Years from now when your kids recall their fondest childhood memories, chances are they'll talk about the great times the family spent together—you chasing them through the park, rowdy games of tag, charades in the family room while the rain pummeled the windows. Play is the essence of childhood. "It's how children learn everything the best, from reading to counting," explains Lawrence Cohen, PhD, author of Playful Parenting. But let's face it: We often feel too busy to get goofy with the kids. Yet play is good for us, too, a perfect way to reconnect with family at the end of a hectic day. "Playing is how parents and children—from toddlers to teenagers—communicate best," says Stephen Virgilio, PhD, author of Active Start for Healthy Kids. In fact, experts suggest that families get at least 30 minutes of play every day. To help you get your daily dose, we've collected creative, easy activities that will remind you how deliciously wonderful it is to simply be a kid.Family RoomIndoor OlympicsHere's an indoor contest that's low competition, high fun, from The Children's Busy Book, by Trish Kuffner: Take turns standing on a taped starting line and see how far you can jump. After everyone decorates a paper plate to make a personalized discus, tape off a square on the floor and see who can toss his discus into it. For shot put, try throwing a balloon across a string line several feet away. The balloons won't travel far, so anyone who makes it deserves a medal! Bonus Learning Perk Even simple sports improve motor function and hand-eye coordination.Socks OffDr. Cohen calls this game "intro to wrestling"—just right for not-so-rough moms. Everyone takes off shoes but keeps socks on and then sits in a circle with all feet in the middle. After someone shouts, "Ready, set, go!" try to get everyone else's socks off using your feet, hands, whatever—while keeping yours on. The last person with a sock on wins.

Bonus Learning Perk Physical games like this enhance motor skills as they encourage strategic thinking.

Fall Fashion ShowIt's Fashion Week chez vous! Donna Erickson, host of the PBS show Donna's Day and author of Fabulous Funstuff for Families, suggests this entertaining way to prepare for back-to-school shopping: Have your kids model last year's outfits so you can see what fits and what doesn't. Set the stage with lights, music and a paper runner, and have everyone strut down the runway to wild applause. They can even race to make their next change like supermodels do. Clothes that still work go back in the closet; everything else goes to Goodwill.

Bonus Learning Perk Showing off in front of the group boosts confidence.

TV Time-outHere's a game that makes TV viewing more active. When you're sitting in the family room watching your favorite sitcom, every time there's a commercial break, one of you has to get up and lead the family in some form of exercise—say, jumping jacks or hopping on one foot—until the commercials end. Everyone takes turns, the goal being to think up a fresh and entertaining activity.

Bonus Learning Perk Coming up with clever moves builds creative thinking.

Dining RoomSilly StoriesMake a book on tape. Turn on a tape recorder and have one person begin a story out loud. Then each person takes a turn, or several turns, adding to the story until it comes to an end. You can also suggest a subject and have each person write down ideas separately—assign one person the beginning, another the end, and everyone else fills in the middle—then put the parts together to recite one unique story. The telling is fun enough, but just wait for the playback!

Bonus Learning Perk This kind of storytelling encourages creativity as well as teamwork.

Fun CreaturesLine up three index cards with the edges touching and draw a person or animal with the head on the top card, body and arms on the middle card and legs on the bottom. Have each person draw several three-card people and animals. Then take all the heads and shuffle them, then middles, then bottoms. Now have fun building funny, funky people and animals (or a combination of both) by using one card from each group. Bonus Learning Perk For little kids, this promotes ability to discriminate.Backyard/Park"Green" Giant BlocksHere's a colorful way to recycle paper: Gather as many brown paper shopping bags as possible and spray-paint them as many hues as you like. Then stuff them with crumpled newspaper and tape them shut to form giant blocks. Use them to build a fort, stack them to see how tall a tower you can create before it collapses, or scatter them around the backyard to make a vibrant obstacle course.

Bonus Learning Perk Building with blocks—even big ones—boosts spatial awareness and motor skills.

Family MuralLay down a large sheet of butcher or white roll paper in your driveway or on other concrete. Have each person lie on a section while another person traces his outline. When all the outlines are drawn head to toe, have each person color in his own self-portrait with crayons, markers or paint. Hang the finished mural in the house to display.

Bonus Learning Perk Kids will gain a sense of body proportion and also hone their drawing skills.

Ships in the NightThis game is best played in the evening with ten or more people, so it's ideal for large family gatherings. Give each person a flashlight. Then, in pairs, come up with your own version of Morse code. Have everyone scatter with flashlights off; on the count of five, turn on your flashlights and issue your code. The goal is to find your partner based on the code you established—the first pair to find each other wins.

Bonus Learning Perk This flashy game needs teamwork and strategic thinking.

Seasonal PicnicPicnics are synonymous with play. This time, your kids will learn about seasonal fruits and vegetables when you feast on berries, apples, green beans, corn and other prime-right-now foods. If possible, go together to a farmers' market to select the items, then come up with a kid-pleasing menu before heading outdoors to enjoy the late-summer sun.

Bonus Learning Perk Kids are encouraged to try new foods as they gain healthy eating habits.

Backyard BowlingFind household items that will tumble over easily, such as empty plastic liter-size soda bottles, and line them up like bowling pins in the driveway. Roll a ball (younger kids should use larger balls than everyone else) to see how many "pins" you can knock down. Each fallen pin equals a point—see who's the first to reach 20.

Bonus Learning Perk Watch your kids knock down more and more pins as hand-eye coordination improves.

Sprinkler FreezeHave everyone dance around a sprinkler—preferably in bathing suits!—while one person controls the tap. When the sprinkler is turned off, everyone can dance about, but when it's turned on, you have to freeze—and get drenched in the process. If you move, you're out. Continue the game until you're left with the last soaked statue standing.

Bonus Learning Perk Every time they dance wildly and then freeze, children sharpen body self-awareness.

PlaygroundTic-tac-tossDraw a giant three-square by three-square grid on the pavement with chalk. Then draw a line about five feet from the grid (a little closer for younger kids). One player stands behind the line and tries to throw a pebble into a square; if she's successful, she chalks an X in that square. The next player tries to throw his pebble into a square, and if he does, he marks that square with an O. The first to fill three squares in a row wins.

Bonus Learning Perk This hones hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking.

Bottle Kickball Set up one plastic soda bottle per player on the ground, 10 to 15 feet apart, and chalk a three-foot circle around each. One person is "the kicker," who kicks a ball to try to knock down the bottles while the other players, keeping one foot inside their circle at all times, try to prevent their bottles from toppling. Once the kicker knocks down a bottle, she trades places with the person who was guarding that circle. Play till you plop!

Bonus Learning Perk Like soccer, but simpler for the little ones in your playgroup, this game builds motor skills.

Find Your Inner Child—Easily!If you're so wound up from work that you can't let loose and play, here's how to chill and get childlike. Make a date. Schedule regular playdates with your kids for after work, suggests mother of two Bonnie Ulman, coauthor of Trillion Dollar Mom$. Having that in the back of your mind as you leave the office can't help but get you ready for fun, fast. Dress down. When you get home, immediately change from work clothes into comfortable, colorful garb that lends itself to fun. Play with your favorites. Have everyone enjoy the board games or toys that you loved as a kid, says Ulman. You can't help but feel the way you did when you played as a child.