Jump to content

Menu

Making your house "THE" house neighborhood kids want to play at (frugal is key).


Recommended Posts

I guess the title sounds a little creepy :lol: but seriously, due to ds8's severe behavioral challenges, we are finding it more crucial that his friends play at our house so we can keep an eye on him.

 

We don't have a swing set or trampoline (but we're working on getting a trampoline soon). We don't have a very big backyard. We do have an Xbox and a Wii but it is already overused and I'd prefer that the kids play outside or at the very least inside unplugged.

 

I'd like to acquire some things that would make our house more appealing to the kids but we need to be frugal and creative about it. Our finances will not allow for expensive toys.

 

Suggestions?

 

(Ds8 does not do well with win/lose games). TIA :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly? A welcoming attitude and a willingness to help with disputes when necessary (and stay out of things the rest of the time) will go farther than you think. Not having out of control pets helps. Being willing to let them drip water on the kitchen floor if they come in and out multiple times helps. FOOD, as the others have said. Whatever they're excited about, get books from the library or ideas online that stimulate their creativity/imagination. Bring home boxes from Costco and let them decorate them and make cars, robots, etc. Let them play music on Spotify. Give them each a roll of aluminum foil and/or duct tape and see what they can make with it. Staying involved without being overinvolved is the key. When parents are underinvolved, kids get bored or start bickering and need redirection. When parents are overinvolved, it takes the fun out of everything. And kids know when parents are happy to have them around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are a few fun activities that don't cost much. My kids and their friends have loved all of them.

Buy cornstarch and a plastic bin and let the kids play with Oobleck (it's messy, but cleans up easily) http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/

Have a bubble blowing free-for-all with lots of wands

Build a DIY solar oven and make brownies (we had to finish ours in the oven, but the kids didn't care)

Make Alka seltzer film canister rockets http://www.coolscience.org/CoolScience/KidScientists/alkaseltzer.htm

Supply cardboard and aluminum foil and let them make their own armor and swords for a mock battle.

 

 

And, I agree with previous posters, lots of fun food and nerf guns :001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When my almost-8yo ds entertains, the boys usually:

 

explore - trees, running water, old buildings are big attractions

play catch - baseball mitts & baseball

play football - football, football tee

hit balls - baseball bat, any kind of ball

play basketball

ride bikes and scooters

play war/Star Wars/Harry Potter - sticks, lots of room to play

"hunt" chickens - nerf guns and chickens

target practice - real bow & arrow, bb guns, straw bales

eat :D

 

My kids are active, and the boys usually spend most of their time outside. They rarely eat, but I like to offer fun snacks which are mobile so they can eat & run and usually have a sugar component.

 

Play dates seem to be more fun with more kids around, too. Even though the boys don't always play with girls, it sets a play ground atmosphere when all my kids have friends over at the same time. More kids usually = more fun.

 

Our acreage is a huge draw for kids this age too. :grouphug: for trying to entertain energetic boys in a smaller backyard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well this is free, but it might make you squirm. When ds was 8 I let him and all his friends dig a giant hole in the backyard. Yep, a huge one. Every boy in the neighborhood loved that hole, and when my ds was at that hole they all came running.

 

Now, filling in that hole when it was time to move was a day I will never forget. And I will never tell what I put in that hole to help fill it up. Never.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll tell you what my best come-to backyard featured.

 

An old broomstick wrapped with duct tape plus an old dog chewed wiffle ball (also wrapped with duct tape) for hours and hours of stickball.

 

Old squishy nerf footballs for football season.

 

Homeowners who didn't mind the lawn sod taking a beating.

 

A hose and old roll of plastic sheeting stretched down the hill for a slip-n-slide.

 

A bucket of dollar store water guns.

 

Homeowners who didn't mind kids using the hose.

 

A few cherry tomato bushes for kids to pick-n-eat from, not really because they're hungry but because it's just kind of a cool thing to do.

 

And because they do get hungry, cheap snacks: popcorn, cake mix cookies (1 box any flavor cake mix, 1 stick butter, 2 eggs...voila, cheap cookies!), lots of cold water, pop ice, sometimes even Kool aid or lemonade. An invitation to stay for supper, even though you and the kid know they can't stay, because the invitation alone tells them you really like having them around.

 

A stock of brightly colored bandaids and friendly TLC.

 

Homeowners that did their darnedest to learn the name of every kid that showed up in the yard.

 

I would hold off on video games unless you want the kids to spend all summer in the dark of your basement. At least set a time limit or policy, ie, half hour inside video games for every hour spent in active outdoor play.

 

And don't forget that if you want to be mom at a go-to house, you need to have a few mom-rules like they'd have at home. Wash hands before snacks. No bathroom talk allowed (cussing, that is). Every once in a while a reminder for them to be good to each other.

 

Anyway, that's how it worked when my big guys were younger and ours was the go-to house. I'm sure I enjoyed it as much as the kids did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess this is weather permitting, but water balloons are cheap and always a huge hit. It gets the kids outside, and all ages can play together. We generally tell the kids not to throw at each other, but they still have a lot of fun. When I set this up for ds5 it means I have to fill the balloons myself, but it's a small price to pay to see them all have so much fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly? A welcoming attitude and a willingness to help with disputes when necessary (and stay out of things the rest of the time) will go farther than you think. Not having out of control pets helps. Being willing to let them drip water on the kitchen floor if they come in and out multiple times helps. FOOD, as the others have said. Whatever they're excited about, get books from the library or ideas online that stimulate their creativity/imagination. Bring home boxes from Costco and let them decorate them and make cars, robots, etc. Let them play music on Spotify. Give them each a roll of aluminum foil and/or duct tape and see what they can make with it. Staying involved without being overinvolved is the key. When parents are underinvolved, kids get bored or start bickering and need redirection. When parents are overinvolved, it takes the fun out of everything. And kids know when parents are happy to have them around.

 

:iagree: Also, don't get a trampoline. MY kids aren't allowed to play at houses with a trampoline. Too many accidents and injuries with those things, too much potential for disaster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would also add to the conversation that if I don't know the family REALLY well; my kids aren't allowed to go inside, no matter what. If they need the restroom they can come home; if they need a snack; they can come home, etc... I do the same for the neighborhood children. If I don't really know them, I am nice, polite and try to get to know them but I don't think their family would be comfortable with them in my home and therefore I encourage them to go home for restroom breaks, etc... There are also many kids with food allergies. If they are too young, I won't let my kids share snacks without running and asking their parents first.

 

I agree with the hole.. I have had about four neighborhood kids helping dig a hole in our woods this past month. I also gave them a rake and they cleared "roads" through the trees for play, etc.

 

If I owned a trampoline; I wouldn't allow any children to play on it unless I had direct face to face permission from a parent. They are so easy to get hurt on, even with a net.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Foam rubber swords were a huge hit with our group of boys at that age.

 

You get swim noodles from the dollar store and quarter inch PVC, then slide the noodle onto the PVC and secure with lots of duct tape.

 

Fun to make and hard to get hurt... My son perfected his sword making technique and was even paid to come to the birthday party of a younger boy as the fun craft/party favor.

 

Also, dirt, sticks trowels and dump trucks, oh, and a few bags of those plastic army guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Food is really, really good. As someone said, it can easily be very cheap with popcorn and kool aid or lemonade. Things like water ballons, bubbles, fingerpainting, chalk for sidewalk, are also good. Having active toys like a soccer net and ball, wiffle ball set, badminton, etc. are really good too. BUt a lot of what my kids always wanted to do was go exploring and then come back and eat food and drink lots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some things that have made our house a hub for neighborhood boys:

Nerf stuff

Swords

Beyblades

Water guns

Football, soccer ball, kick ball, etc.

Sidewalk chalk

 

I always make sure each kid has permission from his parents before coming in the house. Also, I am not a super cautious parent, but trampolines scare me. I would not let my kids play on one without being there myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly? A welcoming attitude and a willingness to help with disputes when necessary (and stay out of things the rest of the time) will go farther than you think. Not having out of control pets helps. Being willing to let them drip water on the kitchen floor if they come in and out multiple times helps. FOOD, as the others have said. Whatever they're excited about, get books from the library or ideas online that stimulate their creativity/imagination. Bring home boxes from Costco and let them decorate them and make cars, robots, etc. Let them play music on Spotify. Give them each a roll of aluminum foil and/or duct tape and see what they can make with it. Staying involved without being overinvolved is the key. When parents are underinvolved, kids get bored or start bickering and need redirection. When parents are overinvolved, it takes the fun out of everything. And kids know when parents are happy to have them around.

 

:iagree: I should have read this first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:iagree: Also, don't get a trampoline. MY kids aren't allowed to play at houses with a trampoline. Too many accidents and injuries with those things, too much potential for disaster.

 

I also forbade my kids the houses with the trampolines. Does your homeowners insurance know you are getting one?

 

I like the idea of shovels and letting kids dig the world's biggest hole! Find some old wood and bang together a clubhouse, too. Old tire hung from a tree limb, if a tree is available. Zip line. Home made tepee - old sheets (let them decorate) strung around a few of the cheapest poles (I used wood trim!) you can get. Or a cheap tent - again, old sheets over a clothesline works, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well this is free, but it might make you squirm. When ds was 8 I let him and all his friends dig a giant hole in the backyard. Yep, a huge one. Every boy in the neighborhood loved that hole, and when my ds was at that hole they all came running.

 

Now, filling in that hole when it was time to move was a day I will never forget. And I will never tell what I put in that hole to help fill it up. Never.

 

Yup. Construction sites were hot stuff when I was a kid. Once you get the big big hole, fill it with water. We would ride down a slope and right into the huge mud hole on our bikes, haul them out, hose them/us off, and do it again. All summer long.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

fire pit (my kids are older though)

 

I forgot fire! We have a HUGE burn pit which dh lights on fire when boys are over. We also have a smaller fire pit that we use when I am the only adult and/or girls are over. The kids love roasting hotdogs and marshmallows.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly? A welcoming attitude and a willingness to help with disputes when necessary (and stay out of things the rest of the time) will go farther than you think. Not having out of control pets helps. Being willing to let them drip water on the kitchen floor if they come in and out multiple times helps. FOOD, as the others have said. Whatever they're excited about, get books from the library or ideas online that stimulate their creativity/imagination. Bring home boxes from Costco and let them decorate them and make cars, robots, etc. Let them play music on Spotify. Give them each a roll of aluminum foil and/or duct tape and see what they can make with it. Staying involved without being overinvolved is the key. When parents are underinvolved, kids get bored or start bickering and need redirection. When parents are overinvolved, it takes the fun out of everything. And kids know when parents are happy to have them around.

 

:iagree:

 

I think being welcoming but a bit hands off is key. If your house is the house where no one hassles them or oversees every little thing, then I think that can be the go to house. It doesn't mean that you have to let it be a free for all or that they don't have to clean up the mess they make, more that you're not hovering over them making them clean it as they go along or giving them grief about every small disagreement. You're there, you've got food and stuff to do and are willing to help them get started on projects, but you're not trying to schedule or oversee every little thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our kids are grown now but when they were younger, popcorn and those popsicles that come in a plastic tube (we called them freeze pops but I don;t know the real name) were things that really made the kids want to hang out. Tweens and teens- food is key- and we'd buy those pops in a huge box- and actually now have a real popcorn popper like a theater. Cheap snacks.

 

For toys, they loved the sandbox- even teenagers love to play in the sand, oddly enough. Water balloons, whiffle balls and bat, and squirt guns got endless use. And sidewalk chalk in a bucket. And even for teenagers, bubble blowing solution. Though my youngest are 17 and 19, all of these are still enjoyed with friends- except the sandbox is now gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone, for the wonderful ideas!!!

 

It's funny that several people mentioned digging a big hole. Ds8 did just that a few weeks ago...but it was under our apricot tree (the only place where there's enough room to dig in the dirt) and it wound up exposing a bunch of roots plus it was close to the fence so dh wanted them to fill it up so the fence wouldn't fall and also so the tree wouldn't be damaged.

 

I wish we had more room for the kids to run and play. We simply don't have the room (none of the houses around here do) to get a good baseball game going.

 

I'd like to get a backboard for basketball, a ping pong table (both free or low cost off of Craigslist) ;)

 

I love the food suggestions! I forgot about how important good snacks are ;)

 

Today ds8's friend came by and asked if I had any more of those chocolate covered raisins we had last week (we didn't) but I offered him some ritz crackers and he was thrilled. I need to come up with some kid friendly recipes that we can all make together when friends come over :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In our basement, we put up a huge magnet wall. We made pieces for a marble run out of PVC pipe and connectors. It is way cool, and boys who come over here love it!

 

I've also bought a few king-size flat sheets at a secondhand store that the kids can use in or out to build forts.

 

A place to dig and/or play in the dirt is great...along with different props or ideas of what they could do. (like the bags of army guys). I agree with the nerf guns...we bought a bunch of cheap working goggles to keep here so we can just let them have at it. My guys love to set up targets or water balloons to try to shoot at.

 

This spring/summer, what I'd like to do is have a bunch of PVC pipe and connectors and let the boys build outside. I've seen online different ideas of things to build with PVC pipe, and as it is relatively inexpensive, I think it might be a good neighborhood group type of activity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And I will never tell what I put in that hole to help fill it up. Never.

 

:lol: *visions of CSI agents dancing in my head*:lol:

 

I also forbade my kids the houses with the trampolines. Does your homeowners insurance know you are getting one?

 

I like the idea of shovels and letting kids dig the world's biggest hole! Find some old wood and bang together a clubhouse, too. Old tire hung from a tree limb, if a tree is available. Zip line. Home made tepee - old sheets (let them decorate) strung around a few of the cheapest poles (I used wood trim!) you can get. Or a cheap tent - again, old sheets over a clothesline works, too.

 

Wouldn't a zip line also be considered dangerous by homeowner's insurance? We have a very wooded lot on the side of a hill which would be a great place for a zip line, but I wonder about having parents sign waivers and such.

 

I'm loving all these great ideas for summer! Keep them coming!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This will be our 3 summer with a tramp. My kids love it! We sort of inhearited it and don't know if we will replace it when needed but for now it has been a big neighborhood hit. I don't let a child play on it unless I have talked to a parent.

 

The other thing that we have for summer is a 16' pool we put up in the back yard. Again, the parent has to give an explicit ok before a child is allowed to swim but it really was the gathering point last summer.

 

I agree with some of the other posters, you have to be willing to allow children in and out of your home to get a drink, use the bathroom, etc. This is a stretch for me at times but I got to where I enjoyed the one on one with the different children as they were getting that drink or asking to use the bathroom. For the most part they are always polite, knock on the door before entering and ask not assume.

 

With the pool I monitor very highly. Last summer we had one child that thought it was cool to 'dive' into the pool. I warned him once, the second time I called him out of the pool and walked him to his foster moms house. We had a sit down. It stopped as I explained AGAIN what could be the result of doing such but told him if I saw it again he would no longer be allowed in the pool. This was done in front of and with the foster moms knowledge/approval.

 

I do monitor the tramp also as some children get pretty rough on it. NOT COOL!

 

I think one of the biggest things is to enjoy the kids, all of them. If a child is getting to where I am not enjoying their presence they are asked to go home for the day. They always come back.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nerf stuff has made our house the go-to house.;)

 

:iagree:

 

We have four boys and Nerf War is the biggest reason we attract kids from all over town.

 

And we sometimes take a Saturday, once a month, and each of the boys gets to invite 2 friends to a video game, computer game, nerf marathon for 2-4 hours. I buy a few bags of chips, a few 2 liters of pop, and I make cookies. I'm considered a 'cool' mom when this happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't do snacks a lot to be honest, however kids seemed to enjoy coming over regardless. We live on 5 acres surrounded with forests though. We have a playset with a fort and the biggest love is the huge dirt pile in the yard. Trees that have fallen down or been cut down make for easy climbing and forts. We also encourage active play and inquisitiveness, we have kids over for science night and they have so far made a marshmallow gun, bean shooter, trebechet and a microphone out of a matchbox. Boys love any kind of weapons, explosions etc.

 

Dh's house growing up was the place to be, his Dad bought him an old VW bug and him and his friends would work on fixing it up every weekend and then racing it around the fields until they tore it up again. I hope by the time ds is older we can do something similiar, perhaps a go-cart that they can make together. Dh learned a lot about mechanics and he wasn't out drinking or doing drugs or other things. My parents were the cool place as well. They were welcoming and not too harsh but didn't allow any shenanigans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to get a backboard for basketball, a ping pong table (both free or low cost off of Craigslist) :)

 

This is what did it for us. We put a basketball hoop up and the kids come from everywhere every day.

 

Also, we bought a "playground" ball and a big Costco bucket of sidewalk chalk. They love to play "four square".

 

During the summer, the most fun the kids have is playing "kick the can". All you need is a can, preferably a coffee can size. I remembered playing this well into darkness when I was a kid, showed the neighborhood kids how to play, and now they come out of the woodwork to play. Even my 15yo still likes to play with the kids.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nerf stuff has made our house the go-to house.;)

 

This is the biggest hit here.

 

Well this is free, but it might make you squirm. When ds was 8 I let him and all his friends dig a giant hole in the backyard. Yep, a huge one. Every boy in the neighborhood loved that hole, and when my ds was at that hole they all came running.

 

Now, filling in that hole when it was time to move was a day I will never forget. And I will never tell what I put in that hole to help fill it up. Never.

 

:D My boys would totally want to come over to your house!

 

Wouldn't a zip line also be considered dangerous by homeowner's insurance? We have a very wooded lot on the side of a hill which would be a great place for a zip line, but I wonder about having parents sign waivers and such.

 

I'm loving all these great ideas for summer! Keep them coming!

 

We have a zip line, but it is not very high or long. It cuts down on the fun factor I guess but every kid who comes over loves it. We also have a trapeze from a old swingset that hangs from a tree, that is a favorite as well.

 

We got one of those giant wooden swingsets off of Freecycle or Craigslist. I don't remember which but it was free. Basically "if you come and take it apart you can have it". That has been a big favorite with every age. Friends of ours also found one free on Freecycle and set it up in separate pieces as they have a smaller yard.

 

I'm fairly laidback about things like playing with hose or water or mud. I usually tell my boys to ask first but almost always say yes. And many a time we've had a bunch of boys over who have had to go home wearing my son's clothing. :) (These are kids who I know and I know their mothers are ok with that.)

 

For indoor play, they all love Legos. One year for Christmas I gave my kids a big plastic container full of dress up clothes (mostly costumes bought on sale after Halloween). Over the years we've added to it and that's consistently been a huge hit, even for older kids.

 

I think the advice about having the right attitude is important. I think kids want to go somewhere that feels friendly but they also want a degree of space. They don't want to feel like the mom is really involved in what they are doing, but they want to know you are around and willing to help out if needed. Things like special snacks are always appreciated but I've found they like it just as much when I offer them a popsicle as something I baked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...