Kids can get absorbed in reading, or caught up with Club Penguin on the Internet, but there are times when parents say, "Why don't you go outside and play?"
Parks and campgrounds are places where kids get together with others of different ages for informal fun.
Games are learned by one child from another, or invented to suit the surroundings or the weather. But if you need to, you can find the rules of Prisoner's Base or the variations on hopscotch in Run.
Jump. Hide. Slide. Splash: The 200 Best Outdoor Games Ever, by Joe Rhatigan.
This is a wonderful collection of old favourites and new games for playing with skipping ropes, balls, marbles or nothing at all but energy and imagination.
Go Out and Play: Favorite Outdoor Games from KaBOOM!, a similar resource, arrived in the library just a few weeks ago.
The Kids and Grandparents: An Activity Book, by Ann Love and Jane Drake, says it is "the official book of traditional fun." Here you'll find card games and recipes along with suggestions for outdoor activities that any grandparent (or other interested adult) could try with a school-age child.
If you are trying to decide what sport to choose, or to find out some basic rules of the game, look to the Bobbie Kalman Sports in Action series.
Each book in the series focuses on a team sport such as soccer or basketball, or individual activities like in-line skating or swimming. Crisp photos and helpful drawing will fill you in.
Are you taking kids on holiday? Afraid that a long car ride or time waiting at airports will drag? Sam Taggar's Great Games: Old & New, Indoor/Outdoor, Travel, Board & Word will give you some ideas, as will Fun on the Run: Travel Games and Songs by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson.
On the road, at the campground and in the yard, there is always an opportunity for some play. Check out the New Westminster library for these and other titles.
