Door Hanger Hide and Seek

So, you know how door hangers can be personalized to say all sorts of things besides "do not disturb"?  Well, I thought, wouldn't that be awesome fun to combine reading practice with hide and seek?!?!  I started with one word written on the hanger (although you could start with a word and picture to get going).  I'd put the hanger on the door and my son would count.  "1,2,3... Ready or not, here I come!" Then he'd go read the one on the door and come find me.  

Of course, it was lots of shock and surprise and laughter when he found me :)

 Didn't read it right?  He'd go back for a second look because he wouldn't usually find me without the clue.  

Then it was his turn to hide.  He'd pick one of the choices, hang it on the door and hide while I counted.  Ahhh, this is another of those mommy-successes which I hope will bring others joy as my little guy has mastered reading to the extent that it's no longer a challenge.  However, this brought many, many gales of laughter and it's easily shared with grandparents or other visiors too :)

The best part was how it blossomed as his reading grew and he was so motivated to read better and better!  (It's wonderful practice for relational concepts like "between"  or "in front" too as kids are learning those ideas.)  Here are some of the clues we came up with together that turned this game into a wild favorite:

opening and closing the dryer door while singing the hokey pokey

squeaky kissing in front of the laundry bin in Mommy and Daddy's closet

sitting on the edge of the bathtub nodding your head up and down 

squeezing the legs of the rocking chair in the library

lying on your tummy on the office table

tapping your forearms sitting in front of the kitchen sink

lying on your side next to Cameron's bed with the blankets on and the lights off

moving your elbows up and down in front of the guest room closet

Hopping between the green table and the hot tub

on your back with your eyes closed counting to ten under the dining room table

clapping your hands loudly on a stool by the fireplace

Even though it lacks the usual element of surprise, it's really a grand time.  You can get all sorts of different door hangers on Amazon and I just noticed this one is dry erase so you could practice writing!  I wonder if I can resurrect this game this weekend... seems worth a shot!  If you've invented favorite games, I'd love to hear about your successes :)