With the end of Memorial Day weekend and schools coming to a close its time to review some great games you can play outside with your children. Notice I didn’t say teach them to play on their own but you should actually go out and play with them. Remember we are trying to Establish a House! Most of these games use no extra equipment. Go on, build some great memories, bond, and enjoy the great outdoors!
Hide and Seek – You know how to play this one! Whether you wait to be found or have a home base to run to to be “safe” this classic game is fun for all. Don’t be surprised if the neighbor kids come asking to play too.
Sardines – A twist on Hide and Seek, everyone starts off together counting to twenty while one person goes and hides. At every count of twenty another person leaves to find the first person who was hiding. When those doing the seeking find the one hiding they quietly join them in hiding. As more seekers join everyone becomes squished – like sardines – into the hiding spot. The last person to find the hiding spot becomes the next hider.
Hopscotch – Draw a grid with sidewalk chalk and number the squares. Start by tossing the rock onto the first square. Hop over the rock and hop with a single foot or both feet (to follow the hopscotch pattern) all the way to the end. Turn around and come back, stopping on the square marked with number 2. Balancing on one foot, pick up the rock in the first square and hop over it to the start. Continue this pattern with Square 2. And so on. If you toss your rock and miss the correct square, your turn is over. For ideas on hopscotch patterns look at the hopscotch mats on amazon. When I was growing up we would use tape on our carpet in the downstairs family room to have an indoor hopscotch.
Tag – One person is “it.” They run around trying to tag everyone else. When a player is tagged they are “it.” Variations of tag include:
- Freeze tag: Instead of becoming “it” when tagged a person is “frozen” in place. They can’t move from their spot until another player “unfreezes” them by tagging them.
- Flashlight Tag: One player is designated “it” and is given a flashlight. The other players hide. When “it” finds a hidden player, he shines the light on the hider and the hider then becomes “it.” The original “it” then hides, and the game continues.
- Shadow Tag: To be played on a bright sunny day, “it” tags a player’s shadow with their feet.THe closer to noon the harder it is as the shadows are much smaller.
Wheelbarrow Races – Players divide into teams of two. In each team one person holds their teammate’s ankles. On the shout of “go” the players whose ankles are being held start walking on their hands to the finish line.
Red Light, Green Light – One person is the “traffic light” at one end. Everyone else lines up away from the traffic light. When the ‘traffic light’ faces away from the group they yell “Green Light!” and everyone runs to the traffic light. When the ‘traffic light’ turns to face the group they yell “Red Light!” Anyone caught moving has to go back to the starting line. The ‘traffic light’ keeps changing colors until one person tags them. The first person to tag the ‘traffic light’ becomes the next ‘traffic light.’
What Time is it Mr. Wolf? – One person is the “wolf.” Mr. {or Mrs.} Wolf stands a distance away from everyone else with his back turned to the group. The group will ask all together, “What time is it Mr. Wolf?” Mr. Wolf can answer with any time (has to be on the hour) 1 O’clock or 5 O’clock or 10 O’clock, etc. The group then takes that number of steps towards Mr. Wolf. The group keeps asking and stepping the number of steps towards Mr. Wolf. When Mr. Wolf thinks they are close enough to be tagged instead of a time he will answer “Dinner time!” and turn and try to tag a person while the group runs away. The person who is tagged becomes the new Mr. Wolf.
Crab Walk Races: Everyone sits on the ground, leans back on their hands, and at the shout of “Go!” crawls backwards to the finish line.
Duck, Duck, Goose – Admittedly this is harder to play for adults but the little ones love it so much who can resist? Sit in a circle while “it” goes around the outside of the circle touching each person’s head while they say “duck, duck, duck.” Finally “it” touches one person and call them “goose.” The ‘goose” jumps up and chases “it” around the circle trying to tag “it” before “it” returns and sits in the “goose’s” spot. If the ‘goose’ is successful in tagging “it” then “it” tries again. If not then the “goose” becomes “it.”
What are some games you enjoy playing outside with your kids?
Next week we will cover indoor games and activities to do on those rainy days or days where it is much to hot to be outside.
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Two games
Red Rover: Divide the group into two teams. The teams line up facing each other, holding hands. The team who goes first decides on one player from the opposite team and chants, “Red Rover, Red Rover send (player’s name) right over. The chosen person runs towards the opposite team as fast as possible and tries to break through the line. If they succeed, they choose a person to join their team. If they can’t break through, they join the opposite team.
Colored Eggs: One person is the Big Bad Wolf. One person in the mother hen. The remaining players are eggs, and each one quietly chooses to be a different color, not letting the wolf hear what color they have chosen. The wolf then approaches the group (gathered on a porch or in a designated “home” front of the house) and says “Knock Knock”. The Mother hen answers “Who’s there?” “The Big Bad Wolf” “What do you want?” “Colored Eggs.” “What Color?” The wolf then proceeds to guess different colors. If he guesses the color of one of the eggs, that egg will then race off of the porch and around the house with the wolf chasing him. If the wolf catches the egg, the egg becomes the next wolf and the original wolf becomes the Mother Hen. If the egg reaches “home” safely, the original wolf guesses again. The eggs all choose new colors and the play resumes.
I’ve never heard of Colored Eggs. We’ll have to try that one!
Jump Rope. While you need the long rope, my Girl Scout troop just can’t get enough. The girls beg to stop meeting activities and just take turns jumping rope and singing rhymes. I have a feeling no one plays jump rope anymore! I used to be quite good at double dutch, too. Unfortunately, puberty and pregnancy have made jumping quite uncomfortable 🙂
We also like Red Light, Green Light
Years ago, one of my sons asked for a Clifford type party. When I asked him to explain, he said that he wanted friends to come play all those cool games Clifford and the dog friends played – hide and seek, freeze tag, red light/ green light and such. It was so much fun and the parents thought it was so original. Ha, original to make your child play tag????
How funny about the Clifford party! We bought two long jump ropes a couple of years ago and my kids have worn them out. I should surprise them with new ones for the summer. A couple of the girls even got pretty good at double dutch. When the cousins come to play that’s usually one of the things they want to do is the jump ropes.
Love this post! We are gonna have a few bbqs in the next month with lots of kids over. Looking forward to playing outside with my kids. 🙂
(Random note : here in Minnesota they call it Duck, Duck, Gray Duck … anybody else do that?)
Cocoa, This is DELICIOUS!
I would like to include your list in my June Primary Newsletter.
I seek your permission to reprint the list, sans pictures.
Please let me know.
~Shari
Primary Secretary
Please share away, Shari!
I always loved to play Blob. It is a variation of tag. The person who is it tries to tag the other people. Once someone is tagged they link arms with the person who is it. So then there are two people, then three, then four, etc., until there is a large group just chasing one person. Only the players on the ends can tag since all the others will have their arms linked.
I remember playing Kick the Can a few times, but I can’t remember all the rules.
Our favorite is “king of the hats” it is a wild chasing game that involves a whole heirarchy of hats – king hat, queen crown, princess hat, wizard, jester, tiger…..all the way down to minion. Basically you are trying to grab the hat off the one above you all the while being chased by the one below you. The goal is to become king and we start with the youngest being king and oldest being minion. It is fast paced with a lot of screaming and laughing and even more fun when there are giant piles of wood and compost to run around.
These games are so fun and definitely such classics!! I felt happy to read them because we play these games at our house a lot and it is so fun!