In a muddle challenge

Ages: 2 years and over.

Indoor or Outdoor: Can be done indoors or outdoors.



Equipment/Resources:
- common household items like: furniture/decor/clothing etc.
- time to set things up
- Pencil/pen and paper


Cost: Free!

Instructions:

1) Choose which rooms in your home you will use for this challenge. You need one or more that aren't too over cluttered. Consider the age and number of children and how long you have to play. Make sure the kids are not around during the set up.
2) Now it's time to change things around in the room. Deliberately arrange things into a muddle. Move things to another spot where they don't match. Put a lamp, photo frame, chair or small table upside down. Move any cushions to the top of the television, add items from other rooms that don't match for example put the tv remote in the kitchen and a cooking pan in the lounge room, a kettle in the study, a school bag in the baby's room. There are millions of possibilities, you get the idea. You could even get really involved in the fun by putting your t-shirt on inside out, your lip stick on your cheeks instead of face, your tie around your middle etc. It's all about the silly and ridiculous so get creative.




3) Next count all the things you have muddled up in each room (don't forget yourself) and list them. This is so you know when the players have found them all.



4) Next go to your players and tell them you have set up a 'in a muddle challenge' for them. Children can do it alone or in groups/teams depending on how many you have. Let them know that the aim is to spot all the differences as fast as possible.
5) Take the players to the room/s and see how many they can spot. Each correct answer gets one point.
The winner is the person or team who has the most points at the end of the challenge.
6) Now someone else could have a go changing things around! Perhaps the winner.

Aim: To shake things up a bit. To encourage creative thinking and memory skills. To turn a boring day at home into a fun one.



Time: You need some time with the kids out of the room to set up. It really depends on how many things you change around and how many players there are. The time taken is really up to you.

Players: 1 or more. If there is more than a few players you could place them into teams.

Why?: It's some silly, free fun for the whole family and it can be extended in some many ways.

Additions:
Try taking a prominent thing out of that room completely to see if they can spot it is missing. Parents could even swap their outfits. Ask children to give their own explanations as to why that thing doesn't belong in that room. What about not telling older children which room you did it to, can they guess?

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#3-5_year_olds
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#free
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#creative_thinking
#cognitive_thinking
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%kidfun