Rock, Paper, Scissors Tag

This is a fun game that my son likes to play with his friends on the playground at school.

Two players face each other and play a round of rock, paper, scissors. The loser takes off running and the winner has to chase and tag the loser.

What a clever twist on the classic game of tag!

Switch Up

Divide your group in half and send one team out of the room. While they are out of the room, the other team switches items such as shoes, jackets, hats, jewelry, etc. When the other team returns, they take turns guessing what is different.

Taste Test

Put small amounts of the following onto a plate: ketchup, mustard, honey, pepper, drops of pickle juice, barbecue sauce, etc.

Blindfold the players and have them dip a finger into each sample. Can they identify what they are tasting?

Counting Cows

Need help passing the time as the miles roll by? Try this counting game:

Ask everyone in the car to keep their eyes peeled for cows. Pick a target number that you'd like to reach and then start counting and see how long it takes you to hit your target number.

The beauty of this game is that you can count anything. If there aren't many cows, try birds or speed limit signs.

Where Did I See That?

Here's another quick game that you can play in the car, in a waiting room, or at a restaurant:

The first player names an object such as a fish, and everyone has to name a movie with a fish in it. (Finding Nemo or The Incredible Mr. Limpet would be good answers for this one.)

The player who names a movie first gets to choose the next object. You can also take turns naming movies that fit the category until you run out of movies.

This game also works with books and songs.

I'm on the Phone!

A friend calls for a chat, and as soon as you answer the call your kids suddenly decide that they need your attention. Sound familiar?

Try this trick: set aside a special toy that can only be played with while Mom or Dad is on the phone. This will give you a few minutes of much needed peace and quiet in which you can have a conversation.

The Sugar Shuffle

Years ago when my kids were younger, going out to dinner was quite an ordeal. After being seated, I knew that I had roughly 15 minutes of relative calm before they started geting antsy. As long as they had a fun placemat to color and a few crayons, we could usually keep our cool until the meal arrived.

One evening, I wanted a change of pace, so I chose a new restaurant. Bad move.

The place was packed, filled mostly with couples out for a quiet meal. And, they had no placemats or crayons. Fingers crossed, I just hoped that they'd be able to hold it together. Maybe we'll get through this meal without a scene, I thought. Then it happened.

"Mommmmmm, she touched me with her foot."

Thankfully, I remembered reading an article with this fun little game:

Grab a few sugar packets and place them on the table. Put a coin under one of the packets and then shuffle them around.

As you shuffle them, ask your child to keep track of the packet with the penny beneath it. Once you stop shuffling, ask him to pick up the packet that he thinks the coin is under.

This cool little trick is likely to buy you a few minutes of peace during that long wait for your dinner to hit the table.