As kids age, telling them to “go play”—the refrain of summer—gets trickier. Lately, I’ve been longing for the days when my older boys happily played with a jumble of toys or on our swing set for hours on playdates. Now, when my 9- and 7-year-old sons have friends over to our house, they play some sports, sometimes skirmish with Nerf or water guns, and ask, disappointingly often, to use the computer or iPad. We’ve resisted buying an Xbox—for better or worse, depending on how you look at it.
On summer days in my childhood, neighborhood kids would play together for hours, no digital or sports gear needed. We played games—various forms of tag, Red Rover, Kick the Can, and when the fireflies emerged, Manhunt or Ghost in the Graveyard. So when my older sons had two equally active, adventurous friends over this afternoon, I got two sticks, tied bandanas to them, and suggested Capture the Flag. They played for nearly two hours, swapping alliances for various rounds—and I haven’t heard such delighted shrieks—or seen such sweaty faces—from a group of kids in a long time.
It occurred to me that my kids don’t know how to play most of the neighborhood games that dominated my childhood. So, as we close out a camp-packed July and enter a less structured August, I’m making a cheat sheet of games for my children and their friends (you can select and print the 8 x 10 sheet below). Feel free to adapt the finer points; you may have used different rules and names than we suburban Philly kids did in the 80s. And if, on a summer’s evening, you want to jump into a round of Manhunt, expect to score some major points with the kids.
Great article! Anything that creates imagination outside of electronics is so meaningful and much more fun.