Your kids can have fun after school or on the weekends without the expense of organized activities. In fact these games will nurture creativity and build social skills. Use toys and objects that you already have, so you won’t have any additional expense. The best part is that these driveway games can be changed and adapted according to the number of kids available and their ages, as well as the time that you have available.
While the weather is still nice, I find that homework goes much easier if the kids get a chance to run off some energy before sitting down to work. Legs are less fidgety and minds are more focused. So, I try to have a new game, opportunity or play idea ready for them each afternoon. Of course, free play is always encouraged, too.
You can find a wealth of ideas on the Internet, although a little creativity on your part can go a long way, too. Have some basic things on hand, such as balls of various sizes, sidewalk chalk, jump rope, plastic cups, toy trucks and cars, pool noodles, cardboard, string, sticks, marbles, and whatever else that you can think could be made into a game.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Create a race track down a hill or incline. Using an assortment of toy trucks or other vehicles, challenge kids to deliver something to the finish line. This can be a handful or pebbles, a stuffed animal, etc. Vary the items to increase or decrease the difficulty level. Offer variations, such as you can only push the truck with your nose.
Slice pool noodles in half to create tracks for marbles. Prop the halved noodles up on cardboard boxes, so gravity can assist. Have the kids race with the marbles or create their own track configurations.
Using various colors of string or crochet thread, weave the string, one ball of string at a time, over and under objects in the yard. Criss cross the stings. The idea is to make various “paths” that intersect. Give each child his or her own ball, and when you say go, have them follow their sting, winding it back up on the way. The first person to get all of their string back on their ball or skein wins.
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