WOLFEBORO — For 6-year-old Healy Larson of Wolfeboro, life really is all fun and games.

Healy, who will begin first grade at Carpenter School in September, will travel with his family to San Francisco later this month to debut his original game, Sidewalk Chalk Adventure, for the national Backyard Game of the Year Playoffs.

Healy, who lives with his mom and dad, Heather and Mac Larson, and 13-year-old sister, Allison, is one of six finalists chosen for the contest. The contest is sponsored by CLIF Kid®, maker of organic snacks for active kids.

Six finalists will unveil their original games at San Francisco's Marina Green for a chance to win a $10,000 educational scholarship and other prizes. Five runners-up will receive a $1,000 educational scholarship. This year's judges include U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist in freestyle skiing Jonny Moseley, best-selling author of “Last Child in the Woods,” Richard Louv, and Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist Dana King.

Healy said he was inspired to create an outdoor backyard game after his mom limited his Wii game time to one half-hour a day. He really likes the Wii game and character, Mario, so he started drawing the game with sidewalk chalk on the blacktop outside the family's South Main Street home. The game is simple to play, gets two or more players hopping and jumping in the various squares, and only takes about 10 minutes for Healy to draw out on blacktop.

How do you win?

“You have to rescue Princess Peach from the castle,” said Healy.

Heather said Healy is required to make a presentation to the judges in San Francisco and to play the game for them. The outgoing six-year-old is undaunted by the pressure.

“I'm going to practice a lot,” he said this week. Mom, too, is confident. “He's very outgoing and he's funny, friendly and polite — a mix of everything you'd want in a child. And he's sweet and cute,” said Heather.

Heather learned about the contest in a family magazine. Healy had received a Wii for Christmas and was spending way too much time with the gadget.

“He was obsessed with it,” said Heather. The parents set a time limit — only 30 minutes of Wii a day — and stuck with it. “Once that's up, it's up,” said Heather.

Heather and Mac have an educational background; she had worked at a local nursery school and Mac teaches second grade at Carpenter School, and they wanted to get Healy outside and active.

“We're big advocates of getting kids outside and active,” she said. Video games have their place, she said, adding that parents shouldn't let their kids play with them inside all day.

Healy is a creative child who also loves to draw. “He'll draw page after page,” said Heather. He's an athlete as well. Healy would like to play for the Boston Red Sox when he grows up. In the meantime, he plays catcher on his Rookie League team.

The family is looking forward to a short trip to San Francisco. The company is covering travel costs for Healy and one guardian. They will even pick up the family members at the airport in San Francisco. Heather said they are, of course, excited about the trip, but are also eager to spread the word about healthy playing.

“Just to get the word out — you don't have to be inside to have a good time,” she said.

Results from a 2012 national survey conducted by Kelton Research, commissioned by CLIF Kid, revealed that most parents agree kids who play outdoors tend to be healthier (84 percent), more adventurous (81 percent) and stronger (71 percent). The survey also revealed that while parents believe kids should ideally get 13 hours of outdoor playtime each week, kids are only averaging nine hours

“Kids' imaginations ignite when they play outside,” said author Richard Louv, one of three judges.

“At the Backyard Game of the Year Playoffs, we're going to see creativity in action. Outdoor play is such a key part of kids' health and cognitive development; it will be thrilling to watch these kids as they inspire others to join in the fun.”

All six games will be available for download on the CLIF Kid Backyard Game website clifkidbackyardgame.com after the playoffs.

The five other finalists include:

--Dance Tag by Lana, age 7, Peculiar, Mo.

--Footloose Derby by Madison, age 7, Port Orange, Fla.

--North Pole South Pole by Abigail, age 7, Albany, Ore.

--Tortoise & the Hare Ball by Dhani, age 8, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

-- Zombie Hunt by Jack, age 8, Greenfield, Wis.

lmulkern@newstote.com