The name of this activity might sound a little strange, but it’s sure to really capture your kid's attention.  (Um, yes, pun intended.)



For this one, you’ll need some of your children's toys, preferably ones with lots of parts. For demonstration purposes right now, we’ll use two examples:  building blocks and Barbies.



Start off by explaining what a dungeon is.  It’s a place in a castle where people were locked up!  (And dungeons, to be perfectly honest, were not very pleasant places to spend time.)



Choose a room in your house to be the dungeon.  Take the toys you’ve chosen (building blocks, Barbies, or whatever) and go into the dungeon.  Tell the kids that a very rotten witch, with her magic wand and grumpy disposition, has locked you up as a prisoner in the dungeon!   This witch won’t let you out unless your rescuers (your kids) complete a special task.



The kids, having somehow escaped the witch’s notice, can move freely around the house and aren’t confined to the dungeon.  They can go where they want.



In order to help you escape your unfortunate enchantment, the kids have to take the toys into another, non-dungeon room and set them up.   You can’t come or  help in any way, of course, because you’re stuck in the dungeon.  The witch could demand that the children build a palace or wall with the blocks, or set up all the Barbies and their belongings for a party.  Your kids must return each time to the dungeon to get another item from you.  And you can only give each kid one item per visit.  (Sorry to be so rigid, everybody, but that's what the cantankerous witch demands.)



If your kids are like mine, they’ll enjoy the fairy tale aspect of this activity.  They’ll also like that they have total freedom:  to roam the house at will and to set up the toys as they wish.  And they’ll also like that your fate rests in their hands!



This activity can also be beneficial because it gets the kids out of your hair for bits of time.  Yes, they return to you to get each new item, but they also spend some serious time in the other room. One weekend while the kids and I were playing this, I managed to organize all our family's tax documents from the confines my dungeon cell.



Once the spell has been broken, and you’re free again to join the world, have the unpleasant witch cast a spell on the kids.  Now it’s their turn to be stuck in the dungeon, and your opportunity to rescue them using some chosen set of toys.



Who would have guessed that being locked up in a dungeon would be so fun? 



For more fun ideas -- no more that involve confinement, we assure you -- check out TodayIsFun.com!