5 Fun At Home Things To Do With The Kids This Weekend

All the buzz this weekend is about that one big football game. Who will win? That guy who's married to a model and was in elementary school when McNuggets came out, or young guy with gorgeous eyes who's featured in a funny State Farm commercial? I guess they are part of teams. But if you have kids like mine, they don't give a crap about the Super Bowl. Not even the Half Time Show or commercials can interest them. But I do want to watch the game, so leading up to it and after, I'll occupy my kids with some fun so they'll leave me be.

1. Four-Square tournament- Don't just play. Give yourselves characters with backstories and provide commentary while you play. I'm always Priscilla Mancy: Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Priscilla plays to prove she's more than just a trust fund kid.

2. Paper Airplane Contest- Get creative with your designs and name your aircraft. Then compete in various categories: Distance, speed, loop-de-loop, design.

3. Jump the River- Lay two jump ropes parallel to one another, the space in between being the "river." Take turns jumping over it, then space them farther apart. Continue until every person has "fallen into the river" and only one remains! That person wins. I'm still obsessed with this game as an adult.

4. Hide and Seek in the Dark- The entire house is fair game and no turning on the lights! Utilize tag-base-to-win rules to make the rounds more challenging and move quickly.

5. Pile Stuff On...- This is a Morales family classic. Whoever falls asleep first is the victim. The rest of you take turns piling stuff on top of the sleeper. Whoever wakes the person up or makes the pile topple over loses. What stuff? Shoes, books, toys--anything!

Some of my best memories as a kid and later with children of my own are from playing these simple games. Fun, free, and at home. Perfect any time of year, but especially during a pandemic.