Start Line Game Outdoor 2

Start Line Game Outdoor 2
Easy Outdoor Games and Activities for Kids

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When you have a group of kids over for an outdoor birthday party or play date , it's handy to have some activity ideas up your sleeve. That said, outdoor games and activities for children don't have to be complicated to be fun. And because they're outside, your kids will likely be running around and burning off lots of energy and getting exercise while playing. Children need 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day, and what better way to get it? 1

Just about any open outdoor space will do, including parks, schoolyards, playgrounds, backyards, beaches, or meadows. Simple, easy-to-understand instructions for kids of all ages can encourage hours of active play . That means more time spent outside with their friends, enjoying the sun and fresh air—and giving you some time to enjoy your adult company, just catch your breath, or join in on the fun.

The following list highlights classic, fun games that don't require a lot of components or setup. If the weather doesn't cooperate , many of these games, such as the dress-up relay race or obstacle course, can be easily transferred indoors to a basement, large living room, community center space, or gymnasium. Party on!

The object of this ball game is to run as far and as fast as possible from the person who is throwing the ball and to dodge the ball when it’s thrown at you without moving your feet.

Be sure to use a very soft ball, such as a foam ball, which is specifically made to be thrown at people without hurting them.

This is a simple and fun outdoor game that doesn’t require any setup or accessories. It’s great for a small or large group of kids.

This game is essentially a reverse version of hide-and-go-seek.

You don’t need much to play this popular game. All that is required is:

The concept and rules are simple: First, draw a large square, about 8 to 10 feet long on each side. Then, divide the square evenly so that you have four equal-sized quadrants and label each from 1 to 4 in clockwise order. The first square is "king," the second is "queen," the third is "jack," and the fourth is "ace."

Here’s an oldie but a goodie. Kids love the thrill of chasing and being chased, which is why variations of tag are so popular.

Most adults have done a crayon rubbing or two as kids themselves. This makes a game out of an art activity and doesn't require too much effort on the part of parents.

It's best to show kids how to make one before they begin their hunt. Peel the paper off of an old crayon, set a piece of paper on a leaf or something with an interesting texture, just for demonstration purposes, and rub the crayon over the paper until the texture or shape outline starts to show through.

Relay races make great outdoor party games for many reasons. They get kids moving and active, they inspire teamwork, and they satisfy kids' love of competition. This game adds a fun twist that has kids put on dress up clothing as part of the race, which adds a fun and festive extra step.

The dress up relay race is a fun outdoor party game and can easily be tailored to fit the theme of a party by having kids dress up in pirate, sports, princess, or other outfits and accessories.

Set up an obstacle course with items from the dress up theme. Divide the kids into teams and have them race through the course and put on a dress up item (such as hats, shoes, jewelry, tops, dresses, bags, skirts, or fairy wings) at each marker. Then, they go in reverse and replace items at each marker. The first team to have each player go through the course wins.

Here's an awesome outdoor game for any gathering. Because it involves water balloons, you may want to dress kids in their swimsuits . It's the perfect way to have fun on a hot summer's day!

There are many ways to play with water balloons. The simplest version is to line up the kids in pairs and have them toss a water balloon back and forth until it breaks. The last pair with an intact balloon wins. Another option is to throw the balloons at each other with the intention of popping them, which is particularly fun on a hot day.

You can use different variations of games with water balloons that don't involve combat, too. These include tossing balloons at a target rather than each other. These games help develop motor skills and coordination. 2

Scavenger hunts can be great fun at parties or with larger groups of kids. There are many types of scavenger hunts, but if weather allows, take your hunt outside and look for items in nature to get kids active and exploring in the fresh air. Plus, a nature-based theme helps to inspire a love of nature and the outdoors.

By focusing on nature, you’ll make this outdoor activity a great green game that's perfect for kids today. They will be learning about nature and developing their cognitive skills while having fun. 3

Scavenger hunts take a bit of prep work, as you'll need to decide on the items to find ahead of time. The great thing with a nature scavenger hunt is that you don't need to put out or hide anything. Instead, simply take a walk in the designated play area and note what you see. Then, use these plants or animals in your list of things for kids to find.

Steal the Bacon is a fun outdoor party game that's perfect for grade-school age kids. This classic outdoor party game will encourage kids to listen and pay attention, sharpen kids' reflexes while having fun!

This game is played in a large field or backyard. Divide your group into two teams. Each team gets one "side" of the play space. Place two objects, such as balls, bean bags, or hand towels, in different colors in the center of the field. Decide on a safe area at opposite edges of the field for each team to have as their home base.

For each round in this is a tag-based game each team seeks to "steal" their object ("the bacon") and get it back to their home base without being tagged. If a player gets tagged while holding the bacon, the other team wins. If they get the item back to their home base without being tagged, that team wins.

Balloon Stomp is a raucous game that will get kids moving as they try to stomp their way to victory. Between the laughing, screaming, and popping of balloons, this outdoor game will be one loud and happy party event .

Each child has two balloons attached to their feet with a string and, as in musical chairs, they walk around a circle until the music stops. Once the music stops, they try to stomp each others' balloons. (Be sure your group is wearing sturdy shoes and instructed to watch out for each other's toes.) The last child with an unpopped balloon wins.

If your group is going to be on the beach, try these entertaining beach games for kids. While children can have lots of fun at the beach just splashing in the waves, digging holes in the sand, or burying their parent, these games can be perfect for when the kids are looking for something else to do or you've got a larger group to organize. They're loads of fun for parents, too!

Games you can play include a bucket relay race where you can only use your hands to transfer water from the waves to fill your bucket. Beach volleyball is a blast.

You can fly kites and compete to see who can send their's aloft the fastest or highest. You can have a sand sculpture competition. You can also give them a beach-themed scavenger hunt to collect shells and pebbles.

Remember playing classic games like hide and seek when you were a kid? With a little modification to accommodate your group size and developmental stage, any of these classic kids' outdoor games can be perfect for outdoor party games. Simple games of tag, running races, and obstacle courses are always a hit, too. Try one at your next party and feel the nostalgia set in!

Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans . JAMA. 2018;320(19):2020–2028. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14854
Yıldırım G, Akamca GÖ. The effect of outdoor learning activities on the development of preschool children . S Afr J Educ . 2017;37(2). doi:10.15700/saje.v37n2a1378

By Katherine Lee

Katherine Lee is a parenting writer and a former editor at Parenting and Working Mother magazines.

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From Tag to Steal the Bacon, we rank the best unorganized sports games that are light on rules and heavy on fun.
Organized sports for kids are great, but outdoor games for kids are even better. So what’s the difference? Well, for starters, the former includes byzantine rules, carpools, busy Saturdays, moldering sports equipment, potentially lifetime injuries, and innumerable orange slices. The best outdoor games for kids include imagination, fresh air, unstructured play, and socialization with nary a penalty box in sight. Classic games to play outside, like four square, steal the bacon, and h-o-r-s-e are fun for older kids but still easy enough for toddlers and younger ones to learn. They’re light on rules but big on fun. And isn’t this low-fi philosophy just what you’re looking for when it comes to non-school hours? If you’ve been scouring the internet for winter leagues for your kids to join while the days are short, well, allow us to retort.
Now, the best classic outdoor games for kids should be simple enough that they could be explained to a 5-year-old in the space of two minutes, yet have a sophisticated enough structure that winners and losers can be clearly delineated. (Translation: no participation trophies.) Do the rules change on the fly? Sure. Are there several iterations? Absolutely. We haven’t even begun to crack the rich tradition of regional games you may be familiar with. Does any of that matter? Absolutely not, because these outdoor games for kids are simple, fun, and easy to understand.
So, the 30 unorganized outdoor games for kids have been refined over the years from one skinned-knee generation to the next, getting better with age. From Kick the Can to Duck Duck Goose to plain old Tag, all of these activities are easy to get started and a lot of fun. (Obviously, when it comes to social distancing, use your own judgment. But most of these games can be kept in the family.) Let the games begin.
How to Play It: The first person does anything they want, from spinning around to closing their eyes, before shooting a basketball into the hoop. If they miss, it’s the next person’s turn to make up a crazy shot. If he or she is successful, everyone else has to replicate the shot. Fail and you earn a letter, beginning with H and progressing to H-O-R-S-E. The last person standing without making it to horse wins.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: It’s horse! It takes a classic activity like shooting hoops or playing catch and leaves tons of room for creativity, which might be why you’ll see pros playing it whenever human-interest stories are produced. It can be played with virtually any number of players and can be adjusted for myriad age groups based on the height of the hoop.
How to Play It: Everyone in the pool! One person closes his or her eyes and counts to 10. That person then says, “Marco.” Everyone then yells “Polo!” The Marco child pursues the fleeing Polos with his or her eyes closed periodically calling out, with the other participants responding. Whomever he or she catches becomes the next Marco, and the game starts anew. No getting out of the pool, you dirty cheaters.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: Exceedingly simple to organize — and, as it’s all about stealth, kids tend to stay pretty quiet.
How to Play It: One team crouches in a line, with their arms locked around each other’s waists. Essentially forming a wall. The other team jumps on top of the line with the intent of staying on. If everyone makes it to the top, they win if they can shout “Johnny on a pony!” three times before the bottom team can shake them off.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: This game is pure madness in the best way possible. Also, good practice for future rugby players.
How to Play It: For children already familiar with tag, this variant involves freezing if the “it” person tags you. The only way to thaw? A non-“it” player must tag you, to his or her peril. If everyone becomes frozen, the “it” person wins.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: It’s tag, but with teamwork and social skills baked in.
How to Play It: Teams are divided evenly and each person is designated a number. Each team stands on opposite sides with a shoe sitting in the middle (doesn’t have to be a shoe, just something easy to hold). When a number is called, the designated players from each team run for the coveted item and try to get it back to their side. If you succeed, you get a point.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: Direct competition; plus, the designated caller can set up quality rivalries.
How to Play It: Two participants put their elbows on a steady surface and grip each other’s hands. Whoever can get the other person’s hand to touch the surface wins. No use of second hand and no lifting elbow off the surface.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: The ultimate one-on-one battle of strength and endurance. There’s no way to gracefully lose an arm wrestling match. You can also tie in that Sylvester Stallone movie.
How to Play It: One person is charged with protecting a can (or whatever) while other participants attempt to run up and knock it over. The catch? The kickers hide and join the protectors’ team if tagged. The rules can lead to an impasse, but when they don’t it’s a blast.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: You get to briefly live the life of a hobo during the great depression.
How to Play It: Sardines is the opposite of hide-and-seek. One person is designated to hide while the others count. If you find the hidden person, you join them. Last person to find them loses.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: One of the few reverse games that actually works.
How to Play It: Two people stand directly in front of each other. They hold out their hands, and try to push each other over while keeping their own feet planted. Whoever moves their feet first loses. In some cases, players can’t push anything other than their opponent’s hands, but that’s optional.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: You get to push other people over.
How to Play It: Everyone sits in a circle. One person is the tagger. They walk around the circle, touching each person’s head and either saying “duck” or “goose.” If they say “duck,” things continue as is. If they say “goose” the person tagged must try to catch the tagger before they can get back to their spot. If the tagger gets caught, they have to sit in the mushpot (the middle of the circle).
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: It’s one of the original “in class” games from pre-pandemic days, which means most kids probably know how to play it. Plus, everyone thinks of ducks and geese, which is pretty fun.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: You try to keep the ball away from one person while throwing it back and forth with your partner. If the person snags the ball, whoever threw it last is now the monkey. There are no points, and therefore no “winning,” in the traditional sense.
What Makes It Great: It almost always begins spontaneously and one person naturally ends up ostracized. Some may see it as bullying, but we believe it builds character.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: A group tosses a ball around. If you drop it, you’re out. If you make a bad pass, you’re out. If you make a noise, you’re out. Last person in wins.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: Simple, but entertaining. Also gets kids to learn how to shut the hell up for a few minutes.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Kids: Players stand at the edge of a pool with their backs turned to the water. One player places a whiffle ball, frisbee, popsicle stick, or some other buoyant objects at the bottom of the pool and then exits the pool. As soon as that player exits the pool, the other players try to spot and capture the ball. Whoever does, wins.
What Makes it a Great Outdoor Game for Ki
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