Welcome to our listing of outdoor games!
Hope you can find some great ideas for fun in the sun!
500
One child is the thrower, and the other players stand a short distance from the
thrower. The thrower tosses the ball in the air toward the other kids and shouts
out a number between 50 and 500. If a child catches the ball, they get as many
points as the thrower yelled. If someone drops the ball, they lose the same
number of points (negative scores are possible). The first person to get 500
points wins and become the thrower for
the next game.
Red Light/Green Light
In this game, one child plays the "stop light" and the rest of the children try
to touch her. Have all the children form a line about 15 - 20 feet away from the
stop light. The stop light should stand with her back to the line of children
and say "green light". At this point, the kids are allowed to move forward,
towards the stoplight. At any point, the stop light can say "red light!" and
turn around. The children must freeze. If any of the children are caught moving,
they are out. Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and says "green
light". The stop light wins if all the kids are out before anyone is able to
touch her. Otherwise, the first player to touch the stop light wins the game and
gets to be "stop light" for the next round.
Group Tag
The game is generally played in a large area with at least 10 kids. One child in
the group is "it". The first person she tags is *also* "it". Now, the two chase
the others, and so on, until the last person is caught. The last child caught is
"it" for the next round.
Tails Or Heads
Have the children divide into two teams. Label one team HEADS and the other
TAILS. Lay out two center lines that are parallel to each other and about three
feet apart. Then set up two boundary lines about 20 feet from the center lines
for each team to cross for their safe zone. Hoses or rope work well outdoors. To
start, make teams stand with their backs toward each other at the center lines.
Toss a coin into the air. Once the coin has landed on the ground call out if
it’s heads or tails. If it's tails, the TAILS team must run to their safe zone.
The HEADS team will turn around and try to tag the TAILS team before they reach
their safe zone. After each toss and chase, players are to return to the center
line. Tagged players are out of the game. Play until one team has captured
everyone on the opposite team.
Red Rover
Players are divided into two teams. Line up facing each other, about 30 to 50
feet apart (or less depending on your space). Each side takes turns calling "Red
Rover, Red Rover, send (name) come over." At that signal, the player called runs
from her line and tries to break through the line of opponents, who have joined
hands. If she breaks through, she can take one opponent back with her to her
team. If she does not break through, she must join the other team. The team to
add the other players on its side first, or which has the most players at the
end of a designated time period, wins.
Windows and Doors
Have one child start off as the runner. The other children form a circle holding
hands. The kids need to spread out enough so that their arms are straight out
forming large spaces between the children. These spaces are the windows and
doors. The runner starts running and weaving in and out between children. As he
does this, have the kids in the circle randomly drop their arms down attempting
to touch or trap the runner. Once the runner is caught or touched by the arms of
someone, he is out. Then, another child takes a turn as the runner and the games
starts over again.
Capture The Flag
There are two teams. Team 1 has the front yard and Team 2 has the back yard, or
a field is split between the two teams. The teams are given a time period to
hide their flag in their part of the yard. When the flag is hidden, each team
calls out that they are finished. Each team tries to get the other team's flag.
If a person is caught and tagged by the opponent on their territory, he has to
go to "jail" and can only be freed by a
teammate who grabs him when the opponent isn't looking. The first team to
capture the flag wins.
Wolf's Dinner
One child plays the wolf. Set up a start line about 10-15 feet behind the wolf
and have the kids stand behind the line. The wolf will stand with her back
turned to the others. The other children call out, "What's the time Wolf?" and
the wolf turns to face the others and shouts out a time. (For example, "six
o'clock") The other kids then take 6 steps toward the wolf. The children take
the same amount of steps toward the wolf as
the amount of hours in the wolf's time. The wolf will then turns her back to the
group again, and the group repeats the question. When the group of kids get
really close to the wolf yell "What's the time Mr. Wolf?" the wolf will say "Its
DINNER TIME!" and run after the group of kids who are running back to the start
line. If the wolf catches a child, he will then become the wolf. If not, the
wolf continues to be wolf and repeats the round again.
Windows and Doors
Have one child start off as the runner. The other children form a circle holding
hands. The kids need to spread out enough so that their arms are straight out
forming large spaces between the children. These spaces are the windows and
doors. The runner starts running and weaving in and out between children. As he
does this, have the kids in the circle randomly drop their arms down attempting
to touch or trap the runner. Once the runner is caught or touched by the arms of
someone, he is out. Then, another child takes a turn as the runner and the games
starts over again.
Hen and Chicks
Have two bases set up. You can use 2 trees or set something up yourself. One
child stays in the middle of the bases playing the hen trying to round up her
chicks. The other kids are grouped together at one base acting as chicks. When
the hen calls for her chicks, all the chicks run from one base point to the
other while the mother hen tries to catch them. If chicks are caught, they have
to stay in the middle and help mother hen. The last chick caught gets to be the
hen for the next round. You can use any animal theme you'd like!
Duck, Duck, Goose
All of the children sit in a circle facing each other. They are now the "ducks".
Pick one child to be "it". The child who is "it" walks around the outside of the
circle, gently tapping the other players heads while saying "duck" each time
he/she taps. After a few times around the circle, the child selects a "goose" by
tapping a player's head and calling "goose!". The goose quickly jumps up and
chases the child who is "it" around the circle, trying to tag him before he can
get to the spot where the goose was just sitting. If the child who is "it"
succeeds in taking the goose's place, he is now safe and the goose is "it". If
however the child who is "it" is tagged while running from the goose, he has to
sit in the center of the circle. Then the goose becomes it for the next round.
The person in the middle can't leave until another person is tagged and they are
replaced.
Head or Catch
Children line up against a wall. A chosen player goes to the front of the line
with a ball and shouts "Head" or "Catch" while throwing the ball. Whatever the
person calls, the first child in line has to do just the opposite; if the
thrower calls "Head!", the first person has to catch the ball, and if the
thrower calls "Catch!" the first person has to head the ball. If the first
person either misses the ball or does the wrong thing, she is out and the game
continues. But if the person does the right thing, she is still in, and the play
still continues. The last person who remains in the game wins!
Prisoner
Divide the children in half and place a chalk line down the middle between the
two teams. You can also use a long rope for a line or set up cones. About 20-30
feet in back of each team design an large area to be "prison". This can be a
large square drawn with chalk or staked out with cones, etc. Each team picks one
person to be the prisoner of the other team. The teams try to free their
prisoner by sending a team member to the prison through the opposing team to
bring the prisoner back without getting captured by a member of the opposing
team. If the person attempting to rescue his own prisoner makes it into the
prison through the opposing team without being caught, he is safe while in
the prison and can pick his own time to run with the prisoner back to his own
side of the line. If the team member is caught by the opposing team, he also
becomes a prisoner needing rescue. So each team is busy both trying to rescue
their own prisoners and guard the prisoner(s) from getting rescued. Set up a
time limit for the game. At the end of the game, the team with the most
prisoners wins.
