new indoor games

 New indoor games

.1. Pencil-and-paper games

From Battleship to Sprouts, we’ve created a must-play list of pencil-and-paper games that beat TV any rainy day. Gather some pencils and paper and check out our best of pencil-and-paper games.

2. Building

you don’t need a fancy building set for this. Popsicle stick cities, card towers, even buildings out of blocks, or forts out of boxes or pillows, will do just fine. If you want to get competitive, whoever builds the highest tower wins.

3. Magical Mama (or Papa)

Be your kids’ very own Harry Houdini—without the locks, chains and water tanks, of course. Simply place a coin under one of three cups and shuffle the cups around. Then ask your children to guess which cup holds the coin. Sneaky parents can place the cups near the edge of a table and secretly drop the coin. Watch your tots’ eyes light up in amazement when they learn the coin is gone!

4. Card games

Card games are great for challenging young minds and creating hours of indoor fun. Grab a box of cards and check out our favourite traditional card games.

5. Puzzles

Exercise those creative, cognitive and problem-solving muscles with a good puzzle. You can use a store-bought variety or have the kids make their own. Have your children draw a picture on a sturdy piece of cardboard or Bristol board. Then use a pencil to outline puzzle pieces directly on their drawing. Cut out the pieces with a good pair of scissors, mix them up and get solving

Classic Outdoor Games for Kids

Classic Outdoor Games for Kids

Kick the Can

This game is a variation of tag and hide & seek. One person or a team of people are designated as “it” and a can is placed in the middle of the playing area. The other people run off and hide while the “it” covers his or her eyes and counts to a certain number. “It” then tries to find everyone. If a person is tagged by “it”, they go into a holding pen for captured players. If one of the un-captured players manages to kick the can, the captured players are released. The game is over once all the non-“it” players are in the holding pen.

Number of Players: Ideally at least three.

Equipment: A metal can.

Traffic Cop

This game works best on a street with little to no traffic, or in a large paved area of some kind. You need bikes, wagons, pedestrians, scooters or whatever is available. One person directs traffic to make sure kids don’t run into each other. It is more fun than it sounds, and helps kids learn about waiting to cross the street and about traffic safety.

Number of Players: A small group.

Equipment: Bikes, wagons, scooters, anything on wheels.

Four Square

This ball game is played on a square court further divided into four smaller squares, numbered one through four. One player stands in each of the squares, with the highest ranked player in number one, lowest in number four. You bounce the ball among the players, bouncing once in the other person’s square before that person catches it. When I played this as a kid, we had countless additional rules to choose from. The person in square one got to choose the rules. Anyone who violates the rules will have to move down in the ranking, or be eliminated with another player rotating in to square four.

Number of Players: Four, unless you take turns.

Equipment: A four square court or sidewalk chalk, a playground ball.

Chinese Jump-Rope

This game requires three people, or just one or two people with really good chairs. It is easily done inside, assuming a sturdy floor. This game resembles regular jump rope in that you jump. A lot. But you jump in a pattern. Two people (or chairs) put their feet inside the rope and stretch them out, standing far enough apart for the third person to jump between them. The third person, or jumper, faces one of the people holding the rope and jumps in a pattern of left, right, inside, outside and on the ropes. What pattern you use is up to you, but all the players should use the same one. The game is started with the rope around the ankles. Once the jumper does the jump correctly, the rope is moved up to the calves. Then to the knees, then the thighs. Usually it doesn’t get any farther than that. Once you miss, it is someone else’s turn.

Number of Players: Preferably three, but it can be done with one or two.

Equipment: A stretchy-type rope or 5 to 6 meters of rubber bands tied together in a circle.

game lover

Vacations

Vacations 

are the best time to relax and enjoy and I eagerly wait for my summer vacations every year. Every year my school closes in the middle of the month of May and reopens by the end of June. Annual exams get over and the results are declared.

This time I got promoted to class nine from class eight. After the hard labor for the examinations, I wanted some rest and also some refreshment. Hence I put aside my books for a few weeks. Next day morning I went out to play with my friends.

It was a very hot and sunny day so we decided to play indoor games. In the evening I asked my father and mother to take me to any of the hill stations because I wanted to beat the heat. My father told me that we cannot go to a hill station because all the hotels and resorts are booked beforehand only.
It was too hot, the sun was scorching and the wind was deliberating. Fortunately my uncle had invited my family to Haridwar where he had reached two weeks earlier. Me and my parents reached Haridwar. My uncle, my aunty and my cousins were all very excited to see all of us. They welcomed us with a warm heart.

At Haridwar I went to the bank of River Ganga in the morning and it was very pleasant to see hundreds of men and women bathing in the stream of Ganga and then offering prayers in the different temples of its “Ghats”.

I requested my uncle to take us to the hilly spots in the vicinity. He was kind enough to take all of us there. The hill sights of Laxmi jhoola, Swargashram and many other spots fascinated me. I saw a large number of trees bearing beautiful fruits and flowers.

The peeping of Sun’s rays in the morning and evening was really very charming. The waterfall at some distances shone like flowing silver in the moonlight. The cool breeze was always felt. No heat or dust of the plain was felt here. I was very much pleased.

We remained there for two whole weeks. From there my father and my uncle planned to go on a pilgrimage. We left for Mathura and Vrindavan. There we had darshan of Dwarkadhish, Rangji, Behariji, and of many other temples.

We then went to Girirajji. We also went to Karoli and Mahaveerji, a place of Jain pilgrimage. The scenery and views of all these places was beautiful and breathtaking.

Healthy Eating And Exercise Blast Off Game

Healthy Eating And Exercise

 Blast Off Game 

Activity Cards 

Find activity cards for all kinds of sports. Learn more and find out what gear you need.

 Blast Off Game 

 Kids can reach Planet Power by fueling their rocket with food and physical activity. Fuel tanks for each food group help you keep track of how your choices fit on your plate. (Flash required)

Dining Decisions 

 It's lunch time, you're in the school cafeteria. Choose which meal is a healthy meal.

Energy Equation 

 Food + Sleep + Physical Activity = Energy. Play these games to learn more.

Health Science Education Tools 

 Health science learning site and play interactive games and activities; a fun way to help you make healthy choices. (Flash required)

Physical Activity

 Learn how to overcome fitness challenges; use the Activity Calendar to create your very own personalized calendar.

Shutterbugs Wiggle and Stomp 

 Follow Ada, the zookeeper, and lookout for animals that are swimming, running, wiggling, and stomping.

video games

Video Games Can Improve Your Child

Video Games Can Improve Your Child

Parent-approved video games that are played in moderation can help young kids develop in educational, social, and physical ways.

Why Video Games Can Be Beneficial to Kids

As parents, we focus more attention on the potential dangers than on the potential benefits of electronic video games, but these games are a normal part of modern childhood. If you know what to look for, video games can be a powerful tool to help children develop certain life skills. They can help parents choose appropriate leisure-time games, help educators seek ways to supplement classroom teaching, and help game developers create games that teach.

Recently, I wrote a research paper called "Children's Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal Development" that was featured in the Review of General Psychology. The research included results from studies I led at Harvard Medical School and survey data compiled from interviewing over 1,000 public school students. Based on my research, here are eight reasons why video games can be beneficial to your child's growth and education.