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How to Make and Play with Bean Bags (Even if You’re Too Old)
By Rebecca | March 24, 2008
In 2005, as Katrina refugees flooded into Houston, my in-law’s ward decided to collect toys for the children staying in the Astrodome. My mother-in-law asked for my help assembling items to donate. We tried to think of toys that were versatile and easy to store, something that would entertain the kids and that they could take with them when it was time to leave. Among other small items, we decided to send them homemade bean bags.
To make a bean bag, all you need is fabric and dry, uncooked beans. Cut two squares about 4 or 5 inches from the fabric. Sew them together, leaving about two inches open on one side. Fill the square half way with beans and sew up the opening. (If you don’t have time, or don’t want to sew, you can fill a sock part way with beans and tie up the end.)
The following are ideas of games you can play with bean bags. These can be good for babysitting, activities or parties. (Bean bags may sound childish, but they really can be good fun for any age.)
Bean bag toss (single): Standing behind a line, toss the bean bag through a hole, into a bucket or at a predetermined spot. Set up cans or blocks and try to knock them over with the bean bag.
Relay: Set up teams and race with the bean bag on your head, shoulder or foot. For added difficulty, pass the bean bag from person to person without using your hands.
Bean bag toss (pairs): Pair up and toss the bean bag back and forth. Start close together, each time you complete a successful toss take one step back. See which team can get the farthest apart without dropping it.
Chin race: Line up two teams and give each a bean bag. Have the line leader hold the bean bag under their chin. Pass the bean bag from chin to chin without using hands. If using chins is not age appropriate, you can do a variation of this game using feet or elbows.
Young children always like throwing and catching. Bean bags work better than balls with their limited coordination. Just tossing a bean bag back and forth can entertain a child for some time.
For similar reasons, bean bags also work well for beginning jugglers. They are easier to keep track of, and catch, than balls. (Even bad juggling can entertain youngsters so kill two birds with one stone and practice juggling while you babysit.)
Service Project: Even if you aren’t interested in having any bean bags for yourself, you can always make some for somebody else. They are always popular with young children and you could donate them to local women shelters or children’s advocacy groups. You may even want to ask if you ward nursery could use a dozen or so bean bags.
Gift: A couple of bean bags with a list of game ideas can also be a fun and inexpensive gift for a family with young children. You can use fabric in the children’s favorite color or printed with their favorite cartoon characters.
Topics: Babysitting, Budget, Christmas, Family, Gifts, Good Works, Holidays, Home, How To, Service |
