• Marbles  

Marble bowling, magnetized marbles, marble races, good old-fashioned marble playing

• Visit a pet shop or the local animal shelter  

Learn about an animal before you go, try to go at feeding time, if possible, some pet stores have play times when they encourage children to play with the pups, cats, reptiles, etc

• Draw a picture of each other  

Portrait or caricature, make it life size, do it from memory with your backs to each other

• Globe/Atlas Hunt  

Find family& friends that live far away on a map/globe, locate where some of the current events are taking place (globally, nationally and locally), pick a country and find out about it i.e.- what the kids in that country do for fun, etc.

• Silly celebrations  

Examples: Half birthdays (have a half menu – ½ of sandwich, ½ a cupcake and ½ a cup of juice each, sing the song ½ way through, etc), National rhyming day (everything you say has to rhyme), create your own 

• Visit the library  

The possibilities are endless…be sure to check out their monthly activities schedule, get free museum passes, attend performances, great rainy day game space, research something you are both interested in, explore a section neither of you have ever gone into before (like travel or pet care), find books you read when you were very little & read them again for fun, learn the history of where you live, learn about another culture (what kids do, what they eat, how they live), learn about roller coasters, learn the science behind rainbows & God’s promise, investigate what has happened in history on the day you were born or your match date, read/listen to a famous speech & memorize some or all of it, just to name a few…

• Read a book together  

Take turns reading to each other, read a chapter book or series when apart and discuss when together, find a new author, share books you loved at their age, look through coffee table books with amazing graphics/pictures, historical journals and old magazines, take a walk through the 21st century with a commemorative book, act out your favorite parts of a book, consider a book that was made into a movie and compare them 

• Collect something and become an expert  

Stamps, coins, buttons w/slogans, menus, cards, rocks, endless possibilities…

• Attend a sporting event  

Little league, high school, pick up game or professional team

• Treasure Hunt  

In an antique store, at a flea market or a yard sale

• Learn to play an instrument  

Learn together – the ukelele, harmonica, kazoo, recorder, thumb piano, guitar or bongo.  Teach your friend how to play an instrument you already know how to play

• Learn a new talent  

How to whistle really loud, how to catch a quarter off of your elbow, spin a basketball on your finger for 1min, easy magic tricks, making music with a blade of grass, hula hoop tricks, yo-yo tricks, Slinky tricks, Morse Code, American Sign Language alphabet, how to jump double-dutch, a new language, how to play spoons, how to juggle

• Puzzlemania  

Jigsaw (from 100pcs to 1000pcs), pencil puzzles (crossword, cryptograms, dots, jumble, acrostic, Sudoku, Tic-Tac-Toe), riddles, create a giant dot to dot using poster board, Rubik’s cube, anagrams, etc.  

• Games to learn and play  

Boggle, Scrabble, Trouble, Domino’s/Mexican Train, Blockus, Solitaire, 500 Rummy, Sorry, Jenga, Chess, Checkers, Chinese Checkers, Backgammon, 20 Questions, I Spy, Wii games, cup stacking, favorites from your childhood… there are tons to choose from! 

• Write together  

Write a story, journal (shared or individual), poetry, limericks, haiku’s, letters to the editor, letters to a public figure, and postcards to friends/family far away

• Music  

Share a song you learned as a kid, visit a music store and sample each other’s favorite artist, do karaoke, play instruments together (if you know how), listen to classical music, discover opera, make a bottle organ, find out about instruments that are less common (sitar, harp, sousaphone, etc)

• Repair something or try to repair something  

Small appliances, broken toys, bike, skates, old watch or clock – check out a book from the library or go on YouTube for directions if you want them, take a mini DYI class at a home improvement store

• Build something  

Use cards, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, straws, a modeling kit, 3d structure, kite, rubber band boat, volcano

• Personal Statements  

Create a special friendship handshake, make a personal flag or a banner for your mentees room, create your own logo or slogan, make a scrapbook or a ‘yearbook’

• Recording/photography  

Videotape yourselves, take pictures, record yourself singing, laughing or reciting something and use it as a ring tone, do a photo shoot w/your cell phones or a camera (get 1 really good one developed)

• Slot cars

• Food Critics

Different place each week, create categories to judge (i.e. service, taste, cleanliness, etc), keep a ratings journal, revisit favorites

• Virtual Reality

• Cooking @ the Ministry Center

Basic cooking skills, favorite recipes, gluten free ideas, diabetic friendly, treats, etc.

• Card Games

War (multi deck), Crazy 8’s, Spit, Rummy, Card tricks, Hearts, Concentration, etc.