Indoor Games for Kids

It's always good to have some indoor games for kids planned so if the weather isn't cooperating outside, things will still be nice inside.

There's no need to pay for store-bought modeling dough. This recipe makes a colorful, pliable modeling dough that can be used for a couple of months if stored properly in a sealed container.

• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon food coloring
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Magic Putty is a slippery, slimy material. Kids enjoy making shapes that "melt" into a pancake shape. Or they can hold it in their hand to watch it "melt" through their fingers.

Mix the following together in a large bowl. Add food color if you'd like:

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 cups Elmers Glue

Mix together in a separate bowl:

• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Borax laundry detergent

Add the Borax mixture to the glue mixture. As you stir, a slimy putty will form. Place the putty mixture in another bowl.

There will be leftover glue/water mixture. If you want to make more magic putty, make another water/borax mixture and repeat the process. You can do this about four times for one batch.

After the finished product sits for a minute in a bowl, pour off extra liquid. It's now ready for the kids to play with. Supply them with clay toys.

Store Magic Putty in a plastic jar. It can be stored and reused for approximately one month.

Note:
Borax is a powered laundry detergent. Children should be monitored constantly while playing with Magic Putty.

Do you get a lot of credit card applications in the mail that you just throw in the trash can?

Before you throw them away, remove the return envelope and save a stack of them. You then have a fun, inexpensive activity for your children. Kids LOVE to play post office.

Supplies:

• Junk mail envelopes
• Shoe box
• Stickers, markers, pre-cut shapes
• Glue
• Photo of each child
• Exacto knife
• Velcro strips

Write each child's name on their mailbox. For children not old enough to read, use photos on each mailbox so they know who they're sending letters to.

Adult: Cut a slit on one end of the shoe box that allows mail to be inserted into the box. On the other end, make a flap and use a velcro strip to secure it to create an opening that allows the recipient to collect their mail. Click on the photo for more details.

Supply the children with junk mail envelopes and recycled paper to create mail to each other. They can send mail and receive mail as they wish throughout the day.

Simply take a large blanket and drape it over your kitchen table and you have an instant fort. Put blankets or pillows on the floor for comfort. Supply the kids with flashlights, books and toys to keep them entertained for hours inside their little fort.

Card games are great for indoor activities for preschoolers. And this game works especially well because the kids don't have to hold cards in their hand.

Game Rules:
Deal all the cards out into as many piles as there are children playing. Distribute a pile to each child. They keep the pile face down in front of them.

The person you choose to go first places a card face up in the middle of the table. If it is a 2 through 9, play goes to the next player. If it is a jack, queen, king or ace, the player demands payment from the person to his left. Payment is as follows:

Jack = 1 card
Queen = 2 cards
King = 3 cards
Ace = 4 cards

The player who owes the payment makes payment by turning the appropriate number of cards upright on the pile in the middle. If this player turns up a face card or an ace, they immediately stop payment and demand their payment from the player to their left. The rules apply the same to this new player making payment. If, while they're making payment, a player doesn't turn up a face card or an ace, then the player who was demanding payment gets all the cards in the pile. They place them face down on the bottom of their card pile.

When a player runs out of cards, they are out of the game. The player who ends up with all the cards wins the game.

Pages of Interest:

• "Craft Projects for Preschoolers"
• "Kids Coloring Sheets"

  
  

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