Kids always want to play. And not just play. Get everything out and make big messes that they don’t want to clean up. Which is cool some days and not so much other days. They also need supervision (see above picture). So, if you've already cleaned up one too many messes for the day and your child is begging for you to play with them, I’ve made a short list of games that require little effort on your part but your child will still enjoy…

1.Poke the Belly - The origins of most games like this come out of necessity. As in you’re tired and it’s necessary that this game not require much of you.

Directions – Using one finger, begin seeing who can poke who’s belly first. Try it, it’s surprisingly a lot of fun but only works on toddlers.

2.Hide & Seek Dog Version – You must have a dog for this game, a cat will not entertain this nonsense.

Directions: Hold the dog back while the kids all scramble about finding hiding places. Let the dog loose and prepare for hilarity to ensue.

3.The Great American Shoe Hunt – This is a useful game disguised as adventurous and fun.

Directions: Every household is one shoe short of a pair so set the kids off on a shoe hunt and the first one who finds it gets all the leftover holiday candy left in the house.

4.Charades 2.0

Directions: Have the kids write down their favorite superheroes, teachers, friends, family members, or even pets. The ideas are limitless. Allow the kids to make noises and use props, but still not words.

5.The Quiet Game with a Twist – An oldie but a goodie, and after playing all the above, you’re going to need this one.

Directions: Put in a movie and give each kid 5 or 10 clothespins (or marbles or stickers or whatever you have laying around). Every time they talk, take one away. Of course, we're not monsters so they can laugh! The kid with the most clothespins at the end wins the prize! What's the prize? They get to pick out the next movie!