Like most children, my kids love to play outside in the backyard. They especially like to find creative uses for their typical backyard toys. So in the spirit of National Backyard Games week, I decided to present my kids with a challenge this morning…

Their Challenge:
Invent, create, and develop a new backyard game for our family to play together.

The Rules:

• Each child is to create their own game. They may use any of the supplies provided (see list below) or any other found supplies (within reason, of course).
• The game they invent must be one that can be played with 1 to 5 people. This allows the game to be played individually, with two or three of my kids, or with our entire family.
• Each game must have a name and established rules.
• Games should be fairly simple – a good barometer for simplicity: everyone can remember the rules without them written down.
• The game should be able to be completed in approximately 15 minutes. This will keep younger children interested, and will allow older kids and adults the chance to play multiple games if they want.

Supplies Provided:
While backyard games don’t have to require a lot of equipment to be creative and fun, I provided the following items for my kids in case they wanted to use them (either in their games or as inspiration for a game). I also encouraged my kids to use whatever other supplies they could find around the house or yard.

• Balls of all kinds – for example, our favorite Pinky Ball (extremely versatile), a Skushi Ball, the unique Yackle Ball, Ping Pong balls, tennis balls, and basketballs
• Balloons (with or without water)
• Jump Ropes – such as 16″ Cotton Jump Rope or a Chinese Jump Rope
• Boundary Markers – such as Marker Rounds
• String (we especially like Mason line, available in a variety of colors from the hardware store)
• Pulleys, all sizes
• Small and Large Buckets, Pails, and Tubtrugs (such useful tubs!)
• Aluminum Foil (because it’s such a malleable material, it’s great for making models or connecting things together)
• Bandage Strips (makes great connectors), masking tape, mailing labels, or sticky notes
• Binder Clips (great for holding things together, used as weights and counterweights, or springs for launching items)
• Cardboard Tubes or PVC Pipe
• Rubber Bands (all sizes)
• Sticks or lumber – bamboo sticks or wooden dowels available at home stores, lumber scraps if small in size and “youngster safe”
• Measuring Tape, Rulers, or Yardsticks

Design Process:
To encourage my kids to organize their thoughts about their games, I wrote the following words (the words in bold) on our whiteboard for them to use.

• Brainstorm! Generate ideas for a new game and write them all down. Create sketches. Every idea is a good idea, even if they seem completely unrealistic.
• Research! If you are unsure how to make something work, get information online, from our library, or from friends and family.
• Choose an Idea! After brainstorming new ideas and researching ways to make them work, look your list over and figure out which idea you want to start with.
• Plan! Determine what you want your game to do or accomplish. Figure out what supplies you need and what the rules will be. Pinpoint what you think will be the most challenging problems in creating your game.
• Sketch It! Create sketches of your game, or diagrams of play. Include details.
• Present It! Present your “first draft” to friends or family. This step helps you find errors and to clear up unclear directions.
• Put It Together! Start putting your game together! (This is the really fun part)!
• Test It! Make sure your game plays the way you thought it would. Make modifications, then test it again. Continue testing and tweaking until you are satisfied with your game.
• Play It! When your game is complete, it’s time to play and have fun!

Ready to Play!
After my kids have tested their game and are satisfied with it, we’ll be ready to play!

• Each child will present their game to the rest of the family, one at a time. This presentation will include the name of the game, the rules of the game, and a demonstration of the game. Talk about a great opportunity for practicing “public” speaking and presentation skills!
• After the first presentation, our family will play the game. During game play, no critiquing will be allowed (we’ll save that for the Round Table Meeting afterward) – just fun, involved play.
• After playing the first game, we’ll move on to the next presentation and game play, immediately followed by the third presentation and game play.

Round Table Meeting:
After all the games have been played, we will gather together to discuss the games. Here is an idea for an agenda.

• Have the first presenter discuss how they felt the game went. What did the inventor like the best about the game? What did he like the least? Are there any rules he would change? Any modifications he would make to the game?
• At the end of the first presenter’s review, other family members can ask questions or offer their constructive critique for the game. Positive encouragement is stressed, along with feedback for improvements – no negative attacks allowed.
• Each game inventor will have an opportunity to review their game, followed by a family question and feedback period.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• My goal for my kids: have them exercise their creativity and “thinking outside the box” skills. They will be able to invent, test, reinvent, modify, and tweak their ideas until they are satisfied with their game.
• Inventing a backyard game that can be played by one or more players is quite a challenge. My hope is that the game can be played in a variety of ways so it can entertain one child who would like to play alone, or our entire family.
• Inventing a new game may take more than one day to perfect. We will use as much time as needed this week to get something started. Final tweaking can be done as the games progress.
• When questioning and critiquing the games, family members are free to state their opinions, as long as they are stated tactfully and with kindness. Again, no negative attacks allowed!

Being the first to present might not be everyone’s favorite position. So, to determine who will go first, we’ll use the classic method of choosing… Rock! Paper! Scissors!

It’s just before dinner now, and my kids have been busy all day. Looks like it will be a fun, creative evening playing in our yard with our kids!

Take our challenge with your family! Who knows, maybe your kids will invent a game that the entire world will want to play!

Have fun!