Toys on a Shoestring
Doris Schuchard

It's a school holiday and it's pouring down rain, or a touch of the sniffles is keeping your child indoors. Inevitably you hear from the recesses of his room, "I'm bored—there's nothing to do!" But before you run out to Blockbuster or Target, look around the house. With a little ingenuity and a few spare minutes, you can create activities to entertain your child for hours. You'll spend some quality time together, and your child may actually learn something while having fun!

Can Bowling.
Arrange ten soft-drink cans in a triangle shape, like bowling. Have your child roll a ball from about 5-10 feet away and see how many cans he can knock down. Variation: If he's playing outside, make the game more challenging by filling the cans with water—how many can he dump?

Beanbag Toss.
Partially fill sandwich bags with dry rice, beans, or popcorn kernels. Set up a piece of cardboard with cutout circles of various sizes to toss them through. Variations: 1. Toss the beanbags into boxes or buckets set up 1, 2, and 3 feet away. 2. Draw a large tic-tac-toe game on cardboard and try to land three bags in a row.

Styrofoam Art.
Let your child stick colorful golf tees in a random pattern into a piece of Styrofoam. Variations: 1. Stretch rubber bands around the golf tees for an added design. 2. Use a golf tee to make a picture by punching holes in Styrofoam. 3. Cut slots halfway through pieces of Styrofoam trays. Fit the pieces together at the slots to form a 3D sculpture.

Paper Plate Wreath.
Carefully cut out the inside circle of a heavy paper plate. Use the outer ring to make a nature wreath. Make leaves, berries, flowers, etc., out of construction paper or leftover household odds and ends.

Magazine Charades.
Cut out pictures of sports or moving objects (vehicles, appliances) from old magazines. One person picks a picture and acts it out; the others try to guess what he is. Variations: 1. Glue a magazine picture to poster board and cut it into interlocking pieces for an instant puzzle. 2. Have a scavenger hunt. Give your child a list of objects to find and circle on a magazine picture.

Jump the Ball.
Tie a whiffle ball or beanbag to the end of a rope. Swing the ball in a circle along the floor. Have your child jump over the ball as it comes around. Variations: 1. Vary the height and speed of the ball. 2. Have your child try to stop the ball with her feet or hands.

No-Melt Snowballs.
Wad up old sheets of paper into balls and have an indoor snowball fight. Variations: 1. Play basketball by lobbing your snowballs into a wastebasket or through a hula-hoop. 2. Sit on opposite sides of a table and blow on a snowball (or arm yourself with hair dryers!). Who can blow it off the table?

Balloon Volleyball.
Stand on either side of the table or rope and bat a balloon back and forth, trying to keep it in the air. Variations: 1. Hit the balloon with only one body part: head, hands, elbow, and feet. 2. Draw numbers or letters on the balloons. Throw several at your child; see if she can catch two that add up to ten or a balloon with the first letter of the word "house," etc.

Popcorn Pile-Up.
For the truly adventurous (or bored!): Set a hot-air popper in the middle of a blanket with the top off. As the popcorn flies into the air, let your child have fun trying to catch it with different size containers. Variations: 1. Try to count the popcorn you catch and check your estimate later. 2. String the popcorn for your backyard wildlife friends.

Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Parenting Today magazine.
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Winter 2004, Vol. 17, No. 2, Page 46