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Fun Activities for Kids to Play in Pairs

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    Pretend it's a party.

    Games for groups can work just as well with duos. Classics like Simon Says, Hot Potato (it's hysterical with just a few people), and charades (or "Guess What Animal I Am" for little folks) can be great playdate activities.

  • Work it. Pull out all your old hats, shoes, Halloween costumes, and Mardi Gras beads (you know you've got 'em) and let the kids put on a fashion show for you.

  • Catch on. Choose a topic (like animals). Then have them toss a ball, naming something from the category with each catch. First one to repeat (or blank) is out.

  • Cook up fun. Get out a bunch of toppings, then let the kids make little pizzas or decorate cupcakes. They'll love getting messy  -- and you'll pull off lunch (or snack)!

  • Get gifty. Ask each child to make a present for the other: a string bracelet, a box of pretty rocks, a drawing. They can wrap 'em in tinfoil and swap over cookies.

  • Prop them up. Collect assorted household objects (a ladle, a rubber band, a towel, etc.) and tell the kids to devise a play that utilizes all of the items as props. Is the towel a cape? Is the ladle a microphone? Give them an hour before it's showtime.

  • Try a hat trick. If the buddies are disagreeing on what to play, ask them each to write a few activities they'd like to do on slips of paper (take dictation for younger kids ). Put them in a hat and let the kids take turns picking what they'll do next.

  • Monsterfy! Stand BFFs next to each other. Put an oversize T-shirt over both heads so that each can stick out one arm. Then let the two-headed monster loose!

  • Reproduce. Draw the body of a butterfly (a long oval with a circle and antennae on top) in the middle of a large piece of paper. Then have the kids, sitting side by side, each paint one of the butterfly wings. Little guys can just finger-paint an abstract design on their side of the paper. When they're done, help them press another piece of paper over the butterfly (with the paint still wet). Separate the papers and each child will have a copy of the masterpiece.

  • Shoot-out. Round up all the balls you can find and divide them equally. Set down two buckets and challenge them to sink as many as they can until you yell "Stop!"

  • Bash the trash. Encourage the kids to go through the recycle bin and create ways to turn the (non-glass) items into musical instruments, castles, or doll cribs.