​
Balloon Games
​
Penguin Waddle: Place a balloon between your child’s knees and have them waddle across the room without dropping it. Make it more challenging for older kids by having them go around a few obstacles. If they drop it, they have to go back to the start.
​
Balloon Taps: Hang a balloon by a string from your doorway so it is a few inches higher than your child’s arm reach. Then challenge them to try and tap it with their hand. Count how many they can do in a row without missing (this gets tiring very quickly!). Up the ante by seeing if they can jump and touch the balloon with the top of their head!
​
Balloon Blow: Set up a “course” and see if your child can blow a balloon all the way to the finish line. They’ll have to do lots of army crawls working their upper body and core strength along the way.
​
Backhand Balloon Balance: Challenge your kids to balance a balloon on the back of their hand, and see how long they can do it before it falls to the ground. You’d be surprised how much they will move around with this one!
​
Balloon Paddle Ball: Use a fly swatter, tennis/badminton racket or make your own paddle using a paper plate and over-sized popsicle stick (or use a paint stir stick or plastic spoon), then use it to play the games above.
These paddles are also fun for balancing your balloon. Have your kids try to keep their balloon on the paddle as they navigate through obstacles or run around the house. Not as easy as it sounds!
​
Balloon Foot Balance: For a real challenge, have your kids lie on the ground with their legs up in the air and try and balance the balloon on their feet. It’s not an easy task and requires a lot of concentration. It’s also a great core workout!
​
Balloon Volleyball: Make a “net” by tying a piece of string between 2 chairs and then have your child hit the balloon back and forth by running from one side to the other, trying to keep it off the floor. If you have 2 or more kids, have them hit it over the net as many times as they can without it falling.
​
​Balloon Hockey: Use a small kiddy hockey stick or make your own out of cardboard (see full tutorial on Creative Connections For Kids) to navigate a balloon into a net (use a laundry basket or box on its side if you don’t have any smaller ones to bring indoors).
Mile High Bubbles
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup dish soap
1/4 cup corn syrup
The bubbles we got from adding corn syrup to the recipe weren’t as reflective or colorful as some of the other efforts, but these soar sky high (often rising out of sight without ever bursting). If you are looking for lift, this simple recipe fits the bill perfectly and won’t require a trip to the store.
Long Lasting Play-Dough
Ingredients:
-
1 cup all-purpose flour
-
1 cup water
-
2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
-
1/3 cup salt
-
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
-
Food Coloring
Instructions
-
Mix together all the ingredients in a 2 Quart sauce pan.
-
Cook over low/medium heat, stirring.
-
Continue stirring until the mixture is thickened and begins to gather around the spoon.
-
Remove the dough onto wax paper or a plate to cool.
Let cool completely before putting in container or plastic bag to store.