5 Games to Keep “Little Monsters” Busy on a Rainy Day
In his book, Floor Games, H. G. Wells states that “The jolliest indoor games for boys and girls demand a floor.” October is always the time when the weather cools off and kids are caught inside with nothing to do but TV and video games. We suggest this is the time to bring out these “floor games” to keep them moving during the winter.
H.G. Wells’ book has been seen as the first that addressed play as a learning experience for children. There are also a number of books to be found on Amazon that offer floor game experiences.
Giant Jenga: Hard on the tile and wood floors, but fun for anyone over five feet tall, as that is how high the tower gets when completed. If you want to teach all about Newton’s Theories, here is an opportunity. Beware that getting hit in the head by one of these pieces is going to hurt a lot more than an apple. Make sure to put down a padded mat before playing the game, and that the floor is even. This is not a game for “fluffy” carpets as they create an unstable surface. Perfect for a vinyl floor in a bonus room with all of the furniture moved.
Hover Ball: A great way to let soccer players practice inside. Perfect for wood floors or other shiny/slick surfaces. Not so good for carpet. And horrible for decorative pottery and family heirlooms. It is kind of like life-sized foosball, but the players don’t flip upside down (hopefully). If you moved the furniture away from where you were building the Jenga tower, for this game it should probably be moved out of the room. Also, make sure you put the cat and dog in another room.
Twister: It may be an oldie, but it is a goodie. Bring out the store-bought mat or create your own. Here is a SITE that shows how to make a DIY version at home. Start with a canvas paint tarp. It is best to set it over a carpet, especially if the older folks are playing. And they probably will, as they have forgotten how much of a fool they made of themselves playing the game years ago at a family Christmas party after the adult punch was passed around.
Hungry Human Hippos: This is a life-sized adaptation of the board game. It needs LOTS OF SPACE on a slick floor with a bit of give. A wood floor is the best. This is another one of those games where you want to remove anything that you don’t want to have totaled when the hovering human hippos crash or the laundry basket goes astray. The what you say? Check out the rules HERE. It will definitely keep hungry humans from petrifying over the holidays.
And just in time for Halloween, there is the Adams Family standard, Wake the Dead. It is best to play in a house near a cemetery that has easy clean floors. We suggest aged-wood look vinyl. City Tile carries a number of different patterns to have put down in your house before playing this game. You will need shovels and lots of black plastic bags (to clean up the mess when the game is over). If the itinerate zombie happens by, it might be a good idea to have a cricket bat handy (see Shawn of the Dead for instructions on how to use the bat to your best advantage) and play Kill the Zombie.
Have fun and be careful!
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3 mins
