Spoon Ball

Materials:

• Ping-Pong ball
• spoons

Keeping two kids occupied while you make dinner requires some special thinking—and a couple of spoons.

In this game, each player gets a soup spoon. The object is for your kids to pass a Ping-Pong ball from spoon to spoon without dropping it. After they master the basic skills, they can try passing the ball while walking across the kitchen. Or they can score extra points with the audience (that's you) with fancy passes behind the back, between the legs, or over the shoulder. If your kids get really good at the game, they might even try it blindfolded. If three kids are playing, the two passers can play blindfolded while the third player directs them.

Finally, if you have an interesting tile pattern, your kids can establish certain "bounce" zones—places where it's OK to drop the ball, and places where it will be gobbled up by a shark—that should add some tension to the game.

Just one thing, don't get too caught up in the laughter—you might find yourself with an unexpectedly crispy meal!

More on: Games for the Whole Family

Excerpted from:

© 2005 by Steve and Ruth Bennett. Excerpted from 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities with permission of its publisher, Perseus Books Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.