Games, tricks and experiments that children (and adults) will appreciate.

Because of the pandemic, you can't really walk around during the January holidays: you can't go to the museum, you can't go on an excursion, you can't even watch a movie in the cinema. And if it is cold outside, then you will not ride on the slide. The only thing left is to stay at home. To spend time with benefit and not to die of boredom, we offer to brighten up the evening with simple but interesting games, tricks and experiments.

Below you will find more than 30 ideas that will help you have fun with the whole family. We have selected them based on the following criteria:

• They are suitable for the room.
• They're lightweight. The entertainment that you will find below requires a minimum set of improvised means – in addition, they are probably at your home.

1. Hot potatoes

A good old yard game that is passed down from generation to generation. The title of "yard" does not mean that it cannot be played at home. The rules are very simple (suddenly you forgot): you need to throw the ball in a circle, saying "Hot!". Who does not catch - sits in a circle, which is often called the "cauldron".

You can get out of the boiler in two ways. Method one - a player in a cauldron, squatting, catches a passing ball. The second method is that the players throw the ball into the person sitting in the cauldron and thereby save him.

2. "Finger"-challenge

It's kind of like "patting yourself on the head and rubbing your stomach at the same time."

Starting position: raise the thumb of the left hand up, and direct the index finger of the right to the thumb of the left.

Now simultaneously swap the gestures: move the left hand to the position of "index finger pointing to the thumb of the other hand", and the right - to the position "thumb up".

It sounds easy in words, but you just try it! In the brain, it is as if something switches, and this makes it difficult to complete the task. But a little practice – and in the end you can easily change these provisions.

3. Construction of the "fortress"

Building a full-fledged shelter is a great way to spend the weekend. All you need is building materials in the form of sofa and regular pillows, chairs, sheets and blankets. Not only will it take an entire evening to build, but your kids will fall asleep faster and are likely right inside the hut!

4. Mountain of Flour

If quarantine has destroyed the slightest desire in you to bake something, and there is too much flour left, you can find it a good use in this game. It is more rational to play it before evening hygiene procedures - there is a chance to get a little dirty.

Pour a bunch of flour on a plate and shape it like a cone – a mountain. Put a match or toothpick on top. Now each player, using an oil knife, must cut a piece of "mountain" so that the toothpick does not fall.

The size of the pieces depends on the player's desire – naturally, they will become smaller and smaller as you get closer to the toothpick. The one who drops the toothpick first should raise it with their lips and, accordingly, stain ther face in flour.

5. Xylophone made of glass bottles

You probably know that glass water bottles can be used as a musical instrument, but do your children know about it?

Fill several bottles or glasses of the same size and shape with different amounts of water. And then start the experiment! Tap bottles with a spoon to see how the water level affects the sound; check the difference in sound between a glass of water and an empty glass; Blow over the necks to get another type of sound.

Want even more creativity? "Customize" the bottles and try to play a few songs on your "xylophone".

6. Charades

A classic home game that is still fun. Great for after-dinner entertainment.

To ensure that each family member can participate, use a random word generator. So all players will be able to guess. Except, of course, the one who shows the word.

7. Soap carving

If your kids aren't already very good with a knife, a great way to practice cutting is to cut a couple of objects out of barley soap. Even if they have no experience with a pocket knife, the soap is so soft that a non-sharp oil knife will do.

Let your children show a little creativity and imagination – let them cut out of the soap bars everything they want.

8. Sleeping Giant

This game is based in part on the story of Polyphemus from Homer's poem Odyssey. Your kids will love it.

Put them in a "cave" – the space between the wall and the bed/closet/other furniture – and close the "entrance" with your body. Pretend to sleep – children need to get out of the cave without hitting the "giant".

If in the process of escape children touch the "giant" - he wakes up and tries to grab them. Well, if the escape ends in success, the further development of events depends only on your imagination.

9. Trick with door jamb

Surprise your child with this classic trick. Ask them to stand in the doorway and raise his hands so that their palms rest on the doorjamb with the back side. Tell your child to "freeze" in this position for a minute, then ask him to take a step forward. They will feel their hands magically go up.

10. Paper Challenge

Cut an A4 sheet into quarters and give one part to your child. Now ask him to make a hole in the leaf so that he can stick his head into it. Of course, he will fail. And then he learns with interest the trick that allows you to make the impossible possible, which you will show him:

Step 1. Fold the quarter in half lengthwise.

Step 2. Make about 12 cuts on the fold.

Step 3. Now make about the same number of cuts on the other side in a staggered manner.

Step 4. Now cut the fold, starting from the inside of the first cut and ending with the inside of the last one, as shown in the photo:

Step 5. Unfold the sheet and put it on your head.

11. Poor Cat Game

All family members are involved, except for the one who will play the role of the cat first. He gets on all fours, crawls up to one of the family members and meows three times.

After that, a person should pat the "kitten" on the head 3 times and say: "Poor cat, poor cat, poor cat"." The "cat" should behave as stupidly and funnily as possible. The first person to laugh becomes the new kitten.

This game may seem strange to you, but it is listed in the American collection of children's games of the 1960s and can cheer up even "unsympathetic". Just try it!

12. Paper ball

Origami is an effective remedy for boredom. And the funniest kind of origami is the one that results in a functional object – for example, a frog that can jump, a box in which you can put things, a ring that you can wear, or a ninja star that you can use to deal with your enemies.

But the winner in this category is a paper balloon. Once you're done, you'll be able to use it as a snowball, a cat toy, or a water bomb.

13. Invisible ink

The magic of the world of secret agents and brave pirates will be appreciated by any child. So, he will not refuse to prepare invisible ink on his own. The problem is that the classic formula – lemon juice + heat – doesn't actually work very well. We present you a working recipe.

His bonus is that you probably have everything you need at home.

Just mix 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of water, dip a cotton swab in the mixture and write a message on white paper. Wait until the ink dries, then dip the brush in dark juice, paint the sheet with it directly on top of the lettersand wait until a miracle happens.

14. Musical chairs

Fun is guaranteed, even if 4 people play. Your children will enjoy both participating in the game itself and playing the role of a "DJ" who should choose their favorite songs and stop them at any moment while the rest of the family members walk around empty chairs.

15. Game "Muskrat"

The principle is the same as in the game above. Family members stand on either side of a small elongated mat – the river. The DJ starts and stops the music. When a song is played, players walk back and forth on the mat. The one who finds himself in the "river" when the music ends turns into a muskrat and is eliminated from the game.

16. Competition of paper airplanes

The rules are simple: fold each paper airplane, launch them into the air and see which flies farther.

17. Focus with levitation

Will your child be able to make the thread come up from the table? Yes – if he uses a comb activated by the "magic" of static electricity. Just ask him to run a few combs through his hair, and then bring it to the thread (or a small sheet of paper towel) and voila - it will "fly" up.

18. "Get up off the floor without hands"

An original test that can predict how long you will live. The fewer limbs you need to get off the floor from a sitting position, the longer you will live. Well, in addition to the predictive test, this is a fun game that your children will enjoy.

See if they can get up off the floor without using their arms/elbows/knees. Maybe they'll even find a few ways to do it.

19. Tricks with Dude Perfect

Do you know the Dude Perfect YouTube channel? If not, we advise you to watch the video with the whole family, and then try to repeat some trick - turn over the bottle, get socks in the laundry basket or a ping pong ball - in a glass or jar. And, of course, don't forget to scream and run like crazy after every win.

20. "Transparent" paper

Put a piece of paper on the coin and ask the child if he can determine what denomination it is. You'll see: he'll be perplexed. And then show him the trick: shade the top of the coin with a pencil, creating a relief that will show its value.

21. Competition for the best wheel

Entertainment for the most active. Hold a competition to see who can make the best wheel (or the worst). Spoiler alert: Dad is likely to lose.

You can also hold competitions in somersaults, handstands against the wall and other gymnastic elements.

22. Contest "3 felt-tip pens"

Each participant blindly takes three markers out of the box. After that, everyone uses their set to draw an image on the same theme – for example, a cake.

If you come across pink, blue and orange markers, you need to be creative and understand how to more successfully fit colors into the picture. The whole family then determines the best job.

23. Phone from a paper cup

Over the past decades, the look of smartphones has changed a lot, but making a phone from paper cups is still a source of great pleasure.

It's not difficult: just make a hole in the bottom of the glass and thread a string through it. Inside the glass, tie a toothpick to it - it will prevent the "wire" from falling out when you stretch the "phone line" between the glasses (tension improves sound quality).

Repeat the same with another cup, connecting them together (preferably with a long cord) so that you can stand far apart and cannot hear each other's voices.

After the work is finished, one person brings the glass to his ear and the other speaks softly into his glass. The volume and sound quality are surprisingly impressive!

24. Obstacle Course

Ottomans, chairs, mops and cardboard boxes can be used to create an obstacle course. Ask the children to place obstacles, and then arrange a competition to find out who will cope with them faster.

25. Shadow Game

Good fun before bedtime. Point the lamp at the wall and place your hands, similar to the silhouettes of different animals, in front of the light source. Your wall will "come to life" with the help of animals, each of which will be able to interact with each other, thereby creating a full-fledged puppet show.

26. Game "Catch a cane"

All but one family member sits on chairs. The presenter stands in the center of the circle, holding a broom, PVC pipe or any other stick in his hand so that one end of it touches the floor.

He then calls out the name of the person sitting in the circle, while releasing the cane. The player whose name is spoken must jump out of his chair and catch the stick before it falls. If he succeeds, the host will continue and call out the name of the other person; if not, the loser and the presenter should switch places.

27. Focus with rope

Hand the child a rope about a meter long and ask him to take both ends of it with your hands. And now give the task - tie the knot, without releasing the ends, and, crossing your arms, watch the futile attempts.

When your child finally asks for help, tell him (while your arms are still crossed) to place the ends of the rope in each of your palms. Open your arms and voila – a knot will magically appear on the rope!

28. Puzzles with toothpicks

Use 12 toothpicks to make 5 squares. Now think about what 2 toothpicks to remove so that there are only 2 squares left?

Now use 17 toothpicks to make 6 squares. Think: what 6 toothpicks to remove to get 2 squares? No toothpicks? Use matches or anything else.

29. The game "Continue the story"

The rules are simple: one person starts telling a made-up story. After about a minute, he stops and passes the story to someone else - he must continue the story from where the first player stopped.

After a minute of improvisation, he passes the story on to the next person. Everyone must use the plot thread of the previous participant, while leading the narrative in their own direction. A fun game that trains the imagination and skill of the narrator.

30. Game "Who am I?"

Cards are prepared in advance - they can have the names of objects, animals, names of real people, heroes from films and fairy tales. A piece of scotch tape is glued to the cards. Each player blindly chooses a card and glues it on his forehead.

Thus, players see what is written on the forehead of others, but do not see what is written in themselves. With leading questions that can only be answered "yes" or "no" (e.g., "Am I an animal?", "Do I exist in real life?"), each player must guess the word in his card.

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