8 Fun Activities for After Dinner

Kids love to squeeze fun into every minute of the day. Make the most of a sleepover or a night of babysitting by maximizing the fun after dinner — before your grandchildren's dreaded bedtime. Create lasting memories and send them off to sleep with a smile on their faces.

Have the grandkids help you set up a movie theater in the backyard. Beyond watching a movie on the side of the garage (if you have a projector) or on an old TV you cart outdoors, take the pretend-play a step further. Set up a concession stand, complete with popcorn and other snacks; let one of the kids man the counter. Another grandchild could play ticket-taker. Start the acting before you start the movie, just for fun.

The cool of the evening is an ideal time for playing a game outdoors with kids who need to burn off a little energy before bedtime. Besides shooting hoops in the driveway or having a catch with a softball or football, gentle lawn games like croquet and badminton are fun for all ages. And don’t underestimate old-school bocce and horseshoes for a good time.

Get into the camping mood. Chimineas and fire pits are popular and inexpensive garden accessories, sold at retailers like Target and Home Depot. Assign stick-gathering detail, and get a fire going. This sets the stage for all kinds of activities from making s’mores and roasting marshmallows to telling stories and singing camp songs together.

The sights and sounds of nature change completely once the sun goes down. Outfit the crew with flashlights, or even better, headlamps ($15 to $20 at Wal-Mart, Dick's, and the like), to light the way. Walk around the neighborhood or in a nearby park or field. Make it a hunting expedition to see and hear fireflies, cicadas, bats, owls, and other creatures. Take time to smell the fragrant (night-blooming) flowers, including moonflowers, daylilies, and angel's trumpet.

Most of us remember the thrill of building an indoor fort on a rainy day. Capture that sense of adventure with your grandchildren; unleash their imagination using everyday items. Couch cushions, pillows, and blankets are one way to go, using cushions for the walls and stretching a blanket overhead for the roof. Yardsticks and Wiffle bats make good support beams. Toss in pillows and cushions for seating. Add a battery-operated source of light and you have an exotic spot for cuddling, storytelling, and giggling.

Raid the pantry for creative dessert ideas to satisfy the grandkids' after-dinner sweet tooth. These can be assembly-line projects — making homemade ice cream sandwiches with graham crackers or staging an ice cream sundae bar, with a selection of toppings like nuts, granola, and fresh fruit. Consider the season, and use whatever is ripe and available as the basis for a fruity treat. If you don’t feel like fussing with a pie crust, make a cobbler or a crumble.

An indoor scavenger hunt gets everybody involved and moving around. Start by scouring the house (without the grandkids) and make a list for each player of, say, ten common (and unbreakable!) items. You can play with a timer — the first player to bring in the items within a set time is the winner. Or play by points, so the grandchild with the most items wins. Once you say go, the grandkids start hunting for the treasures and returning them to the starting point. Be sure putting everything away is part of the game or you'll end up with a mess.

Take a lesson from the popular TV show, America's Got Talent, and stage a talent show. Most kids love to perform, whether it is a favorite song, a magic trick, a play they've written, or a dance routine. And don't be shy. For this to really get everybody involved, grandma and grandpa have to strut their stuff, too. So dust off that card trick or shadow-puppet routine and join in the fun. You’re guaranteed to get some laughs — which is really what it’s all about anyway.