Planning a kids’ party or have lots of kids coming over? Make sure you have plenty of games to keep them occupied. These outdoor games are perfect to entertain kids and to provide them with some physical activity.
While these games can be played with 2-3 kids as well, they are better when played in groups. So, parties are the perfect opportunity to get the kids to play these games and have lots of laugh. These games also provide the kids with a healthy dose of exercise.
Sack Race
In this game, you need to hop as fast as you can to the finish line, with the legs being inside a sack. You will need a sack or an old pillowcase (for smaller kids) per player.
At the start line, the participants will have to stand inside the sack while holding on to the top of the sack. Once the race starts, they need to hop towards the finish line.
Spoon ball
In this game, you balance a small ball on a spoon and walk as fast as you can to the finish line. You should not let the ball fall off the spoon (you cannot use your other hand to make it stay on the spoon). If you drop the ball, you start again from the start line.
Earlier, people used to play this game using eggs, but then due to the mess it creates, people have started using smaller round shaped objects such as golf balls, ping pong balls (it can be difficult to balance though), or lemons.
You can make the game harder by making the participants balance the spoon with their mouth, or by having a blindfold on.
Tennis ball race
In this game, the kids have to balance a tennis ball between their knees and run towards the finish line. Towards the finish line, you can have a bucket or a small box, in which the kids will need to drop the ball.
You can make two teams, and have one kid from each team do the race. Once the child puts the ball in the bucket, the other player from that team can start. The team that gets all the balls in the bucket first wins.
Thread the needle
This is a team game played using a hula hoop.
Make two teams; have the kids in each team stand in a circle joining their hands, with the hula hoop hanging from one player’s arm. The aim is to get the hula hoop from one end to the other.
When the play begins, the first person with the hoop must step through it and pass the hoop to the next player without letting go of their teammates’ hands. The next player should also do the same thing, and this continues till the hoop comes back to the starting player. The team that gets the hoop back to the starting player the fastest, wins.
You can make the game a bit harder by adding another hula hoop.
Build an obstacle course
In case you do not wish to venture outdoors, you can play this game indoors using furniture and a few household items. But walking the obstacle course is best for indoors. The good thing about doing it indoors is that you can play music while the kids do the obstacle course.
Here’s how you can use the furniture and household items to create an obstacle course.
- Use a table or chairs to makes a tunnel to crawl through
- You can even use a blanket to crawl under.
- You can use a small mat to jump over
- Use a long thin piece of material (such as a skipping rope) laid on the floor, over which the child has to tight-rope walk on
- You can use plastic containers or small plastic cups set up to run in a zig-zag manner.
You can get as innovative as you wish.
More games that you can consider playing:
- Building a fort
- Hopscotch
- Making and flying a Kite
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Funtoyworld is a family-managed website with me (Ben), and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing toys. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical suggestions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.
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