Looking for an indoor activity to help vent some of your grandkid’s energy during the winter? Have fun with balloons! Balloon games are fun for all ages to participate in, plus are an inexpensive activity where no one (rarely) gets injured.
Valentine’s Day is soon upon us this month, so it would be fun to purchase a few valentine balloons. You can buy plain pink and red ones or those that have printed hearts. There are also assorted sizes of red heart-shaped balloons.
The easiest balloon game is to play is “keep the balloon in the air.” You can challenge them to see who can keep the balloon from falling to the ground the longest.
Our grandchildren love to play balloon volleyball and balloon tennis. Set up a court by making a fake net, either by using a stretched rope/yarn or by placing chairs together in a row. Then, bat the balloon back and forth over the net without letting it drop to the ground. Balloon tennis is also fun, using the same net, but utilizing paddles made out of wooden spoons to hit the balloon across. If you have several children, have them form teams and try to keep score to have an actual game. Set up boundaries for your court with a string or tape outline. Tape works the best, but use painter’s tape for easy application on and off.
Balloon races also take up lots of energy! Have the children place the balloon between their legs and walk or hop across the length of the room. If the balloon drops, they must go back to the beginning! Another race, called noodle-oons is played by blowing up as many balloons as you wish to play with, then placing a large bucket or laundry basket on the opposite side of the room. The kids then hit the balloons across and into the receptacle using only a pool noodle. No hands allowed! This activity can be played as a race or individually to see how many balloons can be delivered to the basket in an allotted amount of time.
Quieter balloon games are also fun. Have the grandkids draw faces on a few balloons and then perform a balloon puppet show. Use the back of a sofa or a large cardboard box for the stage. Do not use washable markers for this, or you will have colorful kids! How about balloon painting? Kids adore painting and they tend to love painting with an unconventional tool rather than just a brush. To make a unique painting, partially inflate a balloon and let your grandkids dip it in tempera or finger paint and press/roll it onto a piece of paper.
Balloon rockets can be a special activity that will keep them entertained for a long period of time. Draw a rocket ship on an inflated balloon and then tape a straw to the top of it using a strong tape such as duct or packing tape. String a long piece of cord or kite string (6-10 feet) through the straw and stretch tightly. Place one child on each side of the string, or tie one end to a door knob. Make a small cut at the knotted end of the balloon and it will shoot across the room along the string. The kids will love to experiment how to make their rocket go faster. Our boys love Legos, and created small Lego cars with balloons attached to them so that when the balloon was perforated, they would go whizzing across the floor.
So, when you’re watching the grandkids on a freezing winter’s day, bring out a few colorful balloons, join with them in the games, and transform a bleak day indoors into a haven of fun!
Photos by Karen Shadrach
