Suggestions for Outdoor Games That Will Keep Children Active

Outdoor games are not only fun, healthy pastimes but can also be effective educational tools— or at least they can be when done right.  Outdoor games are a nice change from video games and Internet surfing; they get children involved in physical activities and help to strengthen family ties, not to mention helping your little ones strengthen their own bodies, hearts and lungs.  What are some examples of popular outdoor games? 

First, don’t underestimate the fun and athleticism of classic outdoor games.  If hide and seek seems like old news then try more exciting outdoor games such as “capture the flag.”  Two teams assemble and then hide their flag in some part of the yard or garden away from view.  Outdoor games organizers can make the game more interesting by using spies to scout out the location and letting the team send players to counteract those spies.  The objective is to capture the other team’s flag without getting tagged. 

If the kids enjoy basketball outdoor games but you are concerned about the intense competition that could develop, stick to safer outdoor games involving a basketball like “horse.”  In this game, players line up and take turns announcing what shot they are going to make.  Each player shoots; if the basket is made the next player must make the shot, but if not, the player goes to the end of the line.  Each player that fails to make the shot gets a corresponding letter for the word “horse.”  When a player spells the word “horse,” he or she is out.

Lastly, if you are strapped for cash or the kids are simply feeling energetic and destructive, you can arrange a game of “batty bowling” or “kill the cockroach”, some backyard outdoor games that are still popular.  The former sees children take turns at a game of homemade bowling using common household objects as pins and then knocking them down with large or small sports balls.  The latter involves using common objects like soccer balls and then kicking them across a yard into a goal area. 

There are many other outdoor games to consider; it isn’t the fancy equipment you have that makes the game but the spirit of teamwork and friendly competition.  What matters in these outdoor games is that children are mingling with one another, learning the value of team work, and remaining physically active.