Looking for a fun and simple way to entertain your family, but don't
want the hassle (or the expense) or traveling to an amusement park or
buying a bunch of pre-made games? Use these ideas to engage your family – from kindergartner to grandparent – and turn your next gathering
into a memorable one.
Ring toss
Here's a fun twist on a traditional carnival game that can be played
indoors or out and in teams or one-on-one. Start by attaching weights
to helium-filled balloons with varying lengths of ribbon, which will
hold the balloons in place. Scatter the balloons throughout the play
area and determine the "tossing point," and then have the players take
turns trying to toss rings over the balloons. Depending on how big the
balloons are inflated, you can use quilting hoops, hula hoops, or other
items from around the house as rings. To make the game more
interesting, you can assign different point values to different size or
color balloons.
Flower garden
Creating unique and vibrant flowers can be a fun craft activity for
your family, and the resulting "garden" can also double as a decoration
for your next neighborhood barbecue. To get started, inflate five
balloons of the same color with helium to about eight inches. Tie the
first two balloons together at the necks, and then tie on a third
balloon. Take the remaining two balloons and tie them together at the
necks, and then twist the two clusters of balloons together at the
necks to create a ring of five balloons – or the "petals." Inflate a
sixth, slightly smaller balloon of a contrasting color and tie it to
the center of the cluster to form the flower's center. Tie the balloon
flowers down with ribbon and weights and add some green balloons to
round out the garden effect.
Make a kite
Kites can be a pain to store, so this craft idea enables you to
create one on the fly – in whatever colors your child prefers – with
minimal effort. First, inflate four helium balloons and tie together
all four necks. Attach colorful streamers to the underside of the
balloon bundle using tape, and then tie a long string or ribbon to one
of the balloons' combined necks. Then, wait for some wind and let the
makeshift kite fly.
Word scramble
Add a new twist (and some athletics) to this educational game by
adding helium-filled balloons. Select a word or phrase with an
appropriate level of difficulty, taking the age of the participants
into consideration. Then, write one letter of a word (or one word of a
phrase) on each balloon before attaching ribbons and scattering the
balloons around the room. Make the ribbons short enough so younger
children have to stretch or hop to grab them, but long enough so they
can be grabbed relatively easily. Have the players work as a team to
figure out the scrambled word or phrase and put the balloons in the
correct order. Tip: If you're playing outside, use balloon weights to
keep the "clues" from flying away.
Relay race
Here is an easy and fun way that's sure to add giggles to the
traditional relay race. Divide the players into even teams and assign a
balloon color to each team. Inflate the same number of balloons for
each team and attach a ribbon to each one (if playing outdoors, attach a
weight to the other end of the ribbon). At the whistle, the first
player from each team runs toward the balloons and has to pop a balloon
of his/her team's color before tagging the next person in line. The
first team to pop all of its balloons wins.
Penny Warner has more than 25 years of experience as an author
and party planner. She has published more than 50 books, including 16
specific to parties. Additionally, Warner writes a weekly newspaper
column on family life, penned a column for Sesame Street Parents
magazine and has appeared on several regional and national TV morning
programs. Her latest book, HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, debuted in
February 2010 from NAL/Penguin.
Balloon Time is the leading brand of consumer helium balloon kits
in North America. Balloon Time kits feature a helium-filled tank, latex
or foil balloons and ribbon, and are available at national retail
chains, party goods and grocery stores nationwide.