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Imagine Toys: Family Play Date

My family has a cell phone problem.Β  Whenever we meet for a family meal the cell phones come out of everyone pockets.Β  My husband checks his “Words with Friends” game, my brother in law streams the latest Twins baseball game, the rest of us (me included) surreptitiously check Facebook throughout the meal. Meanwhile, my daughter talks animatedly with those of us who don’t have a device out.Β  I decided we were going to have some much needed family time, and give my daughter the undivided attention she craved..

Remember, how as a kid, you could just play after school on the playground for hours and not get bored?Β  Games like wall ball, 500, Horse, Double Dutch and Kick the Can.Β  I wanted to recapture some of that childhood fun, introduce my daughter to some of these games, as well as set a good example of active adults.Β  In order to break free of our phones, I suggested we meet in the park for a Family Play Date.Β Imagine Toys sent us a KABOOM! Go Out and Play! Essentials Pack, which we took to the park with us.Β  Inside the backpack are two jump ropes, a frisbee, two packs of sidewalk chalk, a playground ball and a book full of instructions for tons of playground games.Kaboom-backpack

Some of the games we played:

Hopscotch

kid-hopscotchMy daughter used the sidewalk chalk in the backpack to draw her hopscotch board.Β  Suffice to say, we didn’t actually use this one.Β  But she had a fun time drawing it!

Chalk outlines

chalk-outlineLlama was giggling the entire time her Nana traced around her.

Frisbee Golf

This was my first time playing!Β  One person picks a target,Β for exampleΒ a tree 100 feet away.Β  That same person then sets a par – the number of throws it should take to hit the target. Each member takes a turn trying to hit a tree.Β  I went 2 over par in my first throw. Seems like I need to practice more with my frisbee aim.

Double Dutch

kid-double-dutchWe tried to teach my daughter Double Dutch.Β  This is what happened.

Regardless, it was fun.

SPUD

First, we defined the boundaries of the playing area.Β  We chose one person as “It” as everyone else ran.Β  “It” counted to 10 with his eyes closed.Β  At 10, all the other players froze.Β  “It” is then allowed to take 4 giant steps toward any player and throw the ball at them.Β  If he hits the player, the player gets an “S.”Β  IfΒ heΒ misses, It gets an “S”.Β  Anyone who spells SPUD is out of the game.

We had a blast and not a single cell phone appeared for at least an hour.Β  The KaBoom backpack was incredibly convenient andΒ was the perfect Back to School family activity to reconnect without a ton of workΒ .Β  At the end, we were all tired and very sweaty.Β  We finished our night at Village Inn for pie.

Interested in getting your own KaBOOM! Go Out and Play Essentials Pack?Β  The Essentials packΒ comes in either purple or orange and offers a lifetime warranty.Β Β AlsoΒ included isΒ a book, along with other playground essentials: two jump ropes, a high-quality 2-ply rubber 8Β½” playground ball,Β two boxes of sidewalk chalk, and a Made in USA plastic flying disc.

Disclosure:Β  We received a free Kaboom! Go Out and Play Essentials Pack in return for our honest ideas and opinions.Β  In compensation for this post, we are receiving a $50 gift card to Imagine Toys which we plan on offering to our Whimsicle readers in a giveaway.

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What games did you play as a kid?

 

JoAnn Crohn

CEO/Founder at No Guilt Mom
JoAnn Crohn, M. Ed is a parenting educator and life coach who helps moms feel confident in raising empowered, self-sufficient kid while pursuing their own goals & passions.

She’s an accomplished writer, author, podcast host of the No Guilt Mom podcast, and speaker who appears in national media. Work with her personally in Balance VIP

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53 Comments

  1. I’m trying to get my nephews involved in more activities outside the house, instead. Whenever I come home from an eight hour plane ride away to visit them all they want to do is play on my iPad! Lol πŸ™ I love these outdoor games and activities, I’m still home for a little bit longer, so I’ll have to get these two kiddos to participate with me.

    1. My kiddos are the same way with technology. Nothing beats a good throw back…they can even watch they Aunt kick their booties at some outdoor fun.

  2. I love this! I played most of these games growing up. I have vivid memories of playing red rover on the play ground at school until our teachers banned it because they thought someone would get hurt. It was still a fun game πŸ™‚

    1. Haha. Red Rover was my worst nightmare when I was teaching…my heart stopped beating whenever the kids would play…but I too remember the simpler times πŸ™‚

  3. My Dad bands phones from the dinner table. If the home phone rings, we don’t pick up and he gets really mad if we’re on our phones at the table. Even now when I have a full time job and only go back for little holidays – the rules still apply! Sounds like you guys have thought of some pretty good games to get outside again!

    Katie <3

    1. Yay is right Kristine!! Amazing how sometimes we think there is nothing to do when there is a whole world outside πŸ™‚

  4. its worrying these days how many of us use phones during family time. Glad you made a change, I can not remember the name of my childhood games but i can describe to you

    1. Ya, it is definitely something to be wary about. I do remember playing my Nintendo a lot as a kid though. Since technology is so portable these days, I think we all need to be aware that kids also need time to use their imaginations πŸ™‚

  5. What a wonderful way to stay involved and have some family time! Its nice to just have some tech free time!

  6. I think EVERY family has a cell phone problem now! My mom has this rule when we go out that all our phones have to go in a pile, first person to pick up their phone pays for the entire meal. At first we thought it was a joke till my brother ended up having to pay for everyone one time. After that, we stopped using our phones while out with her, it totally works! Anyway, this kit looks so convenient and it looks like you had such a fun day! I feel like so many of these activities are being quickly forgotten but they’re so awesome!

  7. Awesome change to make! It’s my pet peeve to be in someone’s company and they have their cell phone as the second companion. At home, we definitely have a no techy device at the dinner table. Great article, with some great ideas of what to actually do outside the home that does not incorporate the techy device.

    Thrifting Diva
    http://www.thriftingdiva.com

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