Outdoor Games are a lot of fun to play for any age group. A lot of kids like to create their own games as well so I’ll show you how to add a twist to some outdoor games as well. I’ll show you how to entertain a large group for an outdoor party with many different games to play. It tends to get boring, even for kids, playing the same games all the time. So this will help them learn new games and hopefully have a lot of fun in the process!
1) Bridge Tag is just a small variation off of regular tag. They’re both great outdoor games though! The person designated IT must count to 10 and then run after everyone. If he/she tags someone then they have to make a themselves into a bridge. The only way for someone to free them they have to crawl under the bridge without getting tagged. Play continues until the person IT has tagged everyone.
2) Butt’s Up is my favorite Outdoor Game to play as an adult or a kid! This game will need at least two people, a tennis ball and a wall to throw it against. The first person throws the ball against the wall. As it’s bouncing back toward the players someone has to catch it and throw it against the wall again. When catching it you cannot drop it! Once you’ve touched the ball it can’t touch the ground. If you catch it successfully then you throw it against the wall and repeat until someone drops it or tries to throw it against the wall and it hits the ground first. If a player drops it, they must immediately run and tag the wall before the other player picks it up and throws it against the wall. If you touch the wall first you’re safe, if not you get a point. If the second player also drops the ball they must do the same. First to 3 points loses.
3) 21 is a lot of fun too. I hope you’re not thinking about Blackjack because I said 21! This is an Outdoor Game for kids specific to basketball. If you have an odd amount of people or you just don’t feel like playing an intense game of basketball then 21 is for you! The object of the game of course is to get to 21 points OR knock everyone out. First everyone takes turns “breaking the ice” by taking foul shots. The first to make a foul shot gets 2 points for breaking the ice and gets to go first. Each foul shot after breaking the ice is worth 1 point. When the foul shooter misses the other players go for the rebound and obviously try to score. Scoring off of the rebound gets you 2 points. Two tricks – 1) When the foul shooter misses, if one of the players catches the rebound with both hands, in the air, and makes the basket without touching the ground then the foul shooter goes back to zero! 2) Same concept, but if the player catches it with one hand and makes the basket in the air then that knocks out the foul shooter completely. They must wait for the next game to start. Also, the foul shooter can only make 3 in a row. If that happens they get the ball at the top of the key and try to make a basket against the other players defense.
That’s just a few outdoor games for you to play with friends or family when having people over for a party or just a get together. There’s a lot to do outdoors and this is just the beginning, so keep an open mind and throw a twist on any game you like to play.
Archive for the ‘Outdoor games’ Category
Outdoor Games to play for Kids or Adults, Entertain your family and friends with Outdoor games
Monday, December 20th, 2010Outdoor Games
Saturday, December 18th, 2010Our current lifestyles tend to keep us cooped up in doors. When the weather is hot we gather around an air conditioner, when the weather is cold, we huddle around a heater or a fireplace. In addition, technological advancements have provided us with so many forms of entertainment that centre around being inside that we have almost forgotten what it is like to play in the sunshine. With summer just around the corner, there is no better time than now to get outside and invest in some fun outdoor games
The kids
Before play station, television and wii, children used to spend all of their free time outside. The medical profession have found sufficient evidence to support the idea that the reduction in the time children play outside has had a dramatic and negative effect on their physical and mental health. It is for this reason that they recommend that parents encourages outdoor games for kids. The most effective way to do this is to make the games exciting and appealing. There are a number of outdoor kids’ games on the market that parents can buy so as to get their kids out of the house and on the road to a healthier lifestyle. The fresh air and vitamin B will benefit them radically, as will the increased blood flow that they experience as they start to move around. Most of the outdoor games for kids also require problem solving and therefore play an educational role too. Some examples include the outdoor versions of chess, skittles, dominoes and jenga. Croquet is also a popular favourite.
Getting involved
Sometimes it doesn’t just help to buy a game and hope that the children will find it interesting. The best way to get a child to do something is to lead by example and do it yourself. The range of fun outdoor games on the market is usually suited for use by the entire family. Parents can therefore also indulge in some well deserved, long overdue quality time and play outdoor games with the kids.
Croquet Sets
5 Classic Outdoor Games Your Kids Will Love
Monday, November 29th, 2010Playing outdoor games is part of growing up. We all have childhood memories of playing our favorite outdoor games with the kids from the neighborhood and our best friends from school. Now it is up to us to pass down the legacy to our children. Show them that playing outside is fun and teach them that physical activity is essential to their wellbeing.
Below is a list of five classic outdoor games your children are sure to love.
1) Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a simple jumping game that is easy to set-up and easy to learn. To play outdoors, all you need is a package of colored or plain white chalk, child-safe items like colored stones for the players to use as their markers, and a patch of concrete to draw the hopscotch board on.
Since there are a number of ways to draw a hopscotch board, experiment with a few different patterns and use the version your children like best.
The classic, old school way to create a hopscotch board is to use chalk on concrete to outline eight blocks in the shape of a lowercase letter “t.” Masking tape can be used as a substitute if chalk is not available or if you are playing indoors. Every player will need to find a small object that can be used as a marker. This is where you can get creative! Just make sure you don’t pick your mom’s favorite breakable figurine. Think more along the lines of a button, beanbag, or bottle cap.
Each player takes turns tossing his or her marker in block number one. The objective is to keep your balance as you hop over block one standing on one foot, then onto block two, three, four, etc. until you have reached the eighth block. To complete your turn, you must jump back through each number back to block two, bend over (still on one foot!) pick up your marker, and jump into block one and out of the hopscotch board. This completes the turn of one player. It is then time for the other players to take each of their turns.
There are a quite a few factors that determine whether a player is out and loses a turn. These things include failure to place your marker in the proper block for that particular turn, stepping into the block your marker is in, and losing your balance while attempting to pick up your marker. A player is also considered out if he or she steps on a line or uses both feet to hop into the next block. That player then loses his or her turn and must leave the marker in the block to try again after all the other players have taken their turn.
2) Red Rover
This game is fun when you have a big group of kids involved. Pick teams of equal size. Each team member holds hands tightly to create a chain. One side starts by picking someone on the opposing team to invite over to their team. Everyone shouts, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Emily right over!” Emily then breaks free and runs toward the other team. The goal is to break the link of the other team. If Emily is successful, she gets to pick someone from that team to join her team. If Emily is unsuccessful, she has to join the opposing team. This continues until one side has all of the team members. The best thing about this game is that everyone is a winner in the end!
3) Four Square
Much like hopscotch you can create your own four square arena by drawing one with chalk or using masking tape. You will also need a rubber ball, or any ball that is good for bouncing. Draw or lay out a large square that is divided into four inner squares. There is one person per square. The first player in the top square bounces the ball to the player in the square to the left of his or herself. This sets off the play. Everyone has to use hands to bounce the ball, in one bounce, around the square until someone fumbles and is out. The players rotate bringing a new player into the square to replace the person who fumbled. A person is out if they catch the ball, if it takes more than one tap to bounce the ball to the next person, or if a person steps out of his or her designated square. The goal is to move up into the top square. Like Red Rover, in this game, everyone is a winner.
4) Tag
Tag is one of the oldest and most exciting outdoor games for children. An added benefit of playing tag is the level of physical activity – it is a great source of exercise! While there are many variations of this classic chasing game, two remain the most common with kids today: traditional tag and freeze tag.
In traditional tag, one person is chosen to be “it,” the person who must try to catch the others. When the person who is “it” touches another person, that person must chase after another and the game continues.
Another variation of tag is freeze tag. The player who starts out as “it” can tag as many people as he or she likes. When the person who is “it” tags a player, that player must stands still or “freeze.” The frozen players can only be unfrozen once a free player crawls in between their legs. The object of the game? For the “it” player to freeze all other players. As you can imagine, freeze tag can go on for quite some time if players are fast!
5) Duck Duck Goose
This is an all time favorite. All the players sit in a circle. The “it” player walks around the outside of the circle tapping the other players on the head saying, “duck, duck, duck, etc.” When he or she gets to the person they choose to be the new “it” person, they say “Goose!” The “goose” then has to chase the other player and tag them before he is able to sit down in the goose’s spot. If the “it” player gets to the seat before being tagged the “goose” is the new “it” and the game continues.
These are five classic old-school games that every child should know. While a playground with swings and slides and monkey bars is always fun, nothing beats these basic games you can play almost anywhere. With spring in the air, now is the perfect time to take your kids and their friends outside and show them how to have a good time. Get going!
Alicia Randall is a full-time nanny living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who writes about topics related to children’s play in her spare time. For more information on playground equipment, please visit www.swingset.com.