Bowling with marbles

Before computers, the Internet, play station, x-box, iPads etc children had great fun with marbles. Do most kids these days even know what marbles are? Let's give marbles a come back with this fun and frugal idea.

Ages: 2.5 years and over. (please ensure your children are supervised as marbles can be a chocking hazard.)



Indoor or Outdoor: best to do indoors.

Equipment/Resources: a packet of marbles or small balls, a cardboard box, a black or blue marker or texta, some paper, pencil or pen.

Cost: Free if you already have some marbles or small balls. If not marbles can be bought from $2 shops or toy stores.

Instructions:

1) Using a medium sized box cut some windows out right at the top of the box. Cut between 4-6 holes using different shapes. Cut the shape of an arc, a square, a triangle and a rectangle.



2) Someone needs to keep score by writing down each players name and score on a piece of paper. Next above each of the windows use your marker or texta to clearly write a number, any number you like but make sure they are all different to each other.




3) Mark a staring point where all players are to roll from and arrange the players to line up there.

4) All players are given the same amount of marbles and the same amount of turns to roll. The players must try to roll their marbles through the window holes. Each time they do the number written above that window is added to their score.

5) Once all players have had the same amount of turns the winner will be determined by adding up each players score and seeing whose is the highest.


Aim: To roll your marbles into the numbered holes to achieve the highest score.

Time: Depends on how many players, the more the better. It takes some time to prepare the box for the game but once you have made it simply keep it for next time.

Players: One or more players.

Why?: it's a fun and simple game for the whole family to play. Children can learn about all the fun things they could do using marbles, something that most kids today no longer experience. It's also great for developing fine motor skills and concentration.

Additions: Perhaps the kids would like to decorate the box and keep it with their toys. Why not try extending this game by putting small toy figurines in front of each window opening on the box? As they roll a marble they can try to knock the figurine over as well as scoring points.

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#0-3_year_olds
#3-5_year_olds
#5-10_year_olds
#10-13_year_olds
#free
#low_cost
#recycled_items
#box
#marbles

%kidfun