terms:
Base: The horizontal pvc portion of the ladder unit that rests on the ground and supports the ladder.
Bolos: A Bolo consists of 2 golf balls attached together with a piece of nylon rope. Golf Balls are spaced 13" apart.
Full Rack: When a player lands one bolo on each of the three rungs in one round. (1 bonus point)
Hat Trick: When a player lands all three bolos on one rung in one round. (1 bonus point)
Ladder: The ladder is the vertical pvc structure that consists of 3 rungs each spaced 13" apart.
Rungs: Each ladder has 3 rungs. The top one is worth 3 points, the middle one is worth 2, and the bottom one is worth 1 point.
Toss Line: A line parallel to the front edge of the ladder base that the players toss the bolos from.
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Ladder Ball Assembly:
Your ladder needs to be assembled before playing. Begin by laying the base on the ground, then insert the ladder uprights into the base. Assemble both ladders in the same fashion.
Playing the Game:
Prior to game play the ladders must be set up and a toss line must be established. We place our ladders approximately 40ft apart. Our toss line is established by the front edge of the base. We use an imaginary line but you could lay a piece of rope down for better definition. (The ladders or toss lines can be moved closer together for childrens play.)
Ladder Ball is played in rounds, each round consists of all players tossing 3 bolos. To determine who goes first you can just flip a coin. The first player must toss all 3 bolos before the next player is able to toss his or hers.
Bolos can be tossed in any way the player chooses, as long as they are tossed individually. They can also be bounced off the ground, although some players prefer to play with "No Bouncing" allowed.
The winner of the round earns the first toss in the next round. The game is played to an exact point total of 21. If a player goes over the exact point total, that players points for that round don't count.
For example: If a player with 18 points needs 3 points to get the exact score of 21 in order to win and they throw for 5 points, none of those points count and the player will enter the next round with 18 points, again needing 3 points to win.
In case of a tie, the players play as many overtime rounds as needed until one player ends with a two points lead over the other player. The two point lead rule only applies to overtime rounds.
*The game can be modified to a pre-determined number of rounds. The player or team with the highest point total after the last round would be the winner.
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Etiquette:
Basic etiquette of Ladder Ball is pretty much common sense. Contestants should make as little noise as possible while their opponent is throwing and touching a player during tossing is never allowed. In the course of play no contestants are to walk to the ladder prior to completion of the round.
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Scoring:
After all players have tossed their bolos, the score is determined by the bolos remaining on the rungs. Players can knock-off bolos during the course of the game. Knocking-off other players bolos is a good way to play defensively because the bolos that are knocked off do not count as points. If two opponents land on the same rung they cancel each other out and if a bolo is wrapped around one of the vertical side posts it doesn't count. Only bolos that are left hanging on the horizontal rungs after all bolos are tossed count as points.
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Points:
Points are determined by which rung your bolo wraps around. The top rung is worth 3 points, the middle rung is worth 2 points, and the bottom rung is only worth 1 point. Players can score an optional bonus point by hanging all 3 bolos from the same rung. This is called a hat trick. Another bonus point can be scored by hanging one bolo on each of the three rungs. This is called a full rack. The highest amount of points available per player is 10. This is accomplished by hanging all 3 bolos on the top rung.
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Team Play:
Up to four players can play Ladder Ball by alternating play each round. Players simply alternate turns with their teammate. During team play two players on opposite teams would be at one ladder and the other two opposing players would be at the other game ladder. One side would toss all bolos and the other players at the other side would toss them back. Same rules apply. You can also play with four players indiviually, but six more bolos would have to be made.
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Ladder Ball Safety:
As with all outdoor games you must pay attention to your surroundings. Please follow the following tips and remember to play fair, play it safe, and have fun.
- DO NOT swing the bolos unless tossing them at the ladder during normal game play. Injury to yourself or others may occur if bolos are used improperly.
- The bolos are connected using a hot glue gun and when used for normal game play, they will last a long time.
- DO NOT pull excessively on the bolos (tug-of-war) as abuse of the bolos may cause the rope to pull out of the ball.
- Do not attempt to wrap bolos around body parts. *Parents, please supervise younger children during game play, you'll be suprised what they can do with innocent of toys.
- DO NOT stand on the rungs of the ladder. They are designed for game play only. Any misuse of the ladder may result in injury or damage to the ladder.
- Never leave the bolos in the sun for extended periods. Excessive sunlight may deteriorate the rope.
- Keep your bolos dry. Water will enable the nylon rope to stretch, changing the design. You can clean the bolos with a mild liquid soap and cold water. Let them dry completely before use.
- Never let children play Ladder Ball without adult supervision. This is not a child’s toy. Proper supervision will avoid damage and/or injury.
- Never leave the ladders in the sun for extended periods. Excessive sunlight may cause them to warp.
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Storage:
To store your Ladder Ball game while traveling you can break it down into the two pieces, the ladder unit and the base unit. Then just lay them on the floor in your RV. They bolos can be placed in a large ziplock or small rubbermaid tub. You could skip the glueing and keep all the pieces and the bolos in a bag or plastic tub, but that requires more time for assembly and dis-assembly each time you play.
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Remember, to a young child, a large television box made into a boat can be just as much fun as an expensive remote-controlled boat. One five-year-old who asked Santa for real bricks and a trowel was thrilled to receive them and spent many contented hours stacking and re-stacking his treasure. So consider creating simple gift-giving traditions in your child's early years that set the tone for holidays present and future.
Candy Corn Relay Race
Try this simple Halloween game. Fun and simple party or class game!
Designate a starting line and a finish line. Set out a bowl full of candy corn for each player at the starting line and an empty bowl at the finish line. The players must use a large spoon to scoop candy corn out of the full bowl and then carry it to the empty bowl and fill it. They cannot spill any candy corn or use their hands! If any candy corn falls off the spoon, they must immediately pick it up and bring it back to the starting line bowl and start over with that scoopful.
Eyeball Hunt Game
Fill a large pot with cooked spaghetti noodles, and then bury ping pong balls in the noodles. See who can find the most balls in a set amount of time. For an added twist you can color code the balls and have each color worth a different amount of points. After the set amount of times, count up the points earned by each player.
Pumpkin Passing Game
Give the traditonal game of musical chairs a bit of a Halloween twist and then some!
Materials Needed:
- Mini Pumpkins
- Music
- Paint or Markers
Instructions:
There are no losers in this game if you make sure you have enough mini pumpkins for everyone! As each player gets 'out', give them a small pumpkin and let them go to a designated area and decorate it using markers or paint.
This game is played the same way as 'Hot Potato'. Everyone who is playing sits or stands in a circle. Start the music and start passing a small pumpkin around the circle. If you have quite a few people, you can pass 2 or more pumpkins at a time.
The pumpkin travels around the circle of people until the music suddenly stops. The person who is holding the pumpkin when the music stops is 'out' and leaves the circle.
Start the music and pumpkin passing again and continue until there's only one person left.
Pin the Stem on the Pumpkin Game
On a large piece of paper, draw a picture of a pumpkin minus the stem or use construction paper to create a pumpkin. Make stems out of construction paper and have the children stick on the pumpkin stem! (Can also do noses!)
Printable Halloween Tic-Tac-Toe Games and others
Tons of games in one spot at:
Carnival Games - To make a simple carnival game booth, you need a small table, a cloth big enough to drape over the table (brightly colored if possible), a large piece of card and some paints or thick marker pens.
You simply drape the cloth over the table, letting it hang down the front of the table to the ground. Using your paints, or marker pens, write out a fun sign, stating the name of the game- you can be really creative here! Finally attach the sign to the cloth and there you have it- your very own homemade carnival game booth. If you really want to look authentic, buy some cheap, narrow, plastic piping (available from hardware stores), cut into lengths to make a rectangular frame for the booth (you'll need one long one, just a tiny bit longer than your table length, and two shorter ones (decide how high you wish the frame to be).
Use strong tape to bind the pieces of tubing together to form a three sided rectangle, then attach to the table, again securing with strong tape. You can hang a lightweight sign from this, but be a little careful- the frame won't tolerate too much weight.
Can Toss - Keep food cans, and rinse these out and dry off. Cover these cans with brightly colored paper and use to stack up for the Knock the Can game. Add a couple of bean bags- and your game is ready to play. To play, the guest throws the bean bags, one at a time, at the cans. If they knock all the cans over, they win.
Coconut Shy - you will need to buy a few fresh coconuts. To make the stands for the coconuts, use empty soda bottles that have been rinsed out and dried. Cut the tops off the bottles and cover them with brightly colored paper. Place the bottles on the top of the table booth, spaced well apart, and put the coconuts on top of the bottles. Have three small balls, or bean bags, per turn, and you are ready to play.
To play, the party guest tosses the bean bags, or balls, one at time, at the coconuts. If they knock one off, they win.
Toss the Ball is an easy game to make. Cover a waste paper basket with brightly colored paper, place it at the back of the booth, or on the ground. Place a marker a fair distance away from the basket. This is where the party guests will stand to take their turns. Use any ball you like- for example a basketball or a baseball- it must fit into the target waste paper basket. To take a turn, the guest stands on the marker and throws the ball. If it goes into the basket and stays there, they win.
For other group game ideas check out: http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/homemade-pictionary-game.html
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