Kids' Games at Home

I surveyed the battlefield. The rebel scum led by General Donnie had been decimating my troops. He was on fire from the box top mesa and there was nothing I could do, or so it seemed. I passed on my turn to move to my troops to the west near the toy box bluff and wished my troops the best. He fired at my troops and missed, allowing me to shoot from the new vantage point. Telling my troops to aim carefully as if the battle rested on this shot, they leveled the rifle and let the rebels have it. Direct hit! It forced General Donnie to aim from a new area, totally throwing him off and letting him know he cannot mess with Darth Trey.

The game above had state of the art 3D graphics, 3D sound with incredible streaming voice chat, aiming controls more responsive than the Wii's and costs about ten dollars to play. How? It was basically a game created by using army men and rubber bands. It is fun, engaging and something practically everyone can afford. I'll go into details on this game and a few more cost cutting options to the latest console games in here.

Let's face it, even renting games can get expensive. seven bucks for something you don't get to keep isn't my idea of saving a lot of money. So what do parents do in terms of keeping kids relatively safe and entertained at the same time? Encourage their creativity. They all have it. Just ask them who ate the last cookie and see it in action.

Rubber Band Battlefield
The setup in this simple game is easy enough. Each side takes ten to fifteen standing soldiers and puts them across the floor or on top of small objects like cardboard boxes other games came in. The players then shoot one rubber band at the wall each from where they are. Closest one to the baseboard after it falls goes first.

The game play consist of taking turns doing one of the following; shoot the rubber band at your enemy's men from your current position, moving to another set of men or moving the men you are at a predetermined distance (we always used the "sit behind them and as far as you could reach" rule). If your shot knocked down a soldier, they were out for the game. If your shot happened to knock down the last soldier where your enemy was sitting, they will be forced to move and therefore passing their turn. Play continues until one side is out of standing soldier, therefore losing to the other.

Variations: If three or more different colored sets of soldiers are available. players may opt for a 2 on 1 handicap match, 2 vs 2 team battle or a free-for-all style war.

Matchbox/Hot Wheels Demolition Derby
It was called the Space Patrol. It was heavy, lean, rolled straight and angled just right. It was the king of the kitchen floor and nothing could take it out.

This game requires some purchases of your favorite brand of cars. It is not, however, a game you wish to allow them to play if you have several brand new appliances, especially if they sit low to the floor. It is, however, a game that makes the player think when selecting vehicles in the store, analyzing them for angle and weight.

To play, simply go through your collection and select five of your cars. Please note- These cars will not be "collector's items" after being used for this, so if collecting is in your mind, you might pick up a second car of each to save away. Player roll the cars at each other. Any car failing to stay on the wheels is out. Players continue until their opponent is out of cars.

Variation: Leave the flipped cars where they are for added danger.

Cartographer
I was alone on the island. Without food and fresh water, my time was short. I buried my prized possessions and made a map to their location. I wished my family would find it as I put the map in the bottle ans cast it out to sea.

This game lets the players see if they have to skills to create and follow map directions. One player hides something in the room. Then draws a map to it while the other player stands outside and counts to one hundred out loud. When the player outside reaches one hundred, he comes into the room and the cartographer stops all actions and must leave. The cartographer counts to twenty while the raider searches without the map for the item. If the item is found without the map the raider gets two points. After twenty the cartographer gives the raider a map and the raider becomes the heir looking for the treasure. If the heir finds the treasure following the map alone, they both get a point. Then players switch roles.

Variation: A third player can join in and each player can have a role; cartographer, raider and heir. After each round, players rotate into the next role.

The summer does not have to be spent waiting in line to get the latest console game to hit the shelves. With a little out of pocket expense and a large use of imagination, kids can have fun the summer while exercising their minds instead of their thumbs. In the long run, their minds being exercised is well worth the minor investments in these games. Good luck, have fun and stay safe!

Please leave me comments below if you found any of this useful.