If you’re planning one last hurrah for the end of summer, you may need a few Labor Day weekend activities and games. Most of the following activities are perfect for outdoor play but may also be adapted for indoor play, depending on your particular situation.
Most children, and young-at-heart adults, love to play games. One game you may want to include is Balloon Juggling, which is simply keeping balloons afloat with your head. Blow up enough balloons for everyone to have one of their own. Have plenty of room for those playing to move about without bumping into one another. If the balloon touches the ground, or is hit back into the air by another body part, that person is out. Keep your balloon in the air the longest and you’re the winner.
Outdoor Bowling is another game you may want to play. For the bowling pins, partially fill 2-liter, plastic, drink bottles with sand to help them stand. Instead of a real bowling ball, use a kick ball or basketball rather than a bowling ball. A rope can be used to mark the lane and gutters. Game rules would be the same with the obvious exceptions. We enjoy these homemade games more because it requires teamwork to get the game ready.
If your family spends a lot of time outdoors, you may want to invest in an outdoor game set. These might include horse shoes, badminton or croquet. Having those game sets on-hand will mean you’ll be ready for any get-together you might plan.
Piñatas are also great outdoor activities. Of course, the children will love the flow of candy and toys coming from the piñata when it finally bursts open, but they also have fun trying to open it. Parents and adults can help the children by encouraging them to hit harder. In many cases they’ll find themselves laughing as the children try to hit the ever-moving piñata. For more family fun, you may even want to make your own piñata, of course that would require pre-planning.
Since it’s Labor Day will be warm, you may want to plan a Water Relay. Divide the guests into two or more teams. Fill balloons with water. Position each team in a line and have the guests toss the balloons from one to another down the line and back. You may want to have several towels on hand as well. If balloons aren’t your style, you can do the same thing with a medium size plastic bowl.
Create an Obstacle Course. Lay out the course, keeping in mind the ages and physical condition of your guests. Demonstrate the course for them prior to the start of the course. If you expect both children and adults to participate, you may want to have an easier obstacle course for the children.
Finally, end the day with a Scavenger Hunt. Decide on which items from around your home to place on scavenger list. Perhaps you can use today’s technology by having guests take pictures with their cell phones (if they have that capability) of the items on the list rather than having the guests gather the items.
An alternative to emphasize Labor Day is to only add guest’s occupational items to the list. This is also a great way for the whole gang, especially kids, to get an idea of the tools that each person uses.
You may or may not want to provide prizes for the different Labor Day weekend activities and games. Depending on how the group is connected, the prizes could be company swag, special family awards, or something related to the connection type.
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