5 Time-Filler Games

Ever wondered what to do when you have finished all types of play and have free time while you are waiting for hubby or guests to arrive? Or you simply want to keep your kids technology free if boredom strikes! You can play these games with kids of any age but you have to set up the area so that it is safe for moving around and is a clutter-free zone (ideally an open space like a family room or a basement).

1. Act-out and Sing-a-long Poems - this is my best arsenal during a tough or stressful day as it helps me unwind as well and have fun with the kids. The best selection includes, but is not limited to the following; "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Wheels on the Bus", "Pat-a-Cake", "Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes", "I'm a Little Teapot", "Old McDonalds had a Farm", "One, Two, Buckle my Shoe", "Ring-around-the-Rosy", "Five Little Monkeys", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Humpty Dumpty", and "Hickory Dickory Dock". We sing and act out all the verbs in this song to build our vocabulary skills.
2. "Simon Says" or Follow the Leader Games - this is a favorite game of both my toddler and preschooler. I make this game into a physical activity drill. Focusing on the following physical drills: "Simon says jump up and down", run x number of times, hop like a bunny, twist side to side, stretch up/down, climb the step stool, roll on the floor, follow me while I ride a car/motorbike/train, jumping jacks, skip, etc. You can include actions or facial/behavioral expressions to this game to make it interesting. 
3. "I Spy" - this is another one of our favorites at the house. I use this game as a learning/teaching opportunity about new concepts or details related to everyday household objects. Common themes include colors, patterns, textures, shapes, number of objects, types of objects, names, or descriptive details/adjectives.  Through this game I can test my children's knowledge of a specific topic or put their learned skills into practice. By incorporating this game in our learning activities, I have successfully helped my preschooler master some of the above mentioned topics.
4. Hide and Seek - best game of all times and suitable for all ages. We have so much fun when we play this game as a whole family. Usually, an adult guides a toddler/baby and stays with them/hides together.
5. Tag/Chasing Games - Ideally you will need lots of open space for this (a backyard or a field/park is perfect). There is the usual 'Cat & Mouse' game where one person catches and the others run. Another fun tag game is called "Sly Fox" where everyone stands far away facing one person whose back is turned facing the wall. Then, when the referee says "Go!", the people will start walking towards the person whose back is turned, in a sneaky/quiet way. The person whose back is turned can turn around at any time and the people walking have to freeze because if they are seen moving then they get to stand facing away from everyone to restart the game. There are many variations of Tag games like "Ball Tag" or "Team Tag" that can be played with or without equipment and as a team or in partners.

Overall, the above games work great for our family given that we use a clutter-free area to avoid any accidents when kids get over-excited! Do you have any fun time-filler games that you play with your family and friends?

Annie