As we are sure you already know…it is officially summer! Today marks the very first official day of the summer season, AKA everyone’s favorite season, and with your kiddos around the house more often you’ll need some extra games and things to do to keep them active and busy. Burning off that energy at the end of the day never hurts, right? Summer can also be a time where siblings can get on each other’s nerves pretty easily, so finding games where they need to work together and help each other out is always an added bonus. So, if you are looking for a quick DIY that is super simple with tons of games to go along with it, including ones using our Find Me Tunnel, keep on reading!

DIY Team Building Handkerchiefs

This week’s DIY is a super easy-to-make set of Team Building Handkerchiefs! Whether your kids need some serious sibling bonding time, they’ve got some friends coming over or even if you have an upcoming party or BBQ, the end result of this project will keep kids busy, building trust and learning how to give and receive directions while working together for hours and hours all summer long.

What you’ll need

• Plain white bandanas (click here to order the ones we used!)
• Fun Shaped Sponge Brushes (we got ours at Michael’s, but click here for a great alternative!)
• Acrylic craft paint or washable paint
• A few pieces of heavy cardboard for underneath the bandana
  • Get as many pieces of cardboard as there are bandanas – these are to put under your bandanas while painting so that any bleed through goes through to the cardboard – and NOT on your table or grass!
• A cup of water to dip your sponge brushes in when you’re ready to switch up colors
• Paper plates for the paint colors
  • Try to have as many plates as you do paint colors
• A few clothespins and string to hang your bandanas while they are drying (*A tip we learned while making these with the kids is when laying the wet bandanas down on a dry surface it can become troublesome because the material is really thin and it will bleed through onto the surface while drying. That is why we highly suggest string and clothespins.)

How to make it

1. Lay down the cardboard
2. Lay down your bandana on top of the cardboard
   1. OPTIONAL: Iron the bandanas beforehand to get out any wrinkles or creases that could get in the way while your little artist is painting
   2. You can also tape down the corners to make painting a little easier!
3. Squirt a bunch of different colors onto the different paper plates for easy stamping
4. Go crazy with paint and sponges on your bandana!
5. Once the masterpieces are complete, hang them on a string with clothespins to dry for about an hour before playtime

Games to play with your bandanas

Now that everyone has their custom bandanas, it’s time to play! Here are a few of our favorite game ideas to use with the bandanas:

1. Follow The Guide: Have the kids partner off in to pairs. One partner will wear a handkerchief as a blindfold, and the partner will guide them around the yard and eventually through the Find Me Tunnel. The kids then trade and take turns reversing the roles. Whichever team can get through the course the quickest, wins! Alternatively, you can have all teams go at once with a designated finish line. Whoever crosses first, wins!
2. Drawing and Writing: This game does require a large pad or dry erase board and some markers. Divide into teams and take turns as the artist. Blindfold the artist while someone from the other team tells the artist what to draw. Then, the artist’s team must guess what it is in a certain amount of time. Whoever gets to 5 points first, wins!
3. Architect: Give children some wooden cubes or small blocks. Have them sit at the table and attempt to build a tower with all of the blocks without it falling over while wearing a blindfold! Whoever can do it the quickest, wins!
4. Blind Race: Find 5 like objects to put around the backyard in a small area. The like objects can be simple things such as balls, stuffed animals – or even potatoes! Split into teams or pairs, blindfold one player in each and scatter the objects across the yard, not making them too difficult to find. The blindfolded players have to crawl around the floor while gathering up the objects, and the non-blindfolded players can help those on the floor by shouting out directions, like “warmer, colder”. The winner is either the first to cross a predetermined finish line, or the person who collects the most after 30 seconds. Swap places for the next round!
5. Mystery Object: Place several items inside a bag like food, household items, craft supplies or even classroom objects. Divide the children into two teams and let them take turns wearing the blindfold. They must take an item from the bag and feel it to say what it is. Up the difficulty by putting items that have a similar texture, like clothes or different characters of stuffed animals. Whoever can correctly guess all the items in the bag first, wins!

The Find Me Tunnel

The Find Me Tunnel is the perfect hiding spot or obstacle course addition for games in the backyard! We’ve taken our classic polyester tunnel design and gave it a primary colors twist with this tunnel! Measuring 6 feet long and 19 inches tall, the lightweight Find Me Tunnel is the perfect size for young children to work on their gross motor skills by crawling in a fun and stimulating environment. The quality construction is not only ideal for rugged play, but it is also designed to be opened and closed in just a few seconds. Best of all, your child can stretch their imagination for hours in comfort and safety, thanks to the padding around the spring-steel frame. When your little one has finished playing, the tunnel folds flat with hook and loop closures for space-saving storage. There’s also a connecting lip to hook onto additional tunnels. How fun would that be to make a really long tunnel?

Let us know!

Did you make the DIY Team Building Handkerchiefs and play some games with the Find Me Tunnel? Let us know all about what summer fun you’re having in the comments below!