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Backyard Games

Hands-on Fun for Parents and Children

By Mark Stackpole

It is German educator Friedrich Froebel, inventor of the kindergarten system, who is credited with first saying, "Play is the work of children." Later, children's TV host Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangaroo, made an addendum to that statement: "It's very serious stuff." So for all of us grownups who are too busy with our own work to help our children with theirs, perhaps we need a little help remembering just how important it is to play.

May 23 through 30, 2005, marks the eighth annual National Backyard Games Week, created to encourage families to spend more time playing together. "We chose the week leading to Memorial Day for National Backyard Games Week because it preceded the unofficial start of summer," says Frank Beres, promotions director for Patch Products, the toy company that created and sponsors the weeklong celebration. "Parents were facing the prospect of their youngsters lying around the house in front of the TV or computer. It gave moms and dads a chance to set the tone for summer. Backyard games tend to be either team activities or flexible enough to allow for any number of players, which makes it easy to include everyone, no matter the size of the family or the ages involved."

If a parent has simple tools, Beres recommends a game called Bags. Simply cut a small hole into a wooden target board and try to toss beanbags through it. The point scoring system and levels of difficulty (size of holes, distance from target) can be negotiated. "The great thing about playing in the backyard is that your imagination is the only limit," Beres says. "Do you want to make up something completely on your own or adapt something you already know? All it takes is a little ingenuity."

Pete Cava is a father, former track and field professional and the author of Mom's Handy Book of Backyard Games (Wish Publishing, 2000), a collection of more than a century's worth of games that have been passed down through the generations of

Want to see more?

• Homemade Fun: Games to Make – Then Play – With Your Child
• Outdoor Fun, Lots of Learning: Brave the Heat and Have a Ball With Your Toddler!
• Daddy, Play With Me!
• Talk about it!