20+ games to play with kids while lying down |
Anyone need some games to play with kids while lying down!?
I wanted to offer some balance to the hundreds of posts circulating full of amazingly awesome ideas that all require so much energy!
And as I’m pretty much THE official expert on playing lying down I was surprised I’d not already written this one!
So, if you’re feeling tired, ill, fed-up or just need a few minutes to get it together, I hope this list will help…
Hopefully photos will follow (if I can get my kids to put on some clothes!)
20+ games to play with kids while lying down…
1. Fetch – throw a teddy for your child to go get and return to you. Repeat for as long as you can get away with.
2. Draw on their back – use your finger to ‘draw’ numbers, letters, dinosaurs on your child’s back. They need to guess what is being drawn. Even better if you can get them to draw on your back.
3. Life model – lay down and tell your kids to sketch you.
4. What is it? – this ones great because you even get to close your eyes! Lie down and let your child place something in your hands. You have 3 chances to guess what it is. They win a point if you guess incorrectly.
5. Duvet den – a particular favourite of mine because it seems to entertain our boys for so long with minimal effort from me! Lie in bed and use your knees to hold the duvet up to make a ‘cave’. You can be dragons, badgers, explorers. If you fancy doing a little ab work then you can mix it up a little!
6. Doctors – become a patient so they can take your temperature or give you a bandage.
7. Hairdresser – you might need to sit up for this one but let them play with your hair. N.B. only let them loose with a soft hairbrush.
8. Parcel delivery – my kids love pretending to be Santa delivering toys. ‘Pretend’ to be asleep while they wrap up some toys in a shawl and then “ooh” and “ah” a little as you unwrap. Repeat!
9. Be a baby – my 3 year old is always asking me to ‘be a baby’ and to be honest as long as he’s bringing me teddies and reading me stories, I have no objections!
10. Monster truck ramps– legs make great ramps!
11. Roads – let your child drive hotwheels over your back. It’s probably the closest you’ll get to a massage.
12. Find me something – I loved playing this with my Granny…now I realize it was probably all a ploy for her to get a few minutes peace!
Ask your child to bring you something blue/ magnetic/ soft…
13. Painting – give your child a paint brush and a little tub of moisturizer. Let them paint you with it!
14. Manicure – I loved doing this as a kid but perhaps it was just me as my kids would not be up for it. If yours would then set up a manicure station…lotion, nail file and varnish!
15. Cloud watching – lie down outside on a rug and spot shapes in the clouds.
16. Paleontologist – use paintbrushes to hunt for fossils on the floor.
17. Nest – set up a circle of cushions or pillows and sit in it. It’s now your nest and your kids are now baby chicks/ raptors etc. You sit there and send them on missions like fetching food or learning to fly. This is my go to game if they’re resisting bedtime as it gets them on the bed!
18. Memories – get your child to describe a memory to you (they may need photo prompts). Try and guess what they are remembering.
19. Don’t wake the bear! – Your role in this game is to be a sleeping bear so get comfortable! Your children have ti try and sneak from one side of the room to the other without you hearing and waking up. Make it extra exciting by adding a snack or toy that they are sneaking to.
20. Walk on my back – great if you have a small kid and a strong back. Takes a surprising amount of balance!
21. Play lego / playmobil etc – utilize a toy you already have that can be played lying down.
22. Wrestling – we love a little wrestling and it is a great way to try and get a little energy flowing so that you feel more like getting up! Set some clear rules…ours is that if someone says ‘pause game’ we all stop.
If you have some energy after these then you may enjoy these:
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Please share with your exhausted friends!
So, there you have 20+ games to play while lying down! Which are your favourites?