Activities: Celebrate Opposite Day
The kids do the opposite of what you ask anyway, why not make it official?
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
Have your kids invite some friends over for Opposite Day and play a bunch of fun games—backwards! January 25 is officially "Opposite Day," but your kids can declare it on any day for a fun activity.
- Mom and dad:Your kids.
- Your kids:You and your spouse.
- An outfit:Preferably something that can be easily worn inside out.
- An egg:Raw for the older kids, hardboiled for the little ones.
- Pin the Tail on the Donkey game:Pick one up at your local party store or at The Oriental Trading Company.
- Blindfold or bandana:No peeking.
- Chairs or sofa:For musical chairs.
- Knowledge of the CBAs:Um, we mean, ABCs.
Get dressed and ready for opposite day! Have the kids put their shirts and pants on backwards and their shoes on the opposite feet. (This probably happens most days you let them dress themselves anyway, but today they'll do it on purpose!)
Then take the kids outside and get ready for a relay race. Set up chairs or use a tree to mark the start and finish lines.
Divide the kids into two teams.
Hand the first relay racer a spoon and an egg.
Challenge the kids to race from the finish line to the starting line and back—without dropping the egg!
When they reach the finish line (i.e. starting line) have them hand the spoon and egg to the next racer, who then repeats step 6.
When they're all tuckered out, invite the kids back inside for a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Line 'em up, blindfold 'em and have them try to pin the tail on the Donkey's face rather than its tush.
Then gather some chairs in a circle and challenge the kids to a game of "Silent Chairs," where the kids walk around in silence and dash for a chair when the music comes on—i.e., the opposite of Musical Chairs.
While you've got them all sitting, challenge the kids to say their ABCs—backwards! ZYXWV ... Try it. Not as easy as it sounds, huh?
When it's time to eat, serve dessert first. This is hands down the best part of opposite day, don't ya think?
- Before bed, curl up with an opposite book, like Exactly the Opposite by Tina Hoban, Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola's Opposites or Shel Silverstein's fabulous title poem Falling Up in his awesome poetry collection. Then kiss your kids "Good morning" and it's lights out!
- Have an Opposites Birthday Party! Invite kids over for a birthday bash where you play the above games and sing Happy Birthday after you eat the cake. You might even suggest your kid give away presents at his party rather than accept them; but that might not fly.
- Did you know 19th-century Democratic Congressman and infamous prankster Alexander Kerr Craig is credited as the inventor of Opposite Day? He celebrated Opposite Day every Tuesday and Thursday. That had to have been annoying!
Submit!
