Children’s Group Outdoor Games

Having a  family get together, or just have a bunch of children in the neighborhood looking for some games?  Or, having an outdoors birthday party?  Try these fund summer outdoor games to inspire some fun.

Crazy Catch

One player is chosen to be “IT”,  the rest of the children form a circle around him and cross their arms.  To get started, IT throws the ball to someone in the circle while calling out “CATCH” or “DON’T CATCH!”  If IT says “Catch” the player should do the opposite and keep his arms crossed; if IT says “DON’T CATCH” the player catches when he shouldn’t and vice versa, or if he misses the ball, he’s out.  The last player left is the new IT.

BALLOON BATTLE

Tie an inflated balloon to each player’s ankle.  To play, each person tries to pop the other player’s balloon by stomping on them.  When a player’s balloon bursts, he’s out.  The person with the last intact balloon wins the game.

SHADOW TAG

This is one of my favorites.  The twist on the tag game is instead of playing like it normally is, (that is instead of touching the player to tag them), whomever is IT must step on the other player’s shadow and shout “Shadow Tag!”   The player whose shadow is tagged becomes “IT” for the next round – but – they must stand still for three counts before chasing any shadows.

FABULOUS FOOTBAGS

Inspired by a Native American toy, these little round beanbags — commonly referred to as Hacky Sacks — are used by athletes worldwide to hone their skills.   Footbags help develop coordination, timing, and balance as well as cardiovascular fitness and concentration.    With these games, your kids can get some kicks of their own.

Pitch & Kick: Draw a 3- by 3-foot square with chalk, as shown. Have the kicker stand on one side of the box and the pitcher on the other. To play, the pitcher tosses the footbag underhand toward the box. If the kicker kicks it and it lands outside the box, he earns a point. If he misses the pitch but the footbag lands outside the box, he gets another toss. And if the pitch or the kick lands inside the box, the players switch roles. The first player to get ten points wins.

Goldfish Toss: Use chalk to draw a game board that has a starting line and three 12-inch circles spaced 6 inches apart. Draw one goldfish in the first circle, two in the second, and three in third. From the starting line, players take turns dropping a footbag and kicking it with the top of a foot. Land it in a circle and earn as many points as there are fish. The player with the most points after five rounds wins.