Overview
How can you help out around the house, but still have fun? Turn sorting sock into a game! First you sort, then you shoot! It’s a matching game with a physical side as players race to match, roll, and throw socks into laundry baskets. Sure, it’s technically still a chore, but it’s so much fun you may find your kids volunteering with the laundry every weekend.
Age
School-age, Tweens, TeensNumber of Players
1, 2, 3 to 4Team Division
Every man for himself (individual players)Competitiveness
Either/or (can be played either way)Difficulty
Attention, please! (a few rules to follow)Indoor or Outdoor
IndoorsSpace Needed
Small (a clearable open space the size of a 1-car garage), Medium (a clearable open space the size of a 2-car garage)Noise Level
Semi-rambunctiousMess Factor
Clean and tidyPrep Time
5 - 10 minutesGame Time Length
5 - 15 minutesSupplies
Setup
1. Lay out all the socks on a counter or table. Do not match them, just lay them out in such a way that each sock can be seen clearly. If you are a white sweat sock-type of family, this might be a tricky game -- however, if you’ve got lots of patterned and colored socks, it should be less challenging and fun.
2. Set up a laundry basket for each player on the opposite side of the room, and one extra box or basket for missed sock shots. These will serve as the shooting baskets, and also the starting point. Baskets should be about 10 feet from the counter if possible.
3. If you have more than 2 players, divide into equal teams. If you have an odd number, make that person the referee, checking to make sure the socks are matched correctly and keeping score. If you have 3 players and no one wants to referee, then each player should go in rotation one after the other. If you have 5 players, then have the extra player switch back and forth between teams, i.e., they are Player 1 for team A, and Player 3 for team B (switching back and forth between teams. Be warned, that’s a work out for that player!).
4. Make sure everyone knows how to make a wrapped sock ball.
How to Play
The object of the game is to match two socks, roll them together, and throw them into the laundry basket on the opposite side of the room. Each pair of socks that makes it into the basket counts as 1 point for the player.
1. On “Go!” the player (or, if you are playing teams, the first player on each team) runs from the basket to the counter, finds a pair of socks that match, rolls them together and secures them, then turns and shoots at the basket. If they get in the basket, they get a point.
2. The player must then run back and touch the basket (if their sock ball did not make it into the basket, they should pick it up on the way back and place it in the extra basket).
3. Once they have touched the basket, they may return to the counter for another pair of socks. If you are playing with teams, the second player would go as soon as the player touches the basket.
4. Play until there are no more socks to sort!
Additional Rules
1. Socks must match -- which can be tricky if you have lots of the same socks!
Variations
1. Let players shoot missed sock balls as many times as they want. Just have them do it from wherever the sock ball landed. Once they make a basket, they still must touch the basket as in ordinary play.
2. Play by yourself for accuracy. You can eliminate the running back and forth between the counter and basket if you like.
3. If quarters are tight and you’ve got an odd number of players, have players go one at a time and play for best time, or have them sort three socks, one after the other, and see how many baskets they make.
4. If playing with a large group (as in a party atmosphere), make sure there is plenty of room for all of the teams, and plenty of socks (this could be a fun game for a slumber party). Scatter the socks all over a big room to make it even more challenging. Just designate a shooting zone for each basket.
Tips
1. Make sure players are careful when running to avoid collisions.
2. Make sure the playing area if free of items that can trip players.