Home, Contents, Carries, Rests & Sits, Stands, Simulations - Part 1, Simulations - Part 2, Simulations - Part 3, Balances, Climbs - Part 1, Climbs - Part 2, Jumps, Rocks - Part 1, Rocks - Part 2, Slides, Somersaults, Swings, Walks, Roughhousing - Part 1, Roughhousing - Part 2

Which Play To Do

This is the last section of this work. It categorizes the Family Plays into several useful groups. There is a weight guide, an experience guide, and a situation guide.

The weight guide helps you decide which plays are safe for you to do. It has three parts. The first part lists all the Family Plays which can be done by people of any age. The second part lists all the plays which involve heavy lifting. Do not do these plays if you have any back problems or if the child is over 4 years old. The third part lists all the plays which use two adults. These are usually easier to do than one-man plays.

The experience guide lists all the plays by the age and experience needed to do them. It is divided into beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert sections. Beginner would be two years old, intermediate three, advanced four, and expert five years old. The sequence of the activities is more important than the age estimates.

The situation guide lists those plays which are particularly good to do in certain specific situations. There are standing plays for waiting in line, sitting plays for traveling, plays to do at the beach, and plays to do outside.

If you can not do these Family Plays yourself, there are two alternatives.

First, you can show this video to a friend or relative, and ask if he or she would like to try a few of the plays with your children. Or second, you can look at the list of Family Plays which can be done by people of any age, and teach your children how to do them with each other.

Weight Guide

Plays For All Age Groups

All the rests and sits, crisscross, alphabet, statue, car, pedal, saw, rowboat, jump rope, scissors, and all the roughhouse moves except possibly horseplay.

Plays Which Involve Heavy Lifting

All the carries, all the stands, all the climbs, all the swings, airplane, helicopter, and elevator.

Plays Requiring Two Adults

Arm and leg carry, triangle sit, mountain climb, staircase, pyramid, four branch tree, two man slide, parallel bars, hammock, porch swing, two man swing, and sandwich.

Experience Guide

(Ages are approximate)

Beginner - 2 Years Old

Front carry, back carry, all of the rests and sits, house, window, rowboat, horsie, flying angel, front rock, cradle, "m" rock, lump, pendulum, tree swing, beam walk, three riders, papa went a hunting, trot trot.

Intermediate - 3 Years Old

Shoulder carry, crisscross, statue, car, chain, saw, pedal, train, airplane, takeoff, elevator, flying angel, pump, bird, knee high, mountain climb, up the front, two branch tree, puddle, mop, sailboat, arm rock, slow slide, swinging monkey, circle swing, merry-go-round, push over, foot walk, bottoms up, bump, fat tummies, pig pile, sandwich.

Advanced - 4 Years Old

Fireman's carry, arm and leg carry, stand on back, 10 finger lift, stand on shoulders, umbrella, handbag, alphabet, shovel, crane, helicopter, water skier 1, bag drag, pull up, stair case, pyramid, butterfly, four branch tree, through the hoop, trampoline, seesaw, rocking chair, rocking horse, fast slide, sitting somersault, porch swing, hammock, two man swing, arm wrestling.

Expert - 5 Years Old

cross arm carry, water skier 2, toboggan, rocket, jump rope, scissors, parallel bars, two man slide, wheelbarrow, indian wrestling.

Situation Guide

Standing Up Plays

Do these plays while standing in line, waiting for the bus, or during long good-byes:

Statue, chain, bag drag, toboggan, trampoline, lump, pendulum, foot walk, indian wrestling.

Sitting Down Plays

Do these plays while sitting on a long bus, train, or plane ride or while waiting at the laundromat:

Crisscross, car, three riders, trot trot, papa went a hunting, arm wrestling.

At The Beach

While the waves roll in you can do any of these plays:

All the rests and sits, all the slides, water skier 1 and 2.

Plays For Outside Or a Large Room

Helicopter, circle swing, roughhousing.