Family Games - Summer

With TVs, iPods, and video games to entertain families all day and all night, sometimes it’s just easier not to plan family-fun time. But with the kids out of school, summer is the perfect season for reconnecting as a family through simple, wholesome activities. Look over the following list of games; you and your children can learn to play again!

Camping and Outdoor Games

Constellation Creation
Start the game by pointing out one of the well-known constellations to the group, and then tell the mythological story behind it. Then, have everyone take turns making up new constellations and stories to go with them. For a tricky twist, have each constellation's story build off of the last one told.

Shave Mr. Balloon-face
Everyone participating will need a balloon and a permanent marker. Everyone should blow up their balloon as full as possible. Participants will then draw on their balloon to give it a face. Apply shaving cream to the balloon's cheeks and chin, and use a plastic knife or safety razor to shave with. Start the race, and the first person to shave Mr. Balloon-face without popping him is the winner. Make this even more risky (and fun) by shaving water balloons!

Tree Hugging
Split the group into pairs. Each pair chooses one person to be blindfolded, and one person to be the guide. The guide leads their partner in a roundabout way to a tree (maybe having them duck under imaginary fences, jump over imaginary streams, etc.). At the tree, the blindfolded partner inspects the tree (with the blindfold still on). You can hug the tree, trace its bark with your fingers, touch the ground and roots, and touch the branches and leaves - anything you want without looking. The guide then leads the blindfolded partner back (again in a roundabout way) to the starting point. Then the blindfolded partner takes off the blindfold and tries to find the correct tree.

Frisbee Golf
This game is best played in a large, open field. (Each person will need one Frisbee.) Choose around six or seven objects as targets for your golf "holes." Players will then take turns tossing their Frisbees toward the target. Keep track of how many throws it takes to hit the target. The player with the fewest throws at the end wins.

Source: LDS Living Magazine.com