I often think back to when I was growing up. In between the frequent sibling arguments, my older brother and I were oddly very creative with the things we came up with to entertain ourselves (when we did get along).
Now that I have my own kids, I try to encourage their creativity by letting them come up with games to play on their own. However, sometimes sibling rivalry gets in the way and the best thing I can think of is to come up with an activity to keep their minds off of why they are fighting! So much fighting…
Here’s some ideas for siblings to play when you need to spark some creativity, or when you just can’t handle the arguing any more!
*The Floor Is Lava: Who doesn’t love a rousing game of this old-fashioned game?! This is a great way to spark creativity and keeps the kids entertained for a while. Basically, the premise of this game is to do whatever you can to avoid touching the floor. Use couch cushions, chairs, anything that’s not the floor because, well, the floor is lava!
*Twister: My kids are just getting into “board” games. Twister is a favorite for us! Lots of laughs are had whenever they play this one.
*Obstacle Course: I have mentioned before an obstacle course activity I did with my kids during the quarantine time of the pandemic. This is also a great way for the kids to play together. Sometimes they even get creative and come up with new obstacles for themselves.
*Bowling with cups: This was another one of those quarantined pandemic activities, but it’s a great way for siblings to pass the time. If your kids are a little older, they could even keep score.
*Scavenger Hunt with “Guys”: Thank goodness for plastic figurines (a.k.a. “guys” in our house). My kids play “guys” for hours together! This activity is a great two player game. One sibling-usually the older one-hides some of the “guys”. In our case we use the big plastic Avenger Superheroes. They can hide them anywhere on the first floor. Then, the other sibling(s) have to find them. If your kids are competitive you can even time them to see who finds their “guys” the fastest.
*Freeze Game: In our house we like to dance! Music is an everyday part of our typical activity list. This game is kind of like freeze tag, but with dancing. We play music, then when the music stops they have to freeze. Lots of laughs happen with this because they try to freeze in funny poses!
*Dance Party: No explanation necessary for this one; just some good old-fashioned dancing! What a way to burn energy!
*Matching Game: This game is just like the memory game. They make so many different versions of this game. Our kids have the Toy Story matching game. I love this game because not only does it help them practice their memory skills, but it’s a game that, at a young age, they can play together.
*Build a fort (camping): On occasion, we like to “real play” in our house. Sometimes we take our camping tents out inside and go “camping” indoors. My kids have this adorable play camping set (including fire, logs, S’mores pieces, and skewer). My kids sit in their tents and go indoor camping and it’s a great way to be creative!
*Play Food: There’s a reason play food has been around forever. It is a great way to foster creativity and keeps kids entertained for hours. We have a toy kitchen for pretend play and my kids love to spend time in their kitchen playing with all of the play food.
*DIY Slime with “Guys”: I have posted before about slime. It’s a summer favorite for us, especially when it’s too hot outside to stay out for long periods of time. This one also gets kids brainstorming different things to do with the slime, and it’s a time-killer (great for moms!)
These are just some of the things we do in our house to help foster creativity, minimize screen time, and have fun with siblings. I love these activities because most of them my kids are able to play on their own. I just have to monitor them to make sure the sibling rivalry doesn’t make another appearance!
Any other ways to keep sibling’s entertained? I’d love to hear your ideas, too!
