Kid's Game Ideas

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Noah Ivaldi
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Kid's Game Ideas

Post by Noah Ivaldi » Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:44 am

Hey, parents! I thought of something that some friends and I used to do. No, I'm not gonna' "tell you how to do your job;" don't get so easily offended. :P It's supposed to be fun and educational.
I guess that I should warn you that this is longer than, "Add food coloring to bubbles for colorful bubbles, hurr hurr," but I want to show you the lessons that are learned, how, that it's not just a suggestion to turn your kids into raving, violent loons, and the customizable options.

Necessary Ingredients
2+ kids of comparable ages (around 4, around 7, around 13, around 20, around 74 . . .)
2-3 socks per kid, at least one of which should be of at least 11" length; ideally, shin socks and/or knee socks are involved
wide, open space (indoors or outdoors; see below)

Try this when your kids wake up full of energy or are otherwise early enough in the day that their socks aren't yet stinky. Alternatively, just have them use an additional pair of socks.
Have your kids take off their shoes and socks. Stuff one sock into a ball form into another so that you have two "sock maces." I don't have a picture, but you seriously just have to jam one sock into the other and push it all the way down; you can't really screw it up.
Later on, you can try stuffing two socks into a single orb at the end of a larger sock. The increased mass can give kids a feel for weapon augmentation/replacement while introducing them to the fact that bigger weapons tend to inflict more damage because more mass results in more momentum (mass * velocity), which means that more force is exerted.
Hand the sock maces back to the kids. Set the parameters clearly and comprehensively. You'd be amazed what kids will learn from experimentation!

Rules
1) The battlefield is to be chosen as a place in which falling over won't result in skulls cracking on rocks and airborne missiles can't hurt anything that is fragile. Switching stages mid-battle is allowed, but only if agreed upon by all warriors.
Lessons learned: I) Analyze the environment; it is good to be cautious and to utilize the stage effectively. II) Choose your battles. III) Stage transitions are not usually practical. IV) No, really, choose your battles. If you make a mistake and knock something over, even if it doesn't break, the parent(s) will have your head on a pike. Also, this is really effective for convincing kids to clean up the living room of their toys, 'cause you won't let them play until they can do so without tripping over or recoiling into junk.
2) Chasing should be kept to a bare minimum. Tactical retreating and advancing while in combat is good, but, if kids need to run to the bathroom, a referee, or something, let them. Resume the fight when the party is ready.
Lessons learned: I) When a conflict needs to be delayed or cancelled, it is honorable to know when to restrain oneself. II) If an opposing party seeks intercession, it is just to allow it. III) Fleeing does not finish a battle; fleeing may be an effective strategy for regrouping your energy and resources, but running away doesn't solve anything. IV) Running through the house like frenzied boar-monkeys, esp. with weapons, is not okay. V) Bathroom breaks are important.
3) If one warrior corners another, that warrior is to back off so that the other still has a chance to have a fun, fair fight.
Lesson learned: I) An even competition is the most rewarding for the victor and the loser. One-sided beatdowns only encourage sadism and egocentrism.
4) If one warrior obtains the other's weapon by any means or the other uses a throw attack and must recover his/her weapon, (s)he is only allowed to perform one attack (hit or miss; there are no "free shots") before giving the opponent's weapon back. The rest of the time, dual-wielding is not allowed unless all warriors agree to it (not that they all have to dual-wield, but they have to all agree that it is allowed in the round).
Lessons learned: I) See previous rule. II) Theft is not okay under most circumstances, but it is an acceptable and effective tactic in battle. III) Because theft is a thing, one should keep a good grip on one's belongings at all times, esp. one's weapon, esp. in battle. IV) With sufficient technique, you can block an opponent's attack and steal his/her weapon in one move. V) Stance and attacking methods are key; if you attack sloppily, your weapon is seized. VI) You may get to be really good at throwing attacks, but, unless you're using disposables such as rocks and bombs (in which case you still have ammo concerns), you have to keep item recovery in mind.*
5) If a warrior calls "times" or "time out," players are to cease attacking and be at ease while recuperation is occurring, whether it be for a bathroom/food/drink break, a moment to recover from a hardy blow, or some question about the game.
Lessons learned: I) Patience is a thing. II) Consideration for others' needs is a thing. III) It is honorable to face a respected opponent in fully-powered combat; see 3-I.
6) Crying opponents** are to be allowed to leave the battlefield without getting attacked further, but they are not allowed back in until the next round in a match of 3+ players.
Lessons learned: I) Mercy is a thing. II) Don't cry like a wimp; if you're crying, you'd better bloody-well mean it.
7) If a warrior is too strong***, (s)he must restrain him/herself to smaller swings, not full-powered attacks.
Lessons learned: I) Sock maces are mostly harmless, but can actually be a mite brutal if left unchecked.

Modes of Gameplay
Bloodfest- No score is kept. Just get the feel of the war, the weapons, your stance, your opponent, and, well, all the elements of the game.
Lessons learned: I) We learn how to play. II) We learn how to release aggression and energy without being destructive.
Time- Successful hits on the opponent increase your score. Whoever has the highest score at the end of the given time limit is the victor. Required: observant referee/few players or players with the maturity and honesty to keep track of their own scores without quibbling
Lessons learned: I) Not everything is freeform; you have to accomplish tasks within time limits. II) Wildly swinging about may help one's score early on, but those unrefined attacks turn out to be very easy to block and punish. Launching the most attacks and landing the most attacks are two completely different things, so more control and precision becomes evidently necessary. III) Likewise, wide sweeps and other big attacks are shown to be impractical. They take too much time just to land one hit . . . unless one can catch multiple opponents in a single sweep. Thus, situational observation is taught along with practicality in attack times. IV) If one does not protect oneself, one will be an easy target for the opponent to rack up his/her score or their scores. This is especially noticeable when one is focused on by multiple opponents.
Stock- Each player starts with a given stock of points (usu. same value for all players; divvy points with handicaps as necessary) and loses a point upon being struck. When a player's points reach 0, that player must sit out until the round is over. The last man that is standing is the victor. Required: observant referee/few players or players with the maturity and honesty to keep track of their own scores without quibbling
Lessons learned: I) Life and energy leave us. No one fights forever. II) Keeping oneself defended and evading is important in order to live to fight another day. III) Opponents will also keep themselves guarded. Be observant and patient in watching for weak points and openings in their attacks, then strike accordingly before again guarding oneself or evading the counterattack. IV) When more than two players are present, tag-teaming one opponent out of the game makes things less interesting for those who are doing the tag-teaming (reducing the number of active players = reducing the variables in battle, which is less mental and physical activity) and way less fun for whoever gets focused out. Don't do it.
Training- A warrior(s) is/are given instruction by a parent or experienced warrior.
Lessons learned: all

While your own judgement does hold the final say in the matter, it should be suggested that you hold off on saying, "That's enough for now; put your socks back on," until you need them to do something or go somewhere. Barring mental deficiencies and some physical ailments, kids tend to instinctually know when they need to take a break to snack, eat a full meal, hydrate, recover, and retire from the war until next time. Letting them sort this all out encourages them to manage themselves responsibly and finish a job, rather than just walking away from something as soon as one gets hungry or loses interest.
Likewise, letting kids learn these lessons by their own thought processes is highly effective, but use your own discretion as to how some should be coached in some regards. I suggest leaning primarily toward a laissez-faire mentality, especially when they're younger and you honestly can't precisely comprehend their potential learning capacity, but they're your kids, and you'll get a feel for what they will and won't pick up on their own much better than I can advise.

*Thus, throws are discouraged in this game without you even saying a word about them; they'll figure out that they should keep their socks in their hands through experimentation, though situational usage should still occur at some times, and that's okay . . . as long as they're learning how and when to do it correctly, without a chance of messing things up. Warning: Chances are good that one of them will come to complain to you that he threw his/her weapon and got hit defenselessly as a result. You should simply tell him/her that (s)he should not throw the weapon unless (s)he's sure to either get the finishing blow or recover the weapon without being concerned about the damage (see "Modes of Gameplay;" being far enough ahead of one's opponent(s) allows one to get a bit flashy without fear of in-game repercussions).
**By and large, this shouldn't be a concern at all. When Max and I fought, we'd sometimes have to call "times" to catch our breath and clutch a recently stricken body part, but we'd get right back into the fray without complaint.
***This doesn't tend to be an issue with younger players, of course. Moreover, it is learned through experience that shorter, more controlled attacks tend to be more accurate. If a player is observed to be simply powering through the enemy's blocks (Honestly, that can happen at any age. They're maces, not bo staves, and they're socks, not expertly measured and crafted chain-and-ball weapons.), one has to step in to make it clear that just powering through is not an acceptable playstyle because it lacks much skill or fun. Kids can often figure this out on their own, especially at later ages, but intercede at your own discretion.
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