Simple Summer Fun for Kids

by Jackie Perrin

Jump rope games, kickball, and hazy carefree afternoons are among my fondest childhood memories. Back in the 70’s, these simple forms of entertainment were born of necessity. When we kids got antsy, Mom couldn’t just pack us all in the car for a daytrip, because for many years, we had but one vehicle: an olive green Plymouth Duster that Dad drove each morning to the manufacturing plant across the city. Instead, we came up with our own fun: neighborhood games of kick the can, impromptu play productions, flashlight tag, and hour upon hour of “Marco Polo” in the backyard pool.

These summer days, things are a bit different. Even the youngest children have a schedule, and we spend a good deal of our time in our cars shuttling back and forth to camp and sporting activities. But on the days that we aren’t “out and about”, there’s nothing like an afternoon of carefree outdoor fun. And when the skies open up, we have a few gems that we save for such occasions. Following are some ideas for simple indoor and outdoor games, as well as some specific activities that are a big hit with the kids and parents in our neighborhoods. Why not share your childhood favorites with your kids? Plan a day for simple play!

Outdoor Games

Hop Scotch

Mother May I

Kick the Can

Flashlight Tag

Monkey in the Middle

Red Rover

Red Light Green Light

Simon Says

Hot Potato

Three Legged Race

Follow the Leader

Water Balloon Toss

Blind Man’s Bluff

Egg and Spoon Relay

Capture the Flag

Big Bubble Fun

10 cups water
2 cups Dawn dishwashing liquid
8 Tbsp glycerin
Bubble wand (directions follow)

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a large container, such as a cooler. Let sit for two hours. Submerge bubble wand in liquid and see what appears!

To make bubble wand, you’ll need:

1 plastic coated wire hanger
yarn

Straighten handle part of hanger. Reshape hanger portion to make a circle, approximately 18” in diameter. Wrap yarn tightly around circle portion of hanger and tie off.

Driveway Games

We love to play hopscotch, and this summer have been learning variations of the traditional game. This one, from The Worlds Best Street and Yard Games by Glen Vecchione (Sterling, 1999), is a favorite of the kids on our street.

Old Mr. Nick
Players: 2-5
Supplies: chalk, broomstick, Scarf or handkerchief

Directions:
Draw a circle 5' in diameter and divide it into 16 pie-shaped sections. Number them consecutively. In the center of the circle where all the lines meet, dray a “dot” about the size of a quarter and fill it with chalk.

Player #1 stands at the edge of the circle holding the broomstick. The other players blindfold him. Everyone backs away as Player #1, moving only his broomstick, taps around the circle, reciting

Old Mr. Nick
Tapped on his stick
Twenty times 'round
Before he found
The center Ground!

Player #1 taps the stick once for each syllable. On the word "ground," he tries to place his stick on the center dot for a 20-point bonus. IF the blindfolded player misses the center but hits one of the numbered slices, he receives the number of pints in that slice and the section is crossed out or "taken."

Player #2 goes through the same routine. If she too misses the center pint, she crosses out the slice her stick landed in and claims those points. However, if her stick lands in the section that was “taken” by Player#1, she gets no points and loses her turn. This also happens if the stick winds up on a line between sections or outside the circle altogether.

When all the sections have been crossed out, the players add up their scores. The one with the most pints wins.

Clapping Rhymes

For my family, one of the best parts of travel is learning about what children from other places do for fun. From far off friends, Molly, now six, has picked up lots of games that she has brought home to share with friends at home. Her latest passion is clapping games. These rhythmic rhyming tunes are great because they can be played anywhere: in the car, the airport, or standing in line at Disney World! Following are a few new chants to teach your kids, as well as some classics from streetplay.com.

Miss Susie had a baby

Miss Susie had a baby,
She named him Tiny Tim
She put him in the bathtub,
To see if he could swim
He drank up all the water,
He ate up all the soap,
He tried to eat the bathtub
But it wouldn’t go down his throat.
Miss Susie called the doctor,
Miss Susie called the nurse,
Miss Susie called the lady,
With the alligator purse
In came the doctor,
In came the nurse,
In came the lady,
With the alligator purse
Mumps said the doctor,
Measles said the nurse,
Hiccups said the lady
With the alligator purse.
Miss Susie punched the doctor,
Miss Susie kicked the nurse,
Miss Susie thanked the lady
With the alligator purse.

Oh Little Playmate

Oh little Playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three,
climb up my apple tree,
holler down my rainbarrel
slide down my cellar door
and we'll be jolly friends forever more.
No, no, no playmate, I cannot play with you
my dollies have the flu,
boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo,
ain't got no rain barrel,
ain't got no cellar door,
but we'll be jolly friends forever more.

Miss Mary Mack

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back
She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For fifty cents, cents, cents,
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants,
Jump over the fence, fence, fence,
They went so high, high, high
They reached the sky, sky, sky
They never came back, back, back,
Till The Fourth of July, ly, ly.

A Sailor went to Sea

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.

Tic Tac Toe
(Sung with handclaps: first opposite, then over, then under)

Tic Tac Toe
Give me an “x”
Give me an “o”
Give me a three in a row
Tic Tac Toe

Jump Rope Games

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, show your shoe,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, please skiddooo!

The jumper actually does these moves while jumping: turning around, touching the ground, showing her shoe, and jumping out on the word "skidoo." Here's a second version: "please skidoo" is replaced by "that will do." Then it continues:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, climb the stairs,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say your prayers
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn out the light,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say good night!

I Like Coffee

I like coffee, I like tea
I like so-so to jump with me!

Person jumps in, then it repeats and they invite a third person, etc.

Easy Card Games

We love a good card game, and have built family traditions on many a contest. Cards are super cheap and the versions are virtually endless. Here’s a few to get you started, from Crazy Eights and other Card Games by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson (1994, William Morrow).

War

Number of players: best with 2
Object of the Game: To get all the cards

1. Shuffle and deal out all the cards.
2. Each player holds his pack face down.
3. Each player quickly lays his top card face up in the middle of the table.
4. The player with the highest card takes both cards. He puts them on the bottom of his pack.
5. If two matching cards come up – say, two 3’s, its war!


How to fight a war:

Each player puts three cards face down and one card face up on his own card. AS the players lay the cards down, they say, “I declare war!” They player with the higher card takes all the cards on the table. He turns them face down and ads them to the bottom of his pack.

6. The game ends when one player gets all the cards and is the winner.

Snap

Number of players: 2
Object of game: To get all the cards

1. Shuffle and deal out all the cards – including the Jokers.
2. Each player holds his pack face down.
3. Together the players say, “one, two, three”. One the word three, the players quickly lay their top cards face up in the middle of the table.
4. If the cards do not match, the players repeat, “one, two, three” and lay down the next card.
5. If the cards match – two Kings, two 10’s, two Aces – the first player to call out “Snap!” takes the cards.
6. IF both players call “Snap” at the same time, neither player takes the cards.
7. If you say “Snap” by mistake, you have to give one card to every player.
8. If one of the Jokers turns up, it’s as good as a match. Again, the first player to call out “Snap!” takes the cards.
9. The player who gets all the cards is the winner.

1. Shuffle and deal out all the cards.
2. Each player puts his pack face down on the table in front of him.
3. The first player quickly puts his top card face up in the center of the table. When putting down cards, turn them fast and do not peek!
4. The next player puts his card face up on top of the first card, and so on.
5. When a Jack is turned over, all the players try to slap their hand on it. The first player to slap the Jack wins the pile.
6. The next player then puts a new card out, and the game goes on as before.
7. If a player runs out of cards, he sits without playing until a Jack comes up. Then he tries to slap the Jack and get back in the game.
8. The winner is the one with all the cards.

©Jackie Perrin, 2004
All rights reserved.